What Gets Nail Polish Off of Hardwood Floors?

Putty Knives and Blow Dryers

• In Real Simple online, Laura Dellutri, The Healthy Housekeeper, recommends gently scraping the nail polish stain from hardwood floors or furniture. If the stain is not easily removed, point a blow dryer close to the stain, so the heat from the appliance melts the nail polish and makes it simpler to lift. If you don't have a blow dryer on hand, apply a cloth dampened with hot water applied to the nail polish to help loosen before using the putting knife again.

Ethyl Alcohol

• Apply ethyl or denatured alcohol to a cloth and apply it to the nail polish on your hardwood floor. But first, test the alcohol on a piece of scrap wood or a section of your flooring that is covered by furniture to make sure that the alcohol doesn't stain or damage the floors, as East Valley Floors suggests. Radio home improvement show "Rosie on the House," recommends using mineral spirits or a solvent with a petroleum base to lift the nail polish stain from the floor if alcohol doesn't work. Minerals spirits may be a little stronger than alcohol, and painters use the substance to clean brushes. It's important not to get the mineral spirits on unstained parts of the floor, since it can remove some of the finish.

Stainless Steel Wool

• Real Simple recommends lightly scrubbing the nail polish stain from wood. The wool should be 0000-grade fine to prevent lifting the finish from the hardwood, and the fine texture is strong enough to lift the polish. Laura Dellutri recommends using a wood touch-up product or stain marker after cleaning the stain if some of the wood finish is tarnished to get the flooring back in suitable condition.

Nail Polish Remover

• If alcohol doesn't work, or you don't have steel wool on hand, non-acetone nail polish remover can help to get the polish stain off of your hardwood flooring. However, the nail polish will remove some of the flooring finish along with the stain, so have a stain marker on hand so you can repair the section of the floor damaged by nail polish directly after taking up the stain with a polish remover.