Bleach on hardwood

Q: I have ruined my hardwood floor by leaving a plastic shopping bag with a bathroom cleaner containing bleach in it overnight. I didn’t realize it but the bottle had a small leak and has bleached part of the stain off of the hardwood floors. It has also smeared into a dark stain on part of it also like a swirl.

Is there anything that I can do other than re staining that part of the floor?

A: What type of finish is your floor protected by? I would wash (not soak) the area with water to neutralize the bleach first. If it is a polyurethane finish, and the bleach was able to compromise that along with the stain beneath it, you will likely have to totally sand and finish at least the damaged area, if possible.