Stretch Armstrong Innards on Wood Floor

Please can you suggest a way of removing the clear hard/soft/sticky innards of a stretch Armstrong from a wood floor?

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Feb 16, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Removing Stretch's Remnants from Wood Floor
by: Tara

I am quite curious about how this latex rubber action figure (filled with gelled corn syrup) ended up melting away on your wood floor... but knowing kids, I'm assuming an overzealous little one stretched the big guy a bit too far, a tear resulted, and everyone teared up as the big guy melted down. But alas that isn't the question at hand.

Now that's he's had his meltdown on your wood floor, your job is to remove the corn syrup remnants without removing your floor's finish. I think I can help.

Let's get what not to use out of the way first: WD40, Goo Gone, Murphy's Oil Soap, vegetable oil, any powder cleaners, bleach, nail polish remover. These will remove Stretch's remains along with your varnish or polyurethane.

Now for the cleaning good guys: vinegar, shaving cream and mineral spirits (paint thinner) - used in that order. They'll listed from weakest to strongest, with the weakest being safer for your wood floor. So let's start there.

Dampen a rag or soft cloth with diluted white vinegar and water. Scrub with the rag, rewetting as needed.

If that's still not enough to remove the gel, spray shaving cream on the spot and be prepared to work quickly. (You don't want the shaving cream to sit on the wood floor longer than just to dampen the mark.) Rub off and follow with a cleaning wipe to remove any residue.

Still there? Time for the big gun: mineral spirits. Again you'll need to work quickly as you don't want this solution to sit on your wood floor for a second longer than it needs to.

Apply enough mineral spirits to dampen the rag and scrub until the spot is removed, rewetting as needed. You can also use a plastic scrubber sponge for a bit more abrasion.

Rub off with a clean rag or cloth, and then wipe clean with hand dishwashing liquid and water to ensure any residue is fully removed.

Good luck with your wood floors - and repairing Mr. black speedo! :-)

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