Stains, damage and older homes: first response, repair and what to leave alone

Blot first and test before you clean, judge damage as clean, repair, refinish or replace and know who does each, file warranty claims on time, and in an older home leave suspect flooring and painted wood alone until it has been tested.

1. The first minutes after a spill Understand

Most spills are made worse in the first minute, by rubbing, by too much water, or by the wrong cleaner. The cleaning trade handles this with pre-testing: before a technician puts anything on a carpet or a sofa, they test it where it will not show and look for color loss, shrinking or bleeding. IICRC's carpet and upholstery cleaning technician certifications both cover it, and the upholstery training lists pre-testing and problem prevention as a topic of its own (IICRC, Upholstery and Fabric Cleaning Technician). The routine below is this manual's household form of that idea. This manual's convention

1. Blot, do not rub. Press a dry white cloth or paper towel onto the spill and lift; turn to a clean part and repeat. CRI says not to scrub or use a brush on carpet spots (CRI, Cleaning and Maintenance), and Shaw says to blot rather than rub. Rubbing spreads the spill and roughs up fibers and finishes.
2. Work from the outside in. Blot from the edge of the spot toward its center, so it does not grow. CRI gives the same direction for carpet.
3. Use water first, only where the surface allows it. A little cool water on a cloth is the first liquid for a W-code fabric, carpet, sealed floors and stone. It is not for an S- or X-code fabric, and not in quantity on wood or a floating floor.
4. Test a hidden spot before any cleaner. Same surface, out of sight, let it dry, then look (Cleaning by surface describes the test).
5. Stop when the stain stops moving. If two passes lift nothing more, more passes add water, rubbing and chemicals without removing the stain. That is the point to log it and call the right professional.

Then write it down: a row on the stain and damage log with the date, what spilled, what you tried in the order you tried it, and the result. A cleaner, restorer or warranty claim will ask those questions first.

The Something just spilled page carries one line per surface from this table, for the minute when there is no time to read a chapter. Your maker's care sheet overrides every line. Product-specific

Upholstery spots by cleaning code

A cleaning code is the maker's letter on an upholstery tag that says which kind of cleaner the fabric takes. Sailrite's reading: W means water-based cleaner, and over-wetting is to be avoided; S means water-free solvent only, used with ventilation and no open flame; W/S means either, with pre-testing especially important and overall soiling sent to a professional; X means vacuum or light brushing only (Sailrite, cleaning codes). American Leather reads X as "do not clean it yourself; hire a professional". Both agree on no liquid cleaning at home. Convention

NMSU's furnishings guide adds three rules that fit any code: use as little moisture as possible, pretest, and match the cleaner to the stain, with solvents for oily stains and water solutions for water-based ones where the code allows both (NMSU Extension, G-402). It also warns against open flames near solvents and against putting solvent-soaked cloths in a washer. On an S-code fabric, water can leave a ring, which American Leather names as a reason for the code. When a spot stays after two passes, the next call is an upholstery cleaner certified by IICRC, or the furniture maker if you know it. Upholstery fabric covers the codes in full.

Carpet spots that come back

A spot that looks gone and then reappears as the carpet dries is common enough that IICRC's carpet cleaning technician training lists preventing stains from returning among its topics. We found no consumer page from CRI or IICRC that explains the cause. What CRI's method does is limit the water: blot, work edges to center, rinse with clear water and blot again. For pet urine, CRI says to extract with a wet vacuum and rinse with cool water rather than use a steam cleaner, because heat sets the stain and the smell. If a spot keeps returning, a carpet cleaner certified by IICRC is the next step; check first whether your carpet's warranty requires a particular kind of cleaning. Product-specific

Stone stains, etches and poultices

On stone, first tell a stain from an etch. A stain is something absorbed into the stone, and it darkens or colors it. An etch is a dull spot where an acid has dissolved the polished surface; NSI says some materials etch the finish without leaving a stain, and that etch marks are repaired by refinishing or repolishing, not cleaning (NSI, care and cleaning). Look at it at a low angle in daylight. One restorer in NSI's marble care article describes an etch as a dull spot or burn mark in the polish; a stain changes the stone's color instead (Use Natural Stone, marble countertop care). Test it

