is there an easy way to clean white interior latex paint off a wood floor? i'm kind of afraid to use anything "dangerous" in case I discolor the floor.
ebeth, It really depends on the grain of the wood floor. If it is oak or another wood that has a tight grain it is much easier . . . . or the new laminate flooring. If it is pine it could be harder and take more patient work. To try the easy methods, scrape up big blobs with a hard plastic scraper found in the cleaning the dishes aisle.. . .or an old credit card, or even a fingernail. For that last little bit, use a steel wool scrub pad, like SOS. Be gentle though. If you put too much muscle into it, you can scrub off the finish. If you don't have an SOS pad, try one of those bath scrubbies made of nylon. . . .or try something made for gentle exfoliation in the shower. The trick is to get the paint without getting the finish. Freshest paint is the easiest. Old paint takes more work. You can also try heating up the paint with a hair dryer before scraping it off. Do NOT use one of those paint removing heat guns. More isn't always better. You will end up marring the finish.
call a paint store and get some advice. i heard that white vineger will soften latex paint but am not sure what it would do to the finish on your floor. good luck.
Are you cleaning up paint spatters or a spill? Or are the floors painted and you want to return them to bare wood? What I found that works great on spatters and spills is a product called OOPS! It's made by the same company that makes Goo Gone, a remover for that pesky label glue. I bought mine at the local hardware store. It's got a funny smell but it's not terrible. Spray the offending spots and let the product soak for awhile. Then take a razor blade and gently scrape the spots. It may very well take more than one application and scraping to get the paint off. When you get down to the last little bit, take a soft brush and scrub the area and the OOPS! will pull the paint out of the grain in most cases. I've used this stuff to remove spatters from oak wainscoting and trim. It takes patience and a little work but it gets the job done. If you are dealing with painted floors, the only way to remove the paint is either use a stripper or a sander and then refinish. For most people, this is not a DIY job because floor sanding is tricky.
