Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
How do I clean yellow stains off a vinyl floor caused by area rugs?
Lauri from Pottstown, PA
I have amber colored stains on my vinyl floor from the glue bleed through the surface. Can these be removed or lightened
I have this same problem, have removed rugs and they are not going away...Have tried bleach, different cleaners nothing works. Any ideas that would be helpful that would be great. I agree why would they make rugs that do this!!""
The staining is most likely attributed to the antioxidants that are placed into the rubber backing to help maintain the rubber's integrity. Over time and exposure to UV and Ozone, rubber products can break down. (dry rot). The problem lies in that these types of chemicals are migratory and tend to leach into adjacent products such as vinyl. Once they migrate, they can not be permanently removed.
It is ridiculous that rugs that cost less than $50 in most cases will be allowed to ruin $1000 to $3000 in flooring. I have also tried everything including sanding and nothing works. The only thing that seems to approach working is exposure to sun light. Another case of lack of regulation and letting manufacturers put out trash products at the peril of the consumer. It is a toss up as to who bears the most blame; the rug merchant or the vinyl manufacturer. Ops just does not cut it.
The yellowing on my floor is not caused from rugs and appears where most of the traffic is. Could this be caused by the rubber soles of shoes?
I tried baking soda and it worked. All you have to do is wet the surface and apply the baking soda and leave for at least 10min and remove it with a cloth and the stain is gone.
I had a large ugly stain. I let sunlight hit the floor 24/7. It took 3 months but all of it disappeared.
Do you use a wet or dry cloth in wiping up the baking soda?
You can try the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
How do you clean a vinyl floor that has a mark left from a rubber backed rug?
Barbara from Manassas, VA
Try using a regular pencil eraser.
Try a product called "Goof-Off." You can get it at Home Depot. Lowe's or in the hardware/paint department at Walmart etc. It removes just about any type of glue or adhesive.
Put on a good pair of walking shoes or athletic shoes and scrub it off by using the sole of the shoes as a scrub brush. Rub your feet back and forth.
Use those "magic erasers" I would use the name brand toughest strength for those. My daughter had these black boots that made bad rubber marks on the kitchen floor, the magic erasers worked like magic!
You can use goof off product, but it does leave an oily residue some make sure to use a soap/water solution to get rid of the goof off.
It will remove the finish as well.
The finish on vinyl reacts with the polymers in the latex backing of the rug. It is a molecular change and it will not go away with anything short of removing the finish.
I need to remove yellow stains from foam backed rugs on vinyl flooring. Help!
N.M.
I need to know the cheapest way to remove rug glue on my Linoleum. The Rug is so dirty and I cant stand the filth in my kitchen. Does anyone know how to remove it?
Try scrubbing it off with baking soda and if that don't work, mix some ammonia with water and scrub it with that. Keep the area ventilated when using ammonia.
I have a different problem than the mats turing my flooring yellow. I am renting an apartment right now and after a year of being in here there are yellow stains along the outsides of the flooring in the bathroom. This is next to the tub and along the wall. The caulk is coming up from the baseboards too. I don't know if I should tell the management about this situation or just try to clean it up myself. The magic eraser didn't work, bleach hasn't worked and there is no access to any sunlight in this bathroom. HELP...
Someone mentioned in taking hair dye stains out of linoleum to use peroxide cream covered by plastic wrap overnight? It may work?
We put a bath mat with a rubberized backing on our vinyl floor in the bath room and the vinyl is now stained. I have tried everything I can think of. Anyone have any ideas?
By Dianne
You can find many answers to your question via a simple search:
If marks are on surface of vinyl, they can be removed with mineral spirits. If stain has been absorbed into vinyl, it is likely the stains are permanent.
Read more: http://www.doit … ml#ixzz3Mp1ACwsh
How do you get stains from vinyl floor which is from a rubber mat?
How do I get rid of yellowing on vinyl floors where my rugs are?
By Peggy
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
I need some help. We moved into a new home a few months back and have yellow stains on the vinyl floor in the bathroom. The stains are under where the rugs lie. Please suggest something that will remove the stain.
Thanks.
Neela from Milwaukee
I have been told by the flooring manufacturers (and Heloise too) that this is a chemical reaction that cannot be reversed. (08/23/2004)
By Pat
This may work. It did for me; although it may depend on how long the stain has been there. I have wet the area and then put baking soda on the area and let it dry, then I washed it up. It may take a couple of applications. I use the baking soda every time I wash a floor and did that under the rugs all the time. It pulled up an orange tan color. It won't hurt to try. (08/23/2004)
By sshep
Strange, if this is a chemical reaction that cannot be reversed, then why do they make the rugs which cause this reaction in the first place? Isn't there another type of backing for bath rugs which won't cause this stain? (07/19/2005)
By Tom
linoleum is made from raw materials and oxidation of the linseed oil in the flooring will result in yellow stains in areas not exposed to light. i.e. under rugs. Once the mat is removed and the flooring exposed to sunlight; the yellow will disappear. (09/28/2005)
By Narilyn
