How To Clean Old Hardwood Floors That Have Been Under Carpet

Vacuum well and ensure that no dust wood splinters and other remnants are left on the floor.

How to clean old hardwood floors that have been under carpet. For the former cover the adhesive with a cotton towel or rag mound some ice on top and let it sit for at least 15 minutes even if you have to hold it in place. To discover the type of finish on the floor place a drop of water on the floor and wait for it to dry. Once the strip is screwed down pull the carpet over the spikes and it should snag on them. If there is a white spot on the floor when the water dries then the floor has been treated with wax. Vacuum the area 1 2 times to get the most dirt out of the carpet so it doesn t transfer to a different room.

Rather than risk damaging your wood floor with harsh chemicals or scraping tools use ice or peanut butter to remove the glue. The acidic properties of vinegar are what makes it a top pantry cleaning product. Chemicals can stain and damage your wood permanently. With much older floors you may find screws and nails that previous homeowners used to stop squeaks. Then you bend the edging over the carpet to hold it in place.

These strips were pretty cheap and took some manhandling to get the carpet to snag on the spikes. You may discover carpet padding that has been attached with hundreds of staples or adhesive of some sort. Make sure nails staples and other debris are all off the floor. Liquid and water can cause permanent warping damage. Vacuum the old carpet.

Before you pull up the old carpet go over the entire carpet thoroughly with your vacuum to get rid of any dirt. Take a few short screws and secure the strip under the edge of the carpet to the wood floor. White vinegar is on the top of everyone s list when it comes to cleaning hardwood floors. I bought a house about 3 weeks ago and it has hardwood floor in the living room when i tried removing the old carpet it left padding residue and marks on the floor. When wall to wall carpet became popular in the 60 s and 70 s many wood floors were covered up.

Old hardwood floors usually have a wax finish while more recent hardwood floors have a polyurethane finish. It s quick efficient and much simpler than getting on your hands and knees to clean. One safe method is to use vinegar and water drying the floor by towel as soon as you re done cleaning it. Dirt and dust can get in the way when it s time to sand your floors. You have to be careful when cleaning unfinished hardwood flooring.