How To Get Nail Polish Off Hardwood Floors Without Harming Floor

Nail polish spilling is, as a simultaneously funny and sad fact, more frequent than the actual times when you go for flaunting your nails with it. And besides the beauty purposes, it does serve as a really incredible and fun-to-use craft and artwork element. However, the after effects, spills and stains to be more specific, can be super unsettling.

So whenever you’re stuck in any such situation, the first thing you need to do is NOT PANIC and simply refer to the Pro Flooring Guide, for getting the most suitable and always-favorable guidelines.

Let’s proceed to knowing what we’ve got to do regarding “How to remove nail polish off Hardwood Floors”.

How To Get Nail Polish Off Hardwood Floors

Here is a super convenient and entirely efficient method with which you can easily get rid of the nail polish stain or liquid laying on your hardwood floors, that too, without damaging them in any way.

Dealing With Wet Nail Polish 

• It’s really lucky of you to realize a nail polish spilling mishap in a timely manner, since a still-wet nail polish is rather easy to deal with.

• This does imply the need for an immediate clean-up of any nail polish stain and never to delay it, as the situation will only worsen over time.

Materials And Supplies Required 

• Sugar or Table Salt
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Soft Cleaning Cloth (preferably a microfiber one)
• Scrubbing Brush
• Mineral Spirits

Guidelines For Wet Nail Polish Removal

• Start by thoroughly sprinkling sugar or table salt on the nail polish stain that’s still wet, so as to allow a congealing of the liquid by sugar/ salt crystals.
• Next up, you’ll need to scrub off the congelead nail polish and sugar which will have become hardened by then. Use a soft brush for this purpose and you should get rid of most of the hardened liquid.

• As for the remaining stain, you’ll have to get help from Rubbing Alcohol. Take a soft cloth and use it to rub Rubbing Alcohol against the wood grain.

• Keep changing the cleaning clothes all along and if you don’t see the Rubbing Alcohol to be working, then you might need to switch to Mineral Spirits for getting the job done.

• Post the treatment, you can also go over your floors with a commercial cleaner that’s designed in accordance with your Hardwood Floors, so as to diminish any harmful residue or lingering odor.

Dealing With Dried Out Nail Polish Stain

• Dried out nail polish stain is likely to ask for more effort rather than the just-spilled one, still you need to be generous with the scrubbing, as way too abrasive movements can cause damage to the hardwood finish.

• Rubbing Alcohol can sometimes fail to help with a situation involving dried out nail paint stains, that’s when you need to opt for something more intense.

Materials And Supplies Required 

• Rubbing Alcohol
• Nail Polish Remover
• Soft Cleaning Cloth (preferably a microfiber one)
• Scrubbing Brush
• Hairspray
• Hot Water
• Mild Soap
• Oil Soap

Guidelines For Dried Nail Polish Removal

• Start by saturating a few cotton balls or a piece of cloth equivalent to the size of stain in Rubbing Alcohol.

• Lay the balls or cloth atop the stained spot and let it stay there for the next few minutes.

• Gently scrub the area with either the soaked balls or the piece of cloth and go over the area multiple times in a gentle yet thorough massaging motion.

• If using the Rubbing Alcohol doesn’t bring you desired outcomes, you might want to switch to the Nail Polish remover. However, that’s gonna require you to be extremely careful with the amount you utilize and about the time of floor’s exposure contact with the Nail polish Remover.

• The Acetone present in the nail polish remover has the greatest possibility of damaging hardwood floors, therefore you’d want to use it as sparingly as possible. Ideally, you should utilize a Q-tip for the purpose of application.

• Start spraying the Hair Spray over the entire area, in order to not leave even the tiniest stain marks behind.

• Wipe off the Hair Spray with a damp Microfiber cloth and scrub the area thoroughly with hot soapy water.

• Finish off by cleaning the whole treated area with either a mild floor cleaner (according to the type of your floor) or at best a Natural Oil Soap, in order to effectively clear out all the cleaning agents that have been used.

