New cleaner has left large watermarks on wooden floor - WWYD?

[FrostyMorn]

Hi all,

I've never had a cleaner before and I'm unsure what to do. She came yesterday for the first time and did a good job but this morning I noticed two large pale rings on the wooden floor where she'd set down the mop bucket. (My phone is blocking photo upload and I can't get round it.)

2 questions:

1. If I say something what should I want the outcome to be?
2. Does anyone have any tips for removing these marks? I've just tried a hairdryer after watching a YouTube video but it made no difference (maybe didn't try long enough though).

Thanks in advance.

wouldn't water marks be dark rings?

No, they are light rings and definitely from the bucket. Will try again with photo.

She should have insurance @FrostyMorn otherwise your own home insurance?

Hairdryer worked on my table when I had a heat ring from a cup. Had to do it a while though so have another go.

When you do it how do you stop water rings,what is she doing differently?

The only damage I've had is black from a leaking plant pot.

Are you sure they’re watermarks and not bleach or floor cleaning chemicals that have removed the stain on the wood? If it was only water wouldn’t they be dark and disappear if you remopped the floor, so essentially no big deal.

Oh maybe that's possible.
I guess I should just send her the photo and ask her. I'm trying to avoid a confrontation this early on but will get on with it very politely and see! But it's so annoying.

Is she professional/insured?
If so, ask her if she can fix it herself and if not ask her to claim on her insurance to replace.

That's what it sounds like to me, too. The floor cleaner that she uses, who supplies it?

Is your floor wood or laminate?
If it’s wood then you should be able to get them out.
If it’s laminate then she shouldn’t be using a wet mop on it.
Laminate floors need a damp cloth so that the fluid dries quickly.

Yes message her and give her the opportunity to rectify it.

My cleaner used bleach on my wooden floor, had to spend hours washing it with cold water but it did leave white marks. Cleaner apologised but I never had them back.

Yesterday she brought her own cleaning products though I also left some out. I was upstairs so I don't know what she used. I caused the same mark myself in another room earlier this year with the same bucket and had only used a gentle sugar soap (which is why I thought it was a water mark rather than a chemical mark). I've been carful since then and should have thought to point it out yesterday but it didn't cross my mind.

It's wood. What method would you use?
I've sent her boss the photo and she's getting on to it. (Don't have the cleaner's number.)

As disappointing as this is I think it’s on you
you know this happens and didn’t tell her

is the floor waxed or unfinished as normally a sealed floor would mark with water

If this was a known issue and you didn't let her know about it, that's kind of setting her up to fail!

The reason I say it is because it sounds like the pressure of the bucket mixed with the wet chemical is what caused the reaction. The bottom of the bucket is wet because reasonably, you have to rest it on a wet floor as you mop. If you supplied that cleaner, then it's kind of on you.

Wood flooring should come with very specific instructions for maintainence. For instance, mine says to use a mild dish soap and water, wring out the mop until nearly dry, and then use a dry flat mop to immediately dry the water. I'd have never have got it if I realised how much Maintainence it needs and that you cant get it properly wet to get the normal household muck and grease off of the floors.

'Unable to select media due to denied permissions '. Have tried to change settings to no avail.

Although it was my sideboard and not my floor , I rubbed it with a walnut half and to my surprise it worked .I read the tip on line and had the nuts in the cupboard .

On me - ok, maybe, though they are meant to be professionals.

The floor was already in when I bought the house. No instructions and I've never had wooden floors before! Agree they are hard work!

Well, they've come back to me and said they'll look into a product that should remove it. They are keen to sort it out so we'll see.
Thanks everyone and sorry for the annoying lack of photo.

I'll get some walnuts. Worth a try!

We have a wood floor and my dread of this happening makes me nervous about ever getting a cleaner. It sounds to me like a straightforward water mark, where standing water has seeped through the oil/varnish.

This is totally on your cleaner - she should know how to clean wood floors, same as she should know what to use on marble, granite and the rest. Even if she used a gentle product she still used too much water - wood floors need the barest amount, equivalent to the dampness left on a microfibre cloth after it has been wrung out.

Do you know what your floor is coated with? Oil or varnish? Knowing this will facilitate a repair. It should be fairly straightforward to sand out and recoat but I would insist on this being done by a professional - you don’t want to make a bad situation worse.

It happened for me once in 4.5 years so was not at the top of my mind as a risk.
I think you'll see from my OP that I'm not trying to apportion blame but to work out what to do about it.