I live in an older 3 family building that still has what I assume to be the original wooden floors. The floors were a tad banged up when we moved in 8 years ago, but it’s definitely showing some major wear. I don’t own this apartment and if i ask the landlord to refinish the floors I’m worried he will raise the rent so I am trying to figure out how to do it myself.

I am aware of the process of sanding, which we have been doing in small pieces by hand to remove the stain (which was caused by a leaky bottle of laundry detergent that seeped out into a huge splotch on the floor while I was away on vacation, and when I returned and found the stain it was already mostly dry and awful looking). I am trying to avoid having to refinish the entire floor if I can just do a few boards where the stain is affecting the appearance.

Please keep in mind that I’m on a budget (if money wasn’t an issue i’d just tell the landlord to try and fix it and deal with the rent-raise and/or loss of security deposit), although I’m pretty handy with tools so I’m not afraid of getting my hands on a belt sander or whatnot… I am also curious about options involving bleach/peroxide which might lighten the stained areas of the wood if we can’t sand it out completely…