5 Easy Ways to Remove Scuff Marks from Your Hardwood Floor

Few things can ruin the appearance of your hardwood floor as easily as scuff marks. Unfortunately, these marks are common if you have furniture legs directly on your floor or allow guests to keep their shoes on when entering your home.

Left alone for too long, these marks can become more difficult to remove from your floor, so it’s best to attack the problem as early as possible.

So, how do you remove these annoying marks from your floor?

Fortunately, you don’t need to buy expensive cleaning products to get the job done without damaging your floor. Take a look at these 5 effective techniques that make use of common household items with step-by-step instructions on how to apply each one.

5 Ways to Remove Scuff Marks from Your Hardwood Floor

1. Use a sponge and water

For marks that have been on the wood floor for awhile, or are more stubborn, this method won’t work.

However, if you know that the mark on your floor is fresh, this simple technique can be used to get those annoying marks up without much effort.

Simply dip the sponge in some warm water, and gently wipe away at the mark until it’s gone.

2. Scrub them with baking soda

Baking soda has more than 50 uses. One of which, thankfully, is removing nasty marks from your floor!

This is one of the more effective methods at removing difficult marks. Here’s how to do it:

1. Mix about 2 tablespoons of baking soda with warm water until you have a smooth (not runny) paste.
2. Next, use a soft cloth to scrub the marks away with the paste.
3. Finally, wipe the area with a clean, damp cloth, and then wipe it dry.

3. Erase it

Pencil erasers aren’t just great for fixing homework mistakes. For small marks that require a gentle, controlled amount of pressure that won’t damage your floor, an eraser is the perfect tool for the job.

1. Rub the scuff marks firmly with the eraser until they come up.
2. Sweep up the remaining eraser shavings to avoid any unwanted stains they may cause.

4. Use your tennis shoe

Yes, shoes may have caused the scuff mark, but they can also be great at removing them!

1. Grab a shoe with a rubber sole – like a tennis shoe.
2. Using your hand or foot, simply rub the heel of the shoe firmly against the mark in a circular, grinding motion until it’s gone.

5. Grab a tennis ball

This method is effective for the largest, toughest scuff marks. Make sure the tennis ball is clean. If you use a dirty one, it can easily scratch or stain the floor.

Essentially, you’re going to cut a hole into a tennis ball, stick it on the end of a broom handle, and use your leverage to rub away at the mark until it’s gone.

Here’s exactly how to do it:

1. Cut a small, ¼” X into the tennis ball. To avoid cutting yourself, make sure you place it on a firm surface instead of holding it in your hand.
2. Insert the top of a broom handle into the X.
3. Using the end of the broom with the tennis ball on it, firmly rub away the marks.

If all else fails, try Goo Gone

If none of the above ideas are working for you due to extremely aggressive marks, you may need to seek out a product that’s specifically designed to remove these types of markings (test in an inconspicuous area first).

In my experience, the best product for this is Goo Gone. I’ve personally used this to remove difficult scuff marks from floors, walls, and even some places in my car. It works exceptionally well on almost anything and makes removing the marks very easy.

 We hope these tips helped you remove any scuff marks that you may have found on your wood floors. If you have any other questions feel free to contact us or comment below.