How to get pet bowl stains out of the floor before moving out
Stains under pet bowls are usually caused by trapped moisture or food oils seeping into the flooring or surface over time. Standard cleaners like bleach or baking soda often fail because the discoloration has penetrated the porous material, threatening your security deposit when moving out.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 17.9× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Treating the stain like a water ring on wood by putting a towel down and using an iron on low heat to pull out moisture.Did this help you?
- 2Using bleachDid this help you?
- 3Using a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixtureDid this help you?
- 4Using a Mr. Clean magic eraserDid this help you?
- 5Applying Barkeepers Friend powder mixed with warm water as a paste using glovesDid this help you?
- 6Using citric acid dissolved in a little waterDid this help you?
- 7Using Barkeeper's Friend with the soft blue scrubbing side of a spongeDid this help you?
- 8Using dish soapDid this help you?
- 9Using Bar Keepers FriendDid this help you?
- 10Using baking sodaDid this help you?
- 11Using lemon juiceDid this help you?
- 12Using Comet cleanerDid this help you?
- 13scrubbingDid this help you?
- 14using rubbing alcoholDid this help you?
- 15Buying a grout brushDid this help you?
- 16scrubbing with baking sodaDid this help you?
- 17using Iron Out sprayDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“What can I use to help even the surface of my sink? I’ve just been using dish soap to clean it, but I’d like to try to get rid of the stains if possible.”source ↗
“After only a few months, the grout in the main areas are really dirty, (second picture up against kitchen counter).”source ↗
“I bought a grout brush, but I don't want to do anything that might ruin the seal on the grout.”source ↗
“Also my husband hates vinegar with a passion, when we had to use it to clean the bathroom at the new place, hated it.”source ↗
“i think this is a quartz sink. i've tried pretty much everything, from bleach to a hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mixture. this is not a makeup stain or anything i introduced, although i don't remember seeing it when i moved in. moving out soon–what do i do??”source ↗
“My roommate’s dog’s bowl has stained the floor underneath. Is there a way to clean this so they don’t get charged?!”source ↗
“Tried scrubbing w a Mr. Clean magic eraser that normally does the trick but this NyQuil sleep aid liquid stains are stubborn.”source ↗
“I'd like to know this one myself!”source ↗
“If you’re talking about the brown ring on the rim of the disposal, I believe it’s the brass core underneath the chrome that has rubbed off from years of “love.””source ↗
“I keep noticing rough spots I can't clean while washing my cat fountains.”source ↗
“I think my cats water dishes get that on them too. Mine wants of but it takes a lot of scrubbing and sometimes I even have to use rubbing alcohol. I've always wondered what it is!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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