Stained Linoleum Question

It may sound strange- but, you might try gasoline. I have removed paint from carpet with it and numerous other stains (although I have never tried it on linoleum). Let us know what works.

Have you tried Awesome Soap from the dollar store? That has never failed me....it has cleaned EVERYTHING I ever needed. It got grease out of the carpets of my car! Great stuff!

If you haven't already, you may want to try baking soda or bon ami. They usually work really well with stains.

Try WD-40. And then I'd go to a linoleum store and ask them! That really is awful! Black is such a difficult color to remove I had some on a fridge (black marker, not permanent, in fact it was dry erase marker!!! had a hard time getting that off. In the end I think we used SEVERAL chemicals at once. Abrasives, bleachers and WD-40. But be careful mixing them on the same surface. They can react funny, or not so funny and cause you to pass out OR totally ruin your surface. WD-40 worked really well on my berber carpet getting red nail polish out!

GOOODDDD Luck!

V.

Hi I had the same kind of problem, except it was with rust on my kitchen floor. My mother in law told me to get some stuff called Barkeepers Friend. It's a powder form, kind of like Comet...I shook some on the stain, and wet it down, making a paste, and let it soak for about 5 min...it completely removed the stain, and has worked on other types of stains around my house! It's also cheap, cost under $3.00, and you can find it pretty much at any store in the cleaning section. Good Luck to you!

Have you tried the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser? I have used it on things that I never thought it would work on, but used it just to "humor myself". Today there are also at least three different Erasers that I happen to know of and they scrub lightly to heavy. Maybe one of them work. Humor me :-) and try it!!!

I don't know if it will for for stained linoleum however when I tried all kinds of stuff to get the crayone and marker off my while and nothing would, someone suggested WD-40. It worked like a charm and did not mess up the paint on the walls either.

Good luck

Be careful with the Magic Eraser, as it will take any "finish" off a surface. I used one on my linoleum once and it took off the shiny finish, so there was an obvious dull spot right in the middle of the floor :-(

Have you tried rubbing alcohol?

L.,
I don't know for sure, but my mom suggested that you try Ritz Dye Remover (for clothing), like maybe let it soak on the stain awhile. You can buy it in the laundry detergent section usually (at Wal-Mart, or some grocery stores.) This is just a guess, let us know if it works. Good luck!

If the Magic Eraser doesn't work, I don't have any other suggestions. I have always had good luck with them.

good luck!
K.

have you tried Melaleuca products? There's one called SOLUMEL that's just magic! It can erase permanent marker and the best thing is it's non toxic, as are all of Melaleuca's products. Just thought I'd suggest that one in case you haven't tried it yet. I love it and use it all the time.

If you need to find out more about the company/store, please contact me and I'll personally share the details with you. It's a wholesale store, so you need to be referred to them in order to shop at a discount. My name is J.. My email is ____@____.com and my website is http://Jamieis.stayinhomeandlovinit.com if you want to request more details.

k, i wish you the best and hope that it comes out.
J.

try some acetone free nail polish remover. it got all our black stains off the floor in the army

I would bet that rubbing alcohol will work. I am not sure if this would work with linoleum but a friend gave me this suggestion for getting stains out of carpet (this was after I had tried EVERY carpet cleaning product available and finally gave up on the red soda stains on our brand-new carpet!)- mix ammonia and water (the proportions for cleaning carpet are on the ammonia jug) and pour a little on the stain. put a wet white washcloth over the stain and then run a hot clothes iron over the washcloth (it usually takes a few min of doing this). the steam will lift the stain right out! I wonder if it would work on linoleum as well.
Oh, and also whenever I get a bad stain (like food coloring) on our formica counters, I use toilet cleaner on it, the bleach lifts out the stain but does not take the color out of the countertop, so that might work as well.

I always have really good stain removal results with the natural all purpose product Citra-solv and one of those scratchy green pads - good luck!

Oh my gosh! I have the same issue. We thought it was the sun that did it, as our black rug was in front of south facing patio doors. We have tried everything and cannot get the stain up! We are selling our house this year and have just resigned to the fact that we'll have to put in a new floor before we move. :o( I will be interested to hear any suggestions others have though. Good luck!

Have you tried Rubbing Alcohol? It worked wonders on my discolored lineolium in my bathroom. It took years of hairspray, gunk and stains off. Also, you might try Lysol disinfectant spray. It takes Sharpie off formica counter tops.

You might want to try some sort of rust remover. Lots of times those will remove things other cleaning products won't, but shouldn't damage the linoleum itself. Good Luck!

You may have already tried this but just in case you haven't....I was shocked and amazed to see "Goo Gone" magically take off Sharpie permanent marker with no effort. So who knows, it might work on linoleum stains! Good Luck! If all else fails, know that the renter will also have a rug there to cover the stain and probably won't be bothered by it.

well.. i don't know if this would work at all..but baking soda with a litte water so it's like a paste.. takes up alot of things. it's the old fashioned and cheap way to get things up that now the mr. clean erasers say they get off.. but not nearly as well. just give it a scrub and see what happens..it's cheap anyways.. good luck!!!

If is doesn't come out, you could put down new linolium squares--They are 12 inch squares, and they cost about 96 cents a piece at Home Depot. They are sticky on the back--just peel and stick...if the kitchen isn't too big, you can always do that...measure it out--a dollar a foot isn't too bad. Not the best solution, but it would fix the problem. I guess you'd have to talk to your landlord about it.

Try a nail polish remover called Once Removed. You can't believe what this stuff can do. I've used it to remove all kinds of things off fabric, floors, etc. It is miraculous! I got my bottle at Walgreens.

maybe you could try a bleaching toothpaste. If the Mr Clean erasers don't touch it I don't know what would. I use those on everything and have usually had good results even on very old grimed in dirt.

