I’m a cleaning expert – how to remove flooring scuffs using a $1 item you probably have lying around

REMOVING ugly scuffs from wood or tile floors can seem like an impossible task, no matter how much you mop your home. But there’s an odd household item that can solve the problem, and you probably have one on your back porch, in the mudroom, or abandoned among your kids’ athletic supplies. Scuffs are a […]

REMOVING ugly scuffs from wood or tile floors can seem like an impossible task, no matter how much you mop your home.

But there’s an odd household item that can solve the problem, and you probably have one on your back porch, in the mudroom, or abandoned among your kids’ athletic supplies.

Scuffs are a common issue in most homes, but that doesn’t make them any less disheartening, Shifrah Combiths, mom of five and cleaning fanatic, wrote for The Kitchn.

“It’s one thing to have dirty floors, but it’s quite another for the floors to still look dirty after copious cleaning,” Combiths admitted.

The common factor in every home is rubber: your floors are marked by the soles of athletic or dress shoes, children’s toys, furniture legs, or even rubber-bottomed rugs.

That’s part of the reason the marks are so challenging to beat. These scuffs aren’t just dirt or dust, but rubber residue that’s stuck on your floors.

“Using heavy chemicals or abrasive products can damage your floor’s finish and still might not remove the mark,” Combiths said.

To avoid permanent damage, you’ll actually need to pursue a gentler course of action.

You may be surprised to learn the gentlest, most effective method for removing scuff marks from floors is a tennis ball.

If you have kids or a dog, you might have a tennis ball tucked away somewhere – it doesn’t need to be brand-new to be effective, but make sure there’s not dirt or grime caked onto it.

Then, head to the part of your home where scuff marks are dirtying the floor.

“Sweep or vacuum the area and then use the fuzzy ball to buff out any scuff marks you see,” Combiths instructed.

You can get down on your hands and knees to rub away the scuff marks with the fuzzy ball.

Or you can take an extra step to outfit your existing cleaning tools for scuff removal.

Carefully cut an X into the tennis ball with a box cutter, and add it to the end of your broom handle to lift scuffs as you go.

Now you’ll have a weapon to combat scuffs during your normal cleaning routine and keep your floors immaculate.

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A tennis ball is an unlikely champion in the fight against floor scuffs[/caption]