For a stain, NSI groups stains by type (oil, organic such as coffee and wine, metal and rust, biological, ink, water spots) and gives a cleaner for each. For a stain that has gone deep, the tool is a poultice: a cleaner or chemical mixed with a white absorbent powder to a paste, spread over the stain, covered and left to draw the stain out as it dries (NSI, Poultices). NSI says a poultice may need repeating and that some stains may not come out completely, and its care page recommends calling a stone professional for problems you cannot solve. A rust stain, NSI says, has to be poulticed and may be permanent if deep. Convention

2. Judging damage: clean, repair, refinish or replace

Damage is anything that cleaning does not undo: a scratch, dent, gouge, chip, crack, etch, burn, swelling, peeling or lasting stain. For each, there are four answers, from least to most work. Clean it if the mark is on the surface. Repair one piece: a plank, a tile, a section of grout, a cushion cover. Refinish the surface: recoat or sand a wood floor, repolish stone. Replace the whole surface. Each has a trade that does it, and the first question is which trade, not which product.

Write the trade in the "who to call" column of the log. In a rental, the answer to "who" is the landlord first, whatever the damage (renting).

Wood floors: how much wood is left

NWFA describes two levels of refinishing. A maintenance coat (also called a recoat, or a screen and recoat) cleans the existing finish, lightly abrades it, and adds a fresh coat. A full sand and refinish takes the floor to bare wood; NWFA says it is for deep scratches or dents, finish worn through, or a change of color (NWFA, Refinishing Your Floors). One practitioner writing in the Journal of Light Construction says a recoat does not remove serious gouges, dents or stains, and does not bond over paste or acrylic wax. Convention

How many full sands a floor can take depends on how much wood is above the tongue. NWFA's Hardwood Floors magazine says most solid wood floors can be sanded six to eight times over their life, that a sand removes 1/32 to 1/16 in., and that sanding is not recommended where the wear layer is under 3/32 in., which rules out some engineered floors (Hardwood Floors, How Many Times Can a Wood Floor Be Sanded). A refinisher checks the thickness on site; in the Rosa Delgado example below, the refinisher lifts a vent register to see it. In a pre-1978 home, read painted wood before anyone sands near painted trim. Wood floors covers the wear layer in detail.

Warranty claims: photos, dates and the deadline

A warranty claim succeeds or fails on paperwork and dates more than on the damage. Three things decide it: what the warranty covers, what it requires of you, and how long you have to tell the maker. Product-specific

Cambria's countertop warranty is an example of all three. It covers manufacturing defects only, and only on work by its approved fabricators and installers; it does not cover the quality of fabrication or installation, which go to the fabricator. It excludes, among other things, chemical exposure and direct or sustained heat. A claim has to be received within 30 days after you learn of the facts behind it, with the purchase or installation date, the design and thickness, and the retailer or fabricator's name (Cambria, Full Lifetime Warranty). Shaw's SmartCore vinyl warranty is limited to the original purchaser with the original invoice, and excludes scratches, gouges, indentations, damage from pets, and damage from not following its installation and maintenance instructions (Shaw, SmartCore Residential Warranty). Thirty days is one maker's figure; your warranty sets its own.

The FTC's consumer page on warranties gives the general steps. Keep the warranty and the receipt, because the receipt shows the purchase date and that you are the original owner. Assume anything not listed as covered is not covered. If there is a problem, contact the seller first, and if that fails, write to the manufacturer, sending the letter by certified mail with a return receipt (FTC, Warranties). Ask the maker

This manual's routine for any damage that might be a warranty matter: This manual's convention

1. Photograph it the day you find it: one wide shot showing where it is in the room, one close shot with a coin or ruler for scale. Keep the date the phone records.
2. Write a row on the stain and damage log, and work out the claim deadline from the warranty. Write it in the deadline column.
3. Find the warranty and receipt from the installed register. If either is missing, ask the seller for a copy in writing.
4. Do not repair or refinish before the maker or seller has seen it or said in writing that you may. A repair can remove the evidence and, under some warranties, the coverage: Medallion, for one, says trimming swollen cabinet doors voids its warranty.
5. Keep copies of everything you send and receive, with dates.

This is not legal advice. A warranty dispute that the seller and maker do not resolve goes to your state attorney general's consumer office or a lawyer. Samples, ratings, labels and warranties covers reading a warranty before you buy.