Good luck.

Definitely be careful with a paint remover. A lot of those may be too harsh and damage the linoleum. Probably why the other methods you have tried haven't worked is that the dye from the rugs has leached into the linoleum. The magic eraser won't take it off because it's not a surface stain. You need to find some kind of dye remover. If someone at Home Depot or Lowes doesn't know how to help you, try a flooring store or installer who specializes in vinyl or linoleum floors for their suggestion. If no one else can find you an answer, try a shoemaker or saddle shop and ask about dyes and what the best way to get stains out is. Keep in mind, though, that if you end up trying something that damages the linoleum worse than just the spot, you may end up paying for it out of your security deposit anyway. So if you're not comfortable damaging it to get the stain out, just leave the stain and pay for it in the end if the landlord asks. They may not charge you for it anyway because it may be considered normal wear and tear. Hope this helps.

There is a cleaner called protec and you have to order it online at protec.com It is a biodegradable cleaner with enzymes it is a little bit of money but it takes over alot of the cleaners in the house. It is also tax deductable. It has worked great for me I had a cherry red kool aid stain on my floor that nothing took out except for this cleaner. I hope this help and gl.

When you say it stained your floor, does that mean it left a yellowish stain behind? Or a color stain, like the color of the rug? My kitchen and bathrooms have that yellowish stain under the rugs too and I hate it. I have wondered myself how to get rid of it. I have tried bleach, alcohol, etc... and nothing works. Thanks for posting the question. I am hoping somebody will answer in a way that will help me too.

This is probably not very helpful, more like empathy, but I had a red rug that did the same thing to my linoleum a few years ago. We owned our house at the time, but when we were ready to sell, we decided that we had better replace the entire kitchen floor because I could find nothing that would get rid of that stain. It seems like it might end up being something the landlord will have to deduct from your deposit. Sorry I don't have better news for you, but if you do find something that works, please post it on here so we know what happens.

De-Solv-It! I love this product. It removes pen, permanent marker, paint, even the tar from the interior of our truck when we tarred our basement foundation. Walmart usually carries it. I haven't seen it at Target for a while. You might have to check around. The only problem is that sometimes if you have tried other cleaners first it doesn't work or doesn't work as well. Good luck!

L.,

You really need to be careful with using all of the different ideas that people are giving you, because if some of the chemicals from the different cleaners get mixed (if there are any reamaining traces left from the cleanup) the result could be very toxic! Most of the cleaning products you buy in the store are toxic anyway and you are especially vulnerable right now being pregnant!!

Melaleuca has a whole line of cleaning products that are natural and they really work!! I would suggest Solumel, it took pink nail polish off of my green carpet without discoloring my carpet AT ALL!! And it is not toxic!! Please feel free to contact me and I can show you how to get these wonderful products that are safer for your family and the environment!
Good luck!!!

Don't use paint remover. It might also remove any shine the floor has. I know that cheap hair spray works on other ink stains (as well as grass stains). Aqua Net is best for those kind of stains. I don't know if it will work, but its cheap to try and if not it shouldn't hurt the floor and you can use it other ways. Good Luck.

Try an SOS pad with the help of some comet and old fashioned elbow grease.
If that won't do it well?
Have you tried greased lightening?
Good luck.

Try hairspray. I've sued it on several occassions to remove permanent marker and ink for pens from every surface I can think of. It doesn't have to be any specic brand just any hair spray.

I swear by Melaleuca Sol U Mel. My little one has done nail polish, permanent marker, ink pen on table couch etc and every time this works wonders and it comes right out. I won't be without it and the best thing is it is a natural cleaning product so you don't have to worry about it being harmful to your little one.

Let me know if you are interested I have an extra bottle, or I can show you how to save 30-40% with your everyday monthly shopping and buy direct, knowing that you are using products that won't harm your little ones, and are safe for the environment.

God Bless,
J. York SAHM with a 8 1/2 year old and 2 year old girls
www.thewhycircle.com/saysly

Don't try paint thinner. This will take the protective coating off the linoleum and you will have an even bigger problem. Try a product called TSP (tri-sodium phosphate). You can find it in your local hardware store. I don't know if you have tried a vinegar or baking soda solution, but these are an option also. Good luck!

You might try rubbing lemons on it, or even lemons with some salt. Good luck!

You didn't mention what kind of eraser you used, but the Scotch Bright ones are not nearly as good as the Mr. Clean ones. I got some free samples of the Scotch Bright, and would never spend money on them after seeing the difference. I hope you find a solution other than replacing the floor. Sometimes you can get by just replacing those tiles if you can find the match. Your landlord might be willing to tell you where he bought the original as the stores all carry different items, but often carry the same pattern for a long time. Then you'd just have to tear up the stained tiles. Depending on the color, you might just get by with it. GL!

Have you tried nail polish remover? I've had success with this removing things that even bleach would not in the past.

Try oxyclean. If nothing else when you move they will take the cost of replacing that area of lineolium out of the deposit if you had one. Also, call Bath and Body, if they were made for the kitchen, that shouldn't have happened and maybe they can help you figure out how to get it out.

I know you are in Utah but you could look up and see if there is a Don aslett cleaning center. I use the one in Boise and know Pocatello has one not sure if they are located down there, but I call them and use products from them for everything. The people who work there are very educated on cleaning products they carry and how to get rid of stains and all sorts of things. If you don't have one there you might look up thier number here in Boise anyways and call them and see if they have any ideas. You could probally also try calling a flooring place or a place that cleans profesionally and see what they recomend. I would be careful mixing chemicals and chat with someone who might know what to use.