Is Using Dish Soap To Remove Paint From Hardwood Floors A Good Idea?

When you're painting your walls or working on a DIY project, it's easy to accidentally drip paint in places it shouldn't be. If you've gotten paint on your hardwood floor, you may be wondering how to safely remove it without damaging your floor's finish. Though a bit of dish soap and water may be able to help, it's possible this common cleaning staple could potentially damage your flooring. Other methods, such as using a putty knife or hair dryer to remove the paint, could be better alternatives.

Though several online sources state that dish soap is a great way to remove paint from hardwood floors, it may not be the safest option. This is especially true if you're removing paint from a larger portion of the flooring, as you would essentially need to clean the whole floor with soap. If there is only a small spot of paint on your wood floor, you could try using dish soap to remove it, but it might have negative effects. 

Despite dish soap being a mild, versatile cleaner that is generally safe for most surfaces, it's not the best choice for your hardwood floors. Dishwashing liquid will often leave behind a tacky residue once you've cleaned the floor with it, taking the shine away from your beautiful wood. This residue is difficult to remove, often requiring you to buff it out with vinegar. Additionally, harsher dish soaps could also harm the finish on your flooring, causing it to need to be resealed sooner than it should.

Additionally, exposing your hardwood to a lot of moisture or continually mopping with soap and water can cause your flooring to warp. If you decide to use dish soap to get stubborn dried paint off your hardwood floors, try only to use it on a small area, and rinse it with a damp cloth as soon as the paint lifts to avoid leaving any soap behind. You'll also want to dry the area to ensure the moisture doesn't soak into the wood.

Though dish soap might damage your hardwood floors, using a putty knife to remove a little dried paint is a great option. If you're worried that the pointed edges of the putty knife might scratch your planks, you could try filing it until the edges are more rounded. With your putty knife, gently wiggle the utensil to get underneath the paint and pull it off. If this isn't enough to make the paint budge, you could try warming it up to make it more malleable.

With a hair dryer, you can heat the dried paint to help lift it from the flooring, but be careful not to use too much heat as this could also hurt your hardwood. Position the hair dryer several inches above the spot on the floor and turn it on for up to 20 seconds to help lift dried paint from your hardwood floors. As soon as you notice the paint beginning to loosen, use a putty knife to gently peel it off.