LESLIE: Linda in Connecticut, you’ve got The Money Pit. What’s going on at your house today?
LINDA: I was wondering if you could come up with an idea on how I can get rid of the discoloration on my bathroom floor made from the rubber backing on my rug.
TOM: Do you have a vinyl floor?
LINDA: It’s linoleum.
TOM: Ugh.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm.
TOM: Let me tell you what’s happening here, Linda. You have an – there’s oxidation that goes on between the rubber-backed carpets and the vinyl or linoleum floors that causes a chemical reaction that’s a discoloration. So what you’re seeing is not a stain in the sense that it’s dirt or something else that’s on top of it; it actually is a change in the material. So, unfortunately, there’s nothing that you can do about that.
If you – when you buy new vinyl floors and new linoleum floors, the manufacturers actually warn against this particular – in fact, I’ve seen this on the Armstrong website; about the effects of oxidation.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. It’s like a void in the warranty.
TOM: Exactly.
LESLIE: And it’s so funny because every bath mat that’s out there has a rubber backing.
LINDA: That’s true.
TOM: But there is a solution, Linda. You have to buy a bigger bathmat (all chuckle) and cover it up.
LINDA: Oh. I know, I’d have to lay it on there exactly the same spot.
TOM: Alright, Linda. Sorry we can’t give you better advice. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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