Wood floors are a glorious addition to your home, as well as extremely practical. They are good in all types of weather and last a very long time, as long as they're taken care of. And that's where things get a bit soggy-literally. Even if you're super careful with your floor, any water or liquid left standing for a long time can cause mold to develop.
This is especially true of plant and flower pots that are kept inside and leak. Now the leak may be quite small so that you don't notice it for months, and then you realize that the floor around the plant is looking a little worse for wear. You lift the plant up and lo and behold, a moldy mess has established itself into the cracks of your beautiful hardwood floor.
Not to worry, however, as there are ways to get rid of the mold, and if it is finished like most floors, the wood itself will remain in tact and unharmed; only the finish will suffer.
The first thing to do is buy a scraper from your local hardware store. Size doesn't really matter, but it should be at least eight inches wide and a few inches high. Pull along the grain of the wood and adjust the pressure just so the edge is scraping the finish. Don't dig in too deep, as you can mar the wood.
Next, purchase a sanding sponge specifically for finish removal (180 grit will work fine too) at your hardware store or shop. Sand, again, along the grain until the mold, or most of it, is gone. If there is still some residue left after all this use a very small amount of diluted Clorox bleach on the area. You have to be careful, though, as too concentrated of a solution can ruin the floor.
After you're done sanding or bleaching, run two hundred grit sand paper lightly over the wood. Re-finish the wood with the same finish, if possible. If not, find the nearest match, but do be careful as matching finishes can be tough. Always test a tiny, hidden, and out of the way spot before you do anything, and that includes using the bleach solution.
Hopefully this clears up your mold problem, but prevention is the best protection. Make sure any flower or plant pots you have in the house are properly potted without the possibility of leaking, and ensure that any pet urine or other water spill is cleaned up as soon as possible. Do this, and your floor will remain beautiful and elegant well into old age.
Written By: Marcela Devivo
