How to Clean Hardwood & Concrete Floors After Removing Carpet
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If you are thinking of replacing your carpet after a long time, today’s discussion is for you. You don’t compromise on the beauty of the house so it’s time to change the old carpeting. However, it is not easy, it will seem like a lot of challenges to you. Because the carpets on the floor for many days, it creates a different situation with which you are not familiar.
You need to do some work before installing new carpets. This is because the carpets are glued to the floor with a sticky substance that does not come up easily. The task will be a bit difficult for you. Hardwood or concrete can happen on any floor so before installing a new carpet you need to properly remove the old carpet and clean the floor.
It is troublesome to do this but it is possible by you. All you need is the right guidelines. Once you remove the carpet, you can do the rest.
In today’s discussion, I will give a complete guide on how to clean Hardwood & Concrete Floors after Removing Carpet and specifically how to remove glue from hardwood and concrete. First, let’s take an idea of how it is possible to effectively remove glue from the floors.
Contents
How to Remove Glue from Hardwood Floor
Hardwood floors are sensitive so you have to be a little more careful to remove the glue from the carpet otherwise it can damage the wood. In this case, of course, refrain from using any kind of steel tool. There are several methods of removing carpet glue from wood floors. The tools you will need before following the methods are:
- Bucket in boiling water
- Scraper (like a plastic putty knife)
- Push broom with dustpan
- Hand gloves and goggles
- A mop for the final clean up
- Ice bag
- Solvents
Remove the Adhesives with Ice
A very effective way is to cool the sticky place with ice. Fill the ice bag with ice so that it can cool down for 15 minutes. Place the ice bags in a sticky place and let them sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Since the glue is spread over a lot of space, you may not have as many ice bags, so all you can do is take as many plastic sheets as possible and put ice on it and give them time to harden the glue. When the glue is hard, it makes it easy to remove.
Gently rub the glue with a soft cloth. Pick it up at a dust drink.
Use of Solvents
Using solvents can be a bit challenging for you. However, it is an effective solution against stubborn glue, so use it carefully. Make sure there is ventilation in the area.
- Determine the type of adhesive used. General carpet adhesives will have a yellowish tint, while tar-based adhesives will have a brownish tint.
- Select the correct solvent product for the glue. General adhesives are best removed using a solvent-based on orange oil, such as Goo Gone. For tar-based adhesives, you will need to use mineral spirits.
- Let them sit for a few minutes to work, but not for more than 8 to 10 minutes.
- Their instructions for removing solvents should be followed. If you don’t get it, remove the soft glue with a plastic scraper.
- To remove the glue that still sticks to the floor, mix soap with hot water and rub a piece of glue with a cloth soaked in the mixture.
- Suck all the liquids with a wet dry vac at the end.
- Mop the whole floor once with the help of a mop
Use of WD-40
With WD-40 it is possible to remove wood floor glue nicely.
- Apply WD-40 adhesive
- Let it sit for a while so that it can effectively soften the glue and lift it easily.
- Remove the soft glue with a microfiber cloth and use detergent with hot water to remove the remaining glue.
How to Remove Glue from Concrete Floor
Concrete floor is one of the flooring inventions for our home decoration. It is easy to remove the glue of the carpet from the concrete floor. You can easily do it yourself. There are some simple steps you can take and your household can take the help of some tools to do that. The tools you will need before following the steps are:
- Bucket in boiling water
- Scraper
- Push broom with dustpan
- Hand gloves and goggles
- A mop for a final clean up
Scraping Down
Removing strong adhesives is not easy with empty hands. You have to give some effort. Scrape the sticky area with a scraper, trying to remove as much glue as possible. With the help of scrapers it is possible to lift the gluey substances nicely.
Loosen the glue
Since the glues take a long day of boiling hot water in a pot, you are going to apply it on the floor. Hot water works great against hard glue. Pour hot water over the glue so that it softens the hard glue and makes it easy to remove.
Scrape Again to Remove the Soft Glue
All you have to do is rub the glue again with a scraper. Rub the water before it cools down so that the glue does not harden.
Clean the Area
Efficiently remove the soft glue with the help of a push broom. Mop the floor. Arrange for the floor to dry.
How to Clean Hardwood Floor after Removing Carpet

Things You’ll Need
- Broom with dustpan
- Vacuum cleaner
- Bucket
- Microfiber cloth
- Gloves
Step 01: Clean the Floor
After removing the old carpet you discover a dirty and stained floor. First you have to do
Remove all loose dirt from the floor. You may need to carefully remove a variety of other items, including scotch tape and staples.
Vacuum the floor well; in this case, you must use a proper vacuum that does not damage the hardwood floors. You can choose a vacuum that is suitable for any floor.
Step 02: Remove the Carpet Glue
The next step would be to remove the carpet glue. The carpets are basically attached to the floor with the help of eighteen. It may not always be easy to remove. However, the effective ways to remove carpet glue from the hardwood floor have already been discussed above. Any method you can apply to remove glue from hardwood floors.
Step 03: Mop and Shine the Floor
First, remove the adhesive from the floor means finishing about 80 percent of the work. This time it’s your turn to make the wooden floors as shiny as they were without the carpet. You don’t have to do much for it. Take soapy water in a bucket. If the water is a little hot, you can get good results. Use a mop and wipe the floor.
If you think the floor will look shiny until the next carpet is installed, mix some olive oil and mop. This will increase shine of the floor.
Take enough time to dry the floor before the next change and use. And make sure ventilation
Also Read: How to Clean Hardwood Floor Naturally
How to Clean Concrete Floor After Removing Carpet

According to the characteristics of concrete floors, it does not allow the adhesive to be contained in them. They are quite durable and easy to clean so do not hold the carpet glue. However, if you see stubborn glue on the floor after lifting your old carpets, it means that it is difficult to clean, so removing it is a bit challenging. However, it is possible to clean it successfully.
Step 1: Remove the Particles
Remove loose dirt from the floor Remove all debris with a broom A vacuum cleaner will be helpful in this case. Choose a vacuum with strong suction for the concrete floor.
Vacuum the floor so that there is no dust left anywhere.
Step 2: Take off the Glue
The carpets are basically glued to the floor with the help of glue which is a bit troublesome to lift but the good news is that it is possible to easily remove the carpet glue from the concrete floor.
I have explained in detail in the above sections how it is possible to remove carpet glue from the concrete floor. All you have to do is follow the steps and remove the glue.
Step 3: Mop the Floor
Wet the floor with a mop. Make a mixture for it. Mix some detergent with water. After wiping the floor well, wipe with a microfiber cloth. As if there is no slipperiness of soap
Wrap Up
You will need to remove the old carpet to replace the carpet. Many times carpets can leave stains on the floor and glue can be a nuisance. By following these steps you can easily remove stains left after carpet removal from concrete and hardwood floors.
After applying these steps, let them dry for a whole day before the next change on the floor, so be sure to ventilate. There is no fear of grabbing new carpets on the floors
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