Material
Parquet
Small blocks in a pattern, so an unusually high proportion of joint, often bedded in an adhesive that releases when damp.
- SurfaceSemi porous
- WashingSpot only
- Colour run riskLow
- Reviewed7 September 2026
What parquet can and cannot take
- Heat Use with care
- Water and soaking Use with care
- Acids, including vinegar Use with care
- Strong alkalis Avoid
- Solvents Avoid
- Chlorine bleach Avoid
- Abrasives Avoid
Always test on a hidden area first and let it dry before you treat the visible mark.
General rules for parquet
The pattern is the problem. A herringbone floor has many times the joint length of a plank floor, so a spill finds a seam almost immediately.
Blot fast and hard, clean with a barely damp cloth and dry the floor straight away.
Be particularly careful if the parquet is old. Traditional blocks were bedded in bitumen, which softens and releases when it gets damp, and a lifted block is a repair rather than a clean.
Check the label
Parquet is small blocks laid in a pattern, which means an enormous number of joints for the area covered. Traditional parquet is also stuck down with bitumen, and water reaching that adhesive lifts blocks, which is the failure this floor is prone to.
Stains on parquet
- Baby sick Blot the liquid up immediately, because parquet has many times the joint length of a plank floor and a spill...
- Blood Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot...
- Body oil Lift free oil from parquet, then clean a small area with a maker-approved mild detergent solution and a soft...
- Breast milk Blot the spill, identify the finish and use a controlled cold clean only where permitted. Use plain cold wate...
- Bronzer Lift loose bronzer from parquet before it is rubbed in. Blot cream bronzer, follow the material or care label...
- Coffee Wipe coffee off parquet promptly with a soft cloth. Use moisture only on a confirmed sound finish whose maker...
- Concealer Lift thick concealer from Parquet, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted washing-up l...
- Cooking grease Lift and blot cooking grease from Parquet, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid only if the m...
- Deodorant Lift loose deodorant from parquet with a dry white cloth, then wipe the remaining film with cool water and on...
- Hair dye Blot hair dye from Parquet, test the mildest compatible cool detergent route, clean inwards, remove residue a...
- Lipstick Lift lipstick from Parquet with a blunt edge, blot without rubbing, then use a very small amount of diluted w...
- Motor oil Blot motor oil from Parquet, absorb as much as possible, then use a small amount of diluted washing-up liquid...
- Nail polish Lift free polish gently if the face permits contact. A maker-approved mild damp wipe can clear loose residue,...
- Period blood Lift any tissue with a spoon edge, then blot. Use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent for th...
- Pet urine Blot until nearly dry, then use only the cool-water quantity parquet can tolerate. Use a labelled pet urine e...
- Sweat Blot sweat from Parquet, test a weak cool detergent wipe, remove residue with minimal moisture and dry prompt...
- Tomato sauce Lift tomato sauce from Parquet, then wipe or blot inwards with a tested cool detergent solution. Remove resid...
Parquet is small wood blocks laid in a repeating pattern such as herringbone or basketweave.
The joint length is the difference
For the same area, parquet has many times the seam length of a plank floor. Everything that is true about joints on a wood floor applies far more strongly here.
Old parquet is bedded in bitumen
Black adhesive that softens with moisture and heat. Water at a joint reaches it, blocks lift or rock underfoot, and refixing them is a specialist job.
Blocks move independently
So a wetted area can end up slightly uneven rather than uniformly cupped, which shows as a patch that catches the light differently.
It sands beautifully
Solid parquet can be sanded and refinished, and a sanded parquet floor is one of the better results in flooring, which raises the value of getting a specialist in rather than living with a mark.
Sources
What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.
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Care and maintenance guidance, Atkinson and Kirby
manufacturer
UK wood flooring maker's guidance to clean spills immediately and not leave wet items on a wood floor, to damp mop with a well wrung mop or a barely dampened microfibre cloth, that steam cleaners and steam mops are not recommended, that oil based, wax based and ammonia based cleaners can damage the floor, and that an oiled floor is maintained by reapplying maintenance oil and polishing it until the surface looks uniform.
Checked 7 September 2026
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Restoring water damaged wood floors, Sanding Wood Floors
specialist
UK floor sanding specialist explaining that cupping is where the edges of the planks raise into a cup shape, that water often leaves a dark mark in the wood, that the floor must be allowed to dry out first and that this may take several days, that sanding then removes the warped and damaged layer, and that a buckled floor or one with extensive mould growth needs replacing rather than restoring.
Checked 7 September 2026
-
Wash and Care for oiled wood, Osmo UK
manufacturer
Oil finish manufacturer guidance that an oiled floor is cleaned with about 15 ml of its wash and care product in 2 litres of water, applied with a damp rather than wet mop and wiped dry immediately, that the product contains natural oils which stop the floor drying out, and that a stubborn mark on an oiled or waxed floor needs a liquid wax cleaner rather than the ordinary wash.
Checked 7 September 2026