The Washington Post - 29.08.2019

the washington post

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thursday, august

29

,

2019

DC

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Columnists:

Adrian Higgins, Meghan Leahy

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 202-334-4409

Mail:

Local Living section,

The Washington Post, 1301 K St.

NW, Washington, D.C. 200 71

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Doug Coffelt, 202-334-4440

ON THE COVER

Illlustration by Carole Hénaff for The

Washington Post

Editor:

Kendra Nichols

Deputy Editors:

Elizabeth Chang, Amy Joyce,

Mari-Jane Williams

Art Director:

Victoria Adams Fogg

Designer:

J.C. Reed

Photo Editor:

Jennifer Beeson Gregory

Staff Writers:

Helen Carefoot, Jura Koncius

LOCAL LIVING

BY JEANNE HUBER

Q: My son threw the home-

delivered Washington Post into

the house when the bag was wet.

Now our wood floor seems to be

permanently stained with The

Post’s logo. I tried Bona, Lestoil,

vinegar and baking soda, Clorox

wipes, and Mr. Clean Magic

Eraser. Nothing worked. Any

advice?

Kemp Mill

A: Ink doesn’t usually transfer

from newspaper bags to floors,

says Michael Heid, who, as

administration and facilities

manager for The Washington

Post, purchases the bags from

vendor Continental Products.

“This happens from time to time

when the bag collects dew from

the grass or sits in water for an

extended period, but overall, it is

rare.”

The vendor, which uses

solvent-based ink on the bags,

says warm water and detergent

sometimes remove ink stains,

Heid said. But the steps you’ve

already taken make that unlikely

to be enough. The vendor

suggests you try rubbing alcohol.

Mineral Spirits (also known as

paint thinner) and acetone, the

solvent in traditional nail polish

removers, would probably also

work, but they are more

hazardous to work with. Acetone

in particular poses a risk of

damaging some floor finishes.

The big caveat, however, is

that you need to test first to

make sure the solvent doesn’t

affect the finish on your floor.

Rubbing alcohol damages some

furniture finishes. Acetone is a

strong solvent — so strong that

it’s even labeled as a paint

stripper. Mineral Spirits isn’t as

aggressive, so it’s what Rusty

Swindoll, the technical services

manager for the National Wood

Flooring Association,

recommended trying, although

he didn’t know the specific ink

used on the bags. He worries

rubbing alcohol evaporates so

quickly that you might

accidentally smear the ink across

a larger area as you try to wipe it

off.

To test your floor, find an out-

of-the-way area — a closet floor,

for example. Rub a tiny area with

the solvent. Because you have a

whitewashed floor, use a colored

cloth to make sure you can see

any finish that transfers to the

cloth. It’s possible your floor has

a paint-type finish to create the

whitewashed look, topped by a

clear finish to keep the white

layer from wearing off. So if the

cloth doesn’t whiten, shine a

bright light at various angles to

see if the solvent dulled the

surface. Rubbing alcohol and

mineral spirits don’t harm most

cured floor finishes. Acetone

usually won’t damage

conversion varnish, two-part

polyurethane, UV-cured finish or

epoxy resin, so if your flooring

has one of these as a topcoat, you

might be okay with any of the

solvents.

If it seems safe to proceed,

switch to using a cotton swab

rather than a cloth as a precision

tool to apply the solvent and rub

against the stain. If the solvent

works against the ink on your

floor, it should lift quickly.

Change to a fresh swab as soon

as the first one gets black from

the ink.

Rubbing alcohol is typically 30

percent water. Although the

vapors in high concentrations

can be flammable, there’s little

risk when using it in small

amounts. Mineral spirits and

acetone are also flammable, with

acetone posing the greatest risk.

If vapors accumulate, a spark or

a flame can set off an explosion.

Have good ventilation, and limit

release of fumes by keeping the

container capped except when

you are moistening a cotton

swab. You can buy odorless

mineral spirits. Acetone has a

nasty smell, but this solvent is

actually less hazardous than

many other powerful solvents.

Mineral spirits can leave an

oily residue, but rubbing alcohol

and acetone do not. Whatever

you use, Swindoll said, it’s

important to wipe the surface

when you are finished to remove

any residue. He recommends

using a soft cloth moistened with

a bit of water — not a soaking-

wet rag.

If your testing shows neither

solvent is safe to use on your

floor, or if you’d rather turn the

job over to a professional from

the beginning, Randolph

Flooring & Cabinetry in

Rockville (301-770-5600;

randolphflooring.com) takes on

small jobs.

Farhad Golchin, company

president, said the business

usually charges $50 to go to a

house and assess a job. If there’s

an easy solution that works

while the company is there,

they’ll go ahead and do it

without any additional charge. If

more work is needed, you would

get an estimate, and the $50

could be credited toward that

work.

 Have a problem in your home?

Send questions to

[email protected]. Put “How

To” in the subject line, tell us where

you live and try to include a photo.

HOW TO

A stubborn Washington Post logo won’t budge from a wood floor

READER PHOTO

A wet Washington Post newspaper bag tossed onto the floor left this mark. The vendor suggests trying

rubbing alcohol, such as Mineral Spirits or acetone, but they can be hazardous to work with.

“This happens from

time to time... but

overall, it is rare.”

Michael Heid, administration

and facilities manager

for The Washington Post

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