Clear finished hardwood floor with possible rubbing alcohol stains

[Dugie]

Hi all,

There are new stains on an old solid hardwood floor, probably from a rubbing alcohol spill from a fondue. The wood has a clear hard finish, but I'm not sure what kind: possibilities are oil-based polyurethane (Varathane) or urethane. The wood is a medium light color, maybe maple, the old 2" or 3" wide strips type.

The several small stained areas are a whitish color. When I rub the stains with my fingernail, some will come off. Dish detergent on a damp sponge also removed a bit, but it took a LOT of rubbing. and didn't remove much of the stain.

Can anyone suggest ideas to help remove the stain?

Thanks and best wishes of the season!

Dugie

[Chris Lewis]

According to Dugie :

Whiteish stains are often the result of water or alcohol sitting on a finish and getting partially absorbed in and "fogging" the finish. Generally speaking these stains go away by themselves if you give them a chance to thoroughly evaporate out of the finish. Give it a week at least before doing anything else.

[CJT]

I don't know the answer to your problem, but I think some rubbing alcohol has lanolin or similar in it -- you probably ought to be using wood (denatured) alcohol in your fondue heater.

The wood has a clear hard finish, but I'm not

[Dugie]

Thanks, I'll let it set for a week.

If there is lanolin or similar stuff in the alcohol, as CJT wrote, the lanolin may add an additional problem.

Dugie

[Dugie]

Thank you, CJT. The 70% rubbing alcohol was a Christmas eve emergency solution to a lack of proper fuel. :-) The product came in a spray bottle.

Dugie

[mm]

I suppose if there is lanolin in it, it will say so on the bottle.

Or I would think you could pour a little in a bowl, wait for it to evaporate, and feel the lanolin. It feels like a sheep, iiuc.

Isn't lana sheep in some language?

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[nospambob]

I've used 71% and 91% isopropyl alcohol as well as 99% anhydrous isopropyl alcohol to dissolve shellac flakes many times as well as denatured alcohol and haven't seem a trace of a difference in any of them. The whiteness/blushing is usually caused by noisture trapped in the finish and time and warmth may let it escape in a week or so. Several ways to help it out is use a solvent to soften the finish and let it out during evaporation of the solvent. Try a rag moistened with alcohol, not wet but merely damp, and wipe with the grain in a swift motion like an airplane landing and taking off again. Another wipe next to the first and repeat until the area is covered. Wait several minutes and repeat. Ensure this is done when the temperature is moderate instead of cool to help the solvent evaporate.

[Dugie]

Thank you all, you people are just great! The stain was removed last weekend with only five minutes of rubbing with the same water-damped sponge and dish detergent. Much of the alcohol must have evaporated, since it was so easy.

Dugie

[Dugie]

The floor was in my mother's-in-law house, on Christmas eve, by the way! Phew, you saved me big time. :-)

Dugie