3. Older floors that may contain asbestos

Asbestos is a mineral fiber once used in many building products. The EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, the backing on vinyl sheet flooring, and flooring adhesives among the places it may be found, and says exposure may occur only when the material is disturbed or damaged (EPA, Learn About Asbestos). The Resilient Floor Covering Institute says vinyl asbestos tile and asphalt tile contain asbestos fibers, as did some asphaltic "cutback" adhesives and the backings of many sheet vinyl floors and lining felts (RFCI, Recommended Work Practices). Physical principle

No source we found gives a year after which flooring is free of asbestos. The 1978 line that applies to lead paint is not an asbestos rule. RFCI says that unless you are positively certain a product does not contain asbestos, you presume it does. So this manual treats any old resilient flooring, sheet or tile, and the adhesive under it, as suspect whatever the house's age, until a test says otherwise. Ask an accredited inspector

What the EPA says to do

The EPA's homeowner page is short and specific (EPA, Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos):

• You generally cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it, unless it is labeled. If in doubt, treat it as asbestos and leave it alone.
• Material in good condition that will not be disturbed needs no testing. Consider an inspection before remodeling, or if the material is damaged.
• Taking samples yourself is not recommended; done incorrectly, sampling can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone.
• Never use a power stripper on flooring that may contain asbestos. Do not sand or try to level asbestos flooring or its backing. Do not dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos.
• When asbestos flooring needs replacing, install new floor covering over it, if possible.
• Inspectors inspect, take samples and advise; contractors repair or remove. Use different firms for the two, to avoid a conflict of interest.

RFCI's work practices agree: do not sand, dry sweep, dry scrape, drill, saw, beadblast or mechanically chip or pulverize existing resilient flooring, its backing or its adhesive, and the document describes installing over the existing floor, or over new underlayment, as alternatives to removal. Convention

What to ask before you hire

The EPA lists questions for a homeowner to ask: proof of federal or state accreditation; any safety violations or legal actions against the firm; for an inspection, a written evaluation describing where the material is and how damaged it is; for a contractor, a written contract naming the work plan, the cleanup and the regulations that apply, and written assurance at the end that the required procedures were followed. Write the answers on the comparison sheet's questions part, with the date.

4. Painted wood and cabinets in a pre-1978 home

The federal ban on consumer use of lead-based paint came in 1978, and the EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint. It says sanding and cutting painted surfaces create hazardous lead dust and chips, and that even a small amount of lead dust can poison a child (EPA, RRP Program: Consumers). Old painted cabinets, trim, doors and windows are the finishes in this manual where that matters. If the home's age is unknown, the EPA says to assume lead-based paint. Physical principle

Who the RRP rule covers

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule requires firms paid to do renovation, repair or painting that disturbs lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and kindergartens built before 1978 to be EPA- or state-certified and to use certified renovators; it has applied since April 22, 2010 (EPA, RRP Program Rules). The EPA says the rule generally does not apply to homeowners working on their own home, but does if they rent out all or part of it, run a child care center there, or are flipping it (EPA, Lead-Safe Renovations for DIYers). Convention

Not covered is not the same as not at risk. The dust is the same whoever makes it. The EPA recommends hiring a certified lead inspector or risk assessor to test before work. If you hire anyone to sand, scrape or strip painted wood in a pre-1978 home, ask for an EPA or state lead-safe certified firm; the EPA's consumer page has a locator, and certified contractors have to give you EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts. If you are thinking of doing the work yourself, read EPA's page for do-it-yourselfers first; this manual does not teach it. Ask a certified firm

Choosing a new paint color and sheen is a separate decision, made after the lead question: Learn Color Design: Choose paint colors and finishes covers it. If you rent a pre-1978 home, the landlord's work is the landlord's to arrange, and renters' disclosure is covered in Learn First Home Basics: Before you move in.

5. Renting: wear, damage and asking first

In a rental, the floors, counters and cabinets are the landlord's. Two questions matter at move-out: was a mark there when you moved in, and is it normal wear or damage? The first is answered by your move-in record. The second depends on your state's law and your lease. Ask the authority

Idaho is one example, labelled as Idaho's and not as a rule elsewhere. Idaho Legal Aid reproduces a table from the Idaho Attorney General's office under Idaho Code Section 6-321, which bars a landlord from keeping deposit money for normal wear and tear: deterioration from intended use without negligence, carelessness, accident, misuse or abuse (Idaho Legal Aid, What is Normal Wear and Tear). Its floor examples:

The same guide says a tenant is not responsible for replacing an old carpet just because it reached the end of its life during the tenancy, though a landlord may seek normal depreciation in some cases. Other states draw these lines differently, and many marks (a mat stain on vinyl, a cat-scratched door frame) are not in the table. Read your lease, and find your own state's guide or legal aid office. Ask the authority

