Scuff Marks on Hardwood? Grab a Tennis Ball

There’s a reason you weren’t allowed to wear dark soled shoes in gym class. That’s because hard soled shoes are notorious for leaving ugly scuff marks on hardwood. They can do the same to your hardwood floors, and often appear after you host a large formal gathering or after moving furniture across the floor. The good news is that these scuff marks aren’t actual damage to your hardwood. Rather, they are rubber that have transferred from hard soled shoes or furniture feet onto the floor. That doesn’t make them any less ugly. Luckily, there are ways to remove these offending marks without damaging your floors. 

Related: The 15-Minute Hardwood Repair Pros Don't want You to Know

What types of Floors will this work on?

These two techniques work on a variety of floor surfaces, including hardwood, vinyl, linoleum, and tile. While these techniques are safe for all of these surfaces, you should test them on an inconspicuous area to ensure they don’t damage the finish. 

1. The Tennis Ball Repair

The popular tennis ball repair uses the concept of friction to pull up those scuff marks. It’s a gentle approach that won’t damage your hard wood. All you need is a tennis ball and a broom or broom stick to execute this quick repair:  

• Use a light yellow tennis ball to prevent it from leaving color on the floor.  
• Cut a small X into the tennis ball that’s about 1/4 inch wide using a utility knife. 
• Press the tennis ball firmly onto the end of the broom. 
• Using the broom as leverage, rub the ball over the mark to transfer it from the floor to the tennis ball. 

If you only have a stray scuff mark every now and then, then there’s no need to cut the ball and attach it to a broom. You can also simply rub the scuff marks out using the tennis ball and firm pressure. 

Why it Works

The felt texture on the ball creates just enough friction to grab and lift the rubber residue off the floor without damaging the wood’s finish. Since you aren’t using any cleaner or abrasive, there’s no way to damage the floor. 

2. The School Eraser

If you don’t happen to have any tennis balls lying around, you can also make use of your child’s school eraser to solve this problem. This technique works especially well on vinyl flooring. Use a soft white block pencil eraser for this job. It won’t transfer color to the floor and is large enough that you’ll be able to work it over scuff marks. 

• Simply take the eraser and start rubbing at the scuff mark, using circular motions. 
• As the scuff mark starts to transfer to the eraser, rotate the eraser to avoid transferring it back onto the floor. If it's a large scuff, you may need to use multiple erasers or “clean” the eraser by periodically rubbing it on a clean sheet of paper.
• After removing the scuff, vacuum or sweep up the eraser crumbs. 

Why it Works

Rubbing an eraser over scuff marks removes them through fiction and very mild abrasion. As you rub, the eraser produces enough friction to remove the rubber from those scuff marks without damaging the finish on the floor.