We sanded everything fine and applied the stain, but apparently didn't wipe enough of the stain off. So this morning the top was still very wet. We wiped the entire floor down with mineral spirits and the removed the excess and got the color to what we wanted. But now the stain is not very even. It's hard to tell if the darker parts are really STAINED darker, or just where some of the stain is slightly puddled up on top of the wood.

Would a very light sanding help to make the stain more even before applying poly? I'd like to not have to re-rent the sander, can I just do this lightly with my pole sander?

Any other tips? Thanks!