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How to Remove Black Urine Stains from Hardwood Floors?

Imagine this. It’s a Friday night, and a group of old friends are coming over to your house the next day for a lazy brunch. The food and drinks are ready, but just when you think you’re done cleaning and tidying up, you notice that the hardwood floors have black urine stains on them, courtesy of your pet dog. 

Trying to remove urine stains from a hardwood floor sounds like something that would be expensive and unnecessarily difficult to do. Don’t worry because we’re here to confirm that you can remove them on your own using inexpensive ingredients that your local grocery store already sells.   

Let’s look closer! 

What causes black stains on hardwood floors?

What causes black stains on hardwood floors

While black stains on hardwood floors are often the result of pet urinating, stains can also emerge from other sources. It’s crucial to remember that if your hardwood floors have black stains, it usually indicates damage to the wood. The liquids that fell on your floor have penetrated the excellent finish that once protected the wood and, as a result, are starting to damage the wood from the inside out. 

Some of the most common causes of black stains on hardwood floors include: 

  • Urine from animals or small children 
  • Dirt from shoes 
  • Spilled ink 
  • Animal feces or human feces (usually from young children) 
  • Spilled food 

Additionally, you must remember that if you don’t maintain hardwood flooring by cleaning it every other day, you allow the wood to get damaged and rotten. For example, if you spilled a bucket of water and didn’t clean it up immediately, you might have allowed mildew or mold to grow between the wood panels. 

Black stains can also form on wood that has not been sealed with varnish or lacquer. As a result, unsealed flooring that is regularly mopped shows water damage. 

When it comes to hardwood flooring, you must remember that maintenance is vital! 

How do you get black urine stains out of hardwood floors?

When removing black urine stains from hardwood floors, it would be best to start using natural products that you can easily find around the house. These include white vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, and others. You’ll also need to use a little elbow grease, which means that if you’re not prepared to get on your hands and knees to clean, you won’t be getting rid of the black urine stains any time soon. 

Effective Ways to Remove Black Urine Stains from Hardwood Surface 

Thankfully, people worldwide have dealt with the issue of black urine stains on a hardwood floor. We’ve tried and tested several methods to help you and conducted extensive research to figure out how to eliminate the stain problem. 

Let’s take a closer look at some methods to remove hardwood stains: 

Use baking soda

Use baking soda

If there’s one ingredient that every home needs, it’s baking soda. This miracle product gets rid of household pests and other insects, cleans dishes, disinfects surfaces, and helps cake batter rise! To remove a black urine stain with baking soda, you need to do the following: 

  • Sprinkle two or three tablespoonfuls of baking soda on top of the black urine stain. If the stain covers a large surface area, feel free to increase the amount of baking soda. 
  • Let it sit on the stain for at least eight to ten hours. To save time, let it sit overnight. 
  • After enough time has passed, use a brush with soft bristles and wipe any residual baking soda. 

Use grapefruit oil and white vinegar. 

White vinegar is another miracle ingredient that solves multiple household problems. To get rid of a black urine stain on hardwood flooring, do the following: 

  • Combine one cup of white vinegar with two or three tablespoons of grapefruit oil in a large bowl. 
  • Add one liter of water and mix well to combine. 
  • Next, dip a sponge into the mixture and scrub your floor with the vinegar and oil mixture. 
  • You might need to repeat step three a few times until the stain is completely gone. 
  • Once you cannot see the stain any longer, use a clean cloth and dry the area. 

Use white vinegar without grapefruit oil

If you can’t find grapefruit oil anywhere, then we’d suggest that you try using white vinegar on its own. All you need to do is the following: 

  • Combine equal parts of white vinegar and water in a bowl. You can decide the amount of water and vinegar depending on the size of the stain. 
  • Using a sponge, cover the black stain with the water and vinegar mixture using a sponge. 
  • Let it sit for around half an hour, then wipe the floor with a clean piece of cloth. If the stain doesn’t go immediately, repeat the previous steps until it does. 

Use water and hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is another wonderful product to have around the house to help you get rid of various household problems quite quickly. Please use hydrogen peroxide cautiously by wearing rubber gloves and glasses. The peroxide could damage bare skin. 

  • Soak an old piece of cloth with the hydrogen peroxide, then wipe the stained area of the floor vigorously. 
  • Then, you must let it sit on the black stain for at least five or six hours. Please make sure that you work carefully, taking extra care not to touch the areas of your floor that are not stained. 
  • After enough time has passed, remove the cloth and wipe the floor with a clean cloth. The stain should be gone. 

Use white vinegar and dish soap

Dish soap and white vinegar are another excellent combination that you can use! The dish soap cleans the area while the vinegar disinfects it. 

  • In a bowl, combine one cup of white vinegar with one cup of water. Add a tablespoon of dish soap and mix all three ingredients together. 
  • Using a cleaning sponge, scrub the black urine stain gently with the vinegar and dish soap mixture. 
  • Let the mixture sit on the stain for at least an hour, then use a cloth to wipe it away. 

Sand the flooring

If cleaning the stain isn’t removing it fast enough, you could try sanding down the flooring instead. All you need to do is purchase a big piece of sandpaper. 

  • To sand the floor and eliminate a black urine stain, use a portion of the sandpaper and rub it in the direction of the wood grain to make the stain removal look natural. Rub gently until you are certain that the stain can no longer be seen. 
  • Once you’ve removed the stain, sweep or vacuum the sanded wood particles. 
  • Next, stain your flooring in the exact color that the rest of your floor was in, and make sure that you apply the stain mixture in an even layer. 
  • Use a soft cloth to apply the stain. 

Use wood bleach

Wood bleach can be risky, but it’s worth a shot. All you have to do is sand the black stain and then apply a thin layer of wood bleach. Make sure that you carefully read through the instructions on the back of the bleach bottle, and keep your windows open so that you don’t inhale too much bleach. 

Scrape the floor

Scrape your floor by using a card scraper. You must scrape in the direction of the wood grain. Do this gently so that you don’t carve a divot in the floor. 

FAQ’s

How do you get old dog urine stains out of hardwood floors?

Use one of the methods mentioned above! For best results, combine white vinegar and baking soda to remove dog urine stains. 

Does baking soda remove stains from hardwood floors?

Yes, baking soda removes stains from hardwood floorings. 

Wrapping Up

In this article, we walked you through several ways to remove black urine stains from hardwood flooring. These methods are easy to follow and try out, so we’d recommend trying as many as possible if one of them doesn’t work! If all else fails, call a cleaning service to professionally remove the wood stains.