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You will need to dilute the soap with water, but do not let the water stand on the wood. Use grout sponge with 2, 5 gallon buckets of water. Wipe the surface with wet sponge. Squeeze out into bucket 1, wipe with squeezed out sponge. Dip sponge in clean water of bucket 2, squeeze out into bucket 1, dip in bucket 2 to wet and wipe surface. Squeeze out into bucket 1. Repeat until water comes up clean. Change rinse bucket frequently ( as soon as it is too soapy to use as a dilutant) I expect this could be an all day thing.
The discoloring requires additional treatment. Is this a true hardwood floor with a urethane finish? Has the wood been stained prior to urethane application, or is it a natural color? There is a wood bleach product for removing stains in wood, but it would also bleach out any stain that was used on the floor. Baking soda is a good absorbant that will not harm the wood or affect the stain applied prior to urethane.
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General C&ontractor
35 years of troubleshooting construction, remodel, component & material failures. What to do next
Steve,
The hardwood floor in question is the original floor to the house built in 1926. It has been under carpet for the better part of that time and although it is stained a medium color, it does not have a urethane coating or any coating for that matter. It is the natural wood.
How will this effect getting the stain out?
It will make it easier. Afterwards, if needed, you can play with different diluted stains to approximate the original aged color.