Hardwood floors are beautiful to look at but they also collect off-putting odors.
If you want to maintain a hardwood floor, it’s important to ensure it does not stink up the house. For this to happen, you will have to figure out what’s causing the hardwood floor to smell and how to put an end to it.
This is common when a hardwood floor smells like feet.
If a hardwood floor smells like feet, this is usually caused by pet urine or a long-lasting food spill. To fix the issue, clean the debris, mix a cup of water with a cup of pure white vinegar, apply it to the surface, mop gently, wait 24 hours, sprinkle a pinch of baking soda for 24 hours, and sweep it away.
This should help clean and deodorize the hardwood floor at home.
This guide is going to go through each step to clarify what you should be doing if the hardwood floor smells like feet.
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Steps To Fix Hardwood Floor That Smells Like Feet
1. Remove Any Debris
In most cases, the reason for hardwood floors smelling bad comes down to pet urine, fecal matter, or food.
Anything that has been dropped on the hardwood floor needs to be removed instantly. You should not let it dwell for too long as that is when the smell lingers.
Regardless of the reason, your first goal should be to remove the debris.
Wipe away the urine or food that has been left on the hardwood floor. It could be anything, but the debris should be gone before you move on to the next step.
2. Mix White Vinegar With Water
You are now going to begin working on the long-term solution for this problem.
If hardwood floors smell like feet, you will want to create a cleaning solution that will overpower the stench.
To do this, you are going to take a cup of white vinegar and mix it with a cup of water. If you need more, continue to maintain this ratio and create as much of the mix as you need.
Don’t rush the process and make sure you are as diligent as you can be.
This is essential when you want to do things the right way.
3. Apply The Mixture To The Hardwood Floor
You will want to take the time to apply the mixture to the hardwood floor.
When doing this, you have to cover the entire hardwood floor. This is a good time to clean the entire surface rather than picking and choosing spots.
It might seem ideal to just target a specific spot but that will not help the rest of the floor. Clean all of it right now.
This will go a long way in providing peace of mind and you will know the hardwood floor is not going to stink because you missed a spot.
4. Mop Gently & Wait 24 Hours
You will want to mop gently when the mixture has been applied to the surface.
The goal is to take out any of the particles you are dealing with. This is a must as those particles are the reason the smell lingers.
Mop and do it from one end to the other.
Once you believe the surface has been mopped thoroughly, it’s time to wait 24 hours. This will let the mixture air-dry and produce the results you are after.
5. Sprinkle Baking Soda & Wait 24 Hours
You are now going to sprinkle baking soda.
The reason for using baking soda is to make sure you deodorize the surface a little. This is key as it will help remove that surface-level smell that might be there if you get close enough.
The baking soda will do a tremendous job of masking it.
You will want to wait 24 hours after sprinkling the baking soda to sweep it away.
6. Sweep The Baking Soda
The last step is to remove the baking soda that is sitting on the surface.
This can be done with a simple broom.
Make sure to get all of the baking soda off the hardwood floor. You can also use a vacuum cleaner if that is easier for you.
Final Thoughts
These are the main steps on how to fix a hardwood floor that smells like feet.
If a hardwood floor smells like feet, this is commonly due to pet urine or a food spill. To fix the issue, remove the debris, mix white vinegar with water, apply it to the surface, mop thoroughly, wait 24 hours, sprinkle baking soda, wait 24 hours again, and sweep away the remaining baking soda.
This is the best way to get the results you are hoping for.
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