Many people wonder how to remove rug pad marks from hardwood floors, but luckily it’s quite an easy thing to do – it all depends on what type of mark your rug pad has left behind.
If your rug pad has left behind an adhesive mark then you’ll need some type of adhesive remover, whereas scuffs can be removed with a hardwood floor cleaning agent.
Let’s take a deeper dive into rug pad marks on hardwood floors and what you can do to combat them step-by-step.
Why Does A Rug Pad Leave Marks And Residue On Hardwood Floors?
Most rug pads have a backing that is made from rubber or latex, both of which are prone to leaving marks on your hardwood floor.
This happens for a number of reasons, but the most common is that the adhesive used on the backing can react with your flooring or floor polish. If this reaction occurs your pad backing will degrade leaving residue behind, as well as stains or marks.
You may even find chunks of rubber that have been left and ultimately stuck on your floor. But don’t worry if this is the case, it will look like much more of a problem than it is.
Difference Between Marks And Residue
Before you attempt to remove the marks you need to know what you’re dealing with.
If your floor has black marks that are only to the surface, then it is likely the backing has not degraded and that these marks are from friction between the rubber and floor. This is the easiest case to tackle as the marks are simply surface-level scuffs that are easy to get rid of.
If there is residue on your floor, characterised by a sticky substance that will usually appear black due to the backing, then you will need to use a residue remover.
The difference between residue and a simple mark is that residue is a sign that a chemical reaction has occurred between the adhesive in the backing of the padding and your floor.
If you have a residue mark it’s likely some of the backing itself – typically rubber – will also be connected to it and ‘stuck’ onto your floor.
How To Remove Rug Pad Surface Marks And Scuffs
Surface marks and scuffs are really easy to remove, but you’ll need to be certain that none of your backing has stuck on the floor and that no adhesive is present.
You can do this by running a plastic scraper along the mark to check for any bumps or sticky areas. Once you’ve checked this you are ready to follow the steps below to clean the marks or scuffs.
The method we like to use is simple and easy – give your floor a proper deep clean using a hardwood floor cleaner product. Depending on which cleaner you choose will dictate the steps you need to follow, but typically it involves first vacuuming to remove any dust or debris.
Once you’ve vacuumed simply follow the instructions on the product to make up the mixture and clean your floor, not forgetting to spot test a small area first to make sure it won’t cause any damage.
How To Remove Rug Pad Adhesive Marks
Adhesive marks are much easier to recognise as they will be sticky to touch and usually be stuck with rubber material that will appear as chunks on your floor.
To remove these marks you need first to gather a few things:
- Plastic scraper – This will be used to remove any chunks of backing that are stuck on your floor.
- Hardwood Floor Cleaner – Used to clean your floor after you’ve removed the adhesive and rubber.
- Hardwood floor cleaning mop – Used alongside the cleaning agent.
- WD-40 – This is used to combat the adhesive and remove it entirely from your floor. You can also use an adhesive removing agent from a general hardware store.
Once you’ve gathered everything then you’re ready to follow the steps below.
- Spot test the WD-40 and floor cleaner on a small area of the floor to make sure they don’t cause any problems with your floor.
- After spot testing you need to start by spraying a generous amount of WD-40 on any affected areas. Leave it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Use the plastic scraper to gently lift and remove the adhesive. Make sure you have a plastic scraper as this will not scratch or mark your hardwood floor.
- Once you’ve removed all the residue and rubber then simply clean your floor using the previous steps for marks and scuffs.
What Rug Pads Are Safe For Hardwood Floors?
We get asked this question all the time by people who have unfortunately experienced marks from rug pads on their floors.
The secret to picking a rug pad is not the material of the pad itself, but the backing that is used.
The material you want to look for is felt. Any rug with a backing of 100% felt with not leave any marks or damage a hardwood floor at all. Felt is a really cheap material as well so you might even save yourself some money by choosing this material as well!
Rug pads can even cause damage to vinyl floors, so it’s a useful piece of information to know.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. We hope that you’ve learnt how to remove rug pad marks from hardwood floors in an easy to do way.
When it comes to marks on a hardwood floor from rug pads you just need to figure out what type of mark it is and then follow the guidelines above – it really is a lot easier than most would think.