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[Julie_23]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean an oil spot (about 5 inches by 5 inches) that is on a wood floor?

I have read things like cornstarch or Dawn or Mineral Spirits; but, I'm unsure what to do. I am hoping someone might have done this and knows what is best.

Thanks for any suggestions. 

[pattypeep]

@Julie_23  Is it a natural wood or a laminate? If it's natural wood, is it sealed? What kind of oil?

[Julie_23]

Hi @pattypeep - thanks for the reply.  I don't know a ton about wood floors so I'll do my best in explaining it.  It's a paler wood that is 6 in X 6 inches squares.  Perhaps it is used often in apartments. I think it has some kind of a sealant on it because the wood has a slight sheen to it. 

The oil was from a hair product.  It was in a trash bag and the oil leaked through to the floor to create the spot.  It was one of those WEN hair oils so I think it's probably a mix of different oils.  

[sweetee2]

Maybe salt . I know salt is a drawing agent. 

[pattypeep]

@Julie_23  If you type your question in your search engine, all kinds of info comes up on removing different oils from hardwoods. May I suggest you try utube and see what best fits your needs? You may have better luck than us trying to help you. Good luck.

[Julie_23]

Sounds like a plan.  Good idea - will check it out.

Thanks again!

[SilleeMee]

I've used bentonite clay powder on oil stains on several things. Never on wood though. This clay is an oil magnet. Sprinkle it on the stain and rub it in gently. Let it sit there for for fifteen minutes and remove the powder.  This clay powder is usually used as a beauty mask. So I would check the beauty sections of stores. I buy mine on line.

[pattypeep]

@Julie_23  Hi. If you find a product that works, please post and fill us in. Thank you.

[gardenman]

The fact that it doesn't just wipe up is scary. That implies it penetrated the finish and is in the wood. A floor sealed with a good modern finish like a polyurethane, will just let you wipe up pretty much anything that hits it..

When an oil gets into a porous material like a wood, stone, marble, concrete, etc. you pretty much have to either float it out using a wet poultice of some sort, or pull it out using a dry poultice. A dry poultice is easiest, but since you're counting on a wicking action to pull the liquid material out, it has to be the right dry poultice. Something too absorbent can immediately wick off the top layer of the stain and break the wicking action you need.to get the lower down stain trapping that deeper stain in the material. You need a material that slowly absorbs the oil without breaking the wicking action you're counting on to counter the pull of gravity pulling the oil down.

Gravity is pulling the oil down so if you just flip the house upside down, gravity would eventually pull the oil out for you, but that's kind of impractical. Plus if you're not there to intervene it would then drip down onto your ceiling and then you'd have to flip the house again to get the stain out of your ceiling and that's just more of a headache.

Floating the oil out is another possiblity, but is more often done on stone or stone like materials that aren't subject to water/moisture damage. Oil tends to float atop other liquids, so if you add extra non-staining liqud to the stained material, the oil stain should float up to the top where it can then be absorbed and removed. Depnding on the liquid used to float the stain it can be allowed to evaporate or vacuumed out.

My first instinct would be to try using a dry poultice, something like cornstarch, baby powder, flour, or some similar substance and see what happens. Oil is pretty viscous so it's fairly likely to keep wicking with most dry poultices. This is a time consuming  process though. You'll want to keep a coating of the material on the stain at all times until either the stain is absorbed, or you give up on that working. You'll also want to replace the material from time to time. A few digital images of the floor before you start and after each cleanup should let you detemine if the stain is improving. It'll be a gradual process and you really can't trust your memory/perception, but photos don't lie. Good luck! (Hint: If the finish on the floor is really gone and you'lll be needing to refinish the floor anyway, a bit of sanding to prep the floor would likely remove the stain.)