LESLIE: Pat in Washington, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?
PAT: I have a linoleum floor in a bathroom that we hardly use and I put a bath mat in there that has a rubber backing on it.
TOM: Oh, you’re not a regular listener of this show; are you, Pat?
PAT: I am. (Tom laughs)
LESLIE: See …
PAT: But I thought I’ve heard you say before there’s no way to get it off.
TOM: And I’m going to say that again. What happened, you’ve got a yellow stain under it, right?
PAT: Yeah, it’s chemical. Correct?
TOM: Yeah.
LESLIE: It is.
TOM: Yep, it’s oxidation between the rubber-backed mat and the vinyl or linoleum. It’s a chemical reaction and you’ve basically discolored the floor by doing this and you cannot get it out because it’s not a stain; it’s just that you’ve changed the color of your linoleum from whatever it was to yellow.
LESLIE: (overlapping voices) To yellow.
PAT: OK. That’s what I thought I heard you say before but I wasn’t 100-percent sure (chuckles) and I thought …
TOM: You could always try to redecorate – you know, to try to pick up some of those yellows; maybe some yellow towels, yellow wallpaper. (chuckles)
LESLIE: Well, what you can also do is lay that bath mat around the floor in different areas to create a pattern. (Tom laughs)
PAT: (chuckles) I think I’ll change the floor.
TOM: You could buy a bigger bath mat, too.
PAT: Yeah, there you go.
TOM: Alright, Pat.
PAT: Alright. Thank you.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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