What To Avoid During Removing Nail Polish From Hardwood

There are multiple factors to be considerate about, since it’s hardwood floors you’re dealing with and you wouldn’t certainly want to end up damaging your floors or let’s say to scrape off the surface finish due to harsh dealing.

• Test First: No matter what cleaner you choose to treat your nail polish stained hardwood floors, a patch test is always mandatory to conduct. This will help you determine whether or not to proceed with the usage of that particular product. NEVER GO for the usage if you get to notice even the slightest signs of discoloration or any other reaction taking place.

• Product Choice: You need to be crucially watchful with the product that you consider using atop your hardwood floors, as even the thickest topcoats and most durable finishes are likely to be stripped off or get discolored with the usage of the wrong substances. Acetone-based Nail Polish remover is the most common example in this regard.

• Time Span: Never let any cleaning agent or chemical sit atop your flooring for long, essentially more than a couple of minutes, even if that requires you to have multiple rubbing and cleaning attempts. A Prolonged Exposure can easily subject your hardwood flooring to irreversible damage.

• Direct Contact: Never pour any of the cleaning agent directly onto the floor surface, instead you should always saturate a cleaning cloth or sponge with it and then proceed with the cleaning. Direct application is one of the major causes of Hardwood floor discoloration.
• Cleaning Method: Very harsh scrubbing or the usage of abrasive cleaning tools such as stiff bristled brushes is another really bad idea, when it comes to taking nail polish off your hardwood floors. Do ensure that you scrub thoroughly yet gently, even if that requires you to indulge in multiple attempts over the same area. Vigorous scrubbing can easily strip off hardwood finish, eventually worsening the situation.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

How To Take Nail Polish Off Wood Floors?

Rubbing Alcohol works wonders against nail polish, therefore all you need to do is start rubbing it with the wood grain. Keep blotting and checking constantly to know about how much of the problematic area is left, until you manage to wipe away all of it. Also, you’ll need to strictly avoid harsh scrubbing and pouring the Rubbing Alcohol excessively or directly onto the wood surface. Always use a sparing amount and be as gentle as you can.

Will Nail Polish Remover Ruin Hardwood Floors?

A nail polish remover containing Acetone can severely damage Hardwood Floors and can even lead to discoloration of the surface. This is due to the fact that it can cause instant damage to the wood surface and even a small amount is quite enough to strip away the wood finish. It works similarly to the Paint Stripper or like a full-strength Acetone and can give rise to severe discoloration as an immediate reaction.

Will Vinegar Remove Nail Polish?

Vinegar cannot do anything to the Nail Polish, in terms of dissolving it, since it mainly consists of water, so there are rare chances of any kind of remedying effectiveness to take place. That’s because Vinegar is just a dilute solution containing weak and high pH acids, besides the pH level is merely 2, which is not, under any circumstances, efficient enough to dissolve Nail polish.

Can Baking Soda Be Used To Remove Nail Polish?

Baking soda can actually be greatly helpful when it comes to removing nail polish from any surface, let’s say floors. All you need to do is make a cleaning paste by mixing suitable amounts of Baking soda and water. Start applying it to the area affected with nail polish and let the paste sit for the next 10 to 15 minutes. After those minutes, blot off the area with the help of a clean and damp microfiber cloth.

How To Clean Freshly Spilled Nail Polish On Wood?

Just post any nail-polish spilling accident, all you need to do is sprinkle a generous amount of either sugar or table salt over the just-spilled nail polish. The crystals of either will work by absorbing most of the liquid, thus making it really easy to deal with the rest of the amount. Once you’ve sprinkled the area with sugar/ table salt, simply scoop it all off by giving it a good rubbing.

How To Get Nail Polish Off A Tile Floor?

The simplest way to get rid of nail polish present atop a tile floor is to get the job done with the help of a nail polish remover. You can either use a soft sponge or an old rag to scrub the affected ceramic tile with the nail polish remover. Moreover, you’ll need to clean a few times till the entire staining is gone, followed by thoroughly washing the area with clean water and drying it well.