Ask in writing before changing any finish

This manual's rule for renters is to ask the landlord in writing before any repair beyond cleaning, and before changing any finish: a new mat, a sealer, a paint touch-up, a replaced plank. This manual's convention Writing gives the request and the answer a date. Send photos with it, and log it on the stain and damage log with the date sent. A mark reported when you find it reads differently at move-out from a mark found by the landlord. The move-in condition record, with its photos and the date you sent it, is covered in Learn First Home Basics: Before you move in: the lease, the walk-through and the condition record. This is not legal advice; deposit disputes go to your state's guide, legal aid or a lawyer.

6. See it: Maya, the Brennans and Rosa See it

• EPA, Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos: what to leave alone, the flooring don'ts and the questions to ask.
• EPA, RRP Program: Consumers: why pre-1978 paint matters and how to find a certified firm.
• CRI, Cleaning and Maintenance: blotting, edges to center, and pet urine.
• NSI, Poultices: how a poultice draws a stain out of stone.

7. Practice: one event, logged Practice

Minimum: one real spill, mark or piece of damage in your home, photographed and logged on the stain and damage log with a next step; and, in an older home, a list of any old resilient flooring or pre-1978 painted wood, marked "leave alone". Time: about 30 minutes. Materials: your phone, a coin or ruler, the stain and damage log, the installed register (for warranties), and in a rental, the lease.

1. Pick one mark. A ring on a counter, a scratch on a floor, a spot on a sofa, or the floor under a mat. If nothing is marked, lift each mat and look.
2. Photograph it. One wide shot showing where it is, one close with a coin for scale.
3. Decide which of the four it is. Clean, repair, refinish or replace, using the damage table. Write the trade in "who to call".
4. Find the warranty deadline. From the installed register and the warranty itself. Write "none" or "unknown" if that is the answer.
5. Walk the home for suspect material. Old sheet vinyl, floor tiles, adhesive at a floor's edge, painted wood in a pre-1978 home. Write each on the installed register's notes as "suspect; leave alone".
6. In a rental, write the email. Photos, a short description, the date found, and a question: what would you like done?

8. Your home Your home

9. Check your work Check your work

Criteria

• Does the log row say what happened, what was tried in order, and the result?
• Are there photos, a wide one and a close one with scale, and is their date kept?
• Does the row name a next step and who does it?
• Is the warranty deadline written, or "none" or "unknown"?
• In an older home, is every piece of suspect material listed and left undisturbed?
• In a rental, was the landlord told in writing, with the date sent on the log?

Worked example

Maya's log has two rows. The coffee spill: blotted, no water, solvent cleaner after a hidden-spot test, faint ring left, next step "decide on a certified upholstery cleaner". The mat patch: photographed, mat moved, emailed to the landlord the same day, next step "landlord's answer". Both pass. Neither settles cost or responsibility; those sit with the landlord and the lease. The Brennans' installed register has the tiles marked "asbestos, per lab report; covered, not removed", which passes the older-home criterion.

Common mistakes

• Rubbing a spill. It spreads the stain and roughs the surface; blot.
• Water on an S-code fabric. It can leave a ring larger than the spill.
• Cleaning an etch. No cleaner restores dissolved polish; it is a restorer's repolish.
• Repairing before the claim. A repair before the maker has seen the damage can end the claim.
• Pulling up a corner of old flooring "to see what is under it". That is disturbing it; leave it for the inspector.
• Treating 1980, or any year, as a cutoff for flooring. No source gives one.

What is still unresolved

Whether a stain will come out is settled by a certified cleaner or restorer, not by this page. Whether a warranty pays is the maker's decision under its terms. Whether a mark is wear or damage in a rental is for the lease, your state's law and the landlord. Whether old flooring contains asbestos, and whether paint contains lead, are settled only by accredited testing. Routine care to keep marks from happening is in Cleaning by surface.

10. Knowledge check and scenario

Checklist

• The stain and damage log has the event with photos and a next step, and nothing suspect has been disturbed.
• The warranty deadline for the damaged surface is written on the log, or "none" or "unknown".
• Any old resilient flooring or pre-1978 painted wood is listed on the installed register as "suspect; leave alone".
• If I rent, the landlord has the photos and my question in writing.
• I prepared the inspector questions and read one warranty's claim steps. (Go deeper; optional)