How To Clean Wood Floors

Your hardwood floors add beauty and value to your home. Here’s how to keep them clean using a homemade spray that removes grime.

The best way to clean hardwood floors is by sweeping daily to remove pet hair and dust, vacuuming or dry mopping them at least once a week, and damp mopping them as needed. Use my homemade hardwood floor cleaning spray, and you’ll remove grime and footprints without having to rinse.

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How Often to Clean Wood Floors

Whether your floors are exotic wood, hardwood, engineered, or laminate flooring, you can keep them clean and protect their luster with this routine.

1. Sweep or Dust Mop 2-3 Times a Week

Routine cleaning protects your floor’s finish from abrasive dust, sand, and dirt. Use either a soft-bristled broom or a dry dust mop to pick up debris. For best results, do this daily in high traffic areas and every few days throughout the rest of your home.

2. Vacuum Weekly

Choose a vacuum with a setting specifically for hard flooring or one that allows you to turn off the beater bar or brush roll which can damage your flooring’s protective finish. Be sure to get beneath tables, chairs, sofas, and beds where a lot of debris collects. Use the soft-bristled dust brush to go around the crevices at the base of your walls, too.

3. Damp Mop As Needed

Always vacuum before mopping, or dust and dirt will cause streaks. Using a spray bottle instead of a mop and bucket ensures your wood floors don’t get soaking wet, which is important because too much moisture causes damage. Rinse your mop head frequently while you mop so you aren’t smearing dirt around.

4. Deep Clean Wood Floors Seasonally

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It’s important to deep clean hardwood floors every 2-3 months. This process involves moving furniture to clean beneath and behind it. You should also roll up area rugs and vacuum under them to remove any grit that’s filtered through their pads. Vacuum and then mop your bare floor. Use an old toothbrush to dislodge grime collecting in the corners.

How to Protect Wood Floors from Damage

The easiest way to protect your wood floors is by using doormats at all entrances to catch dirt, banning shoes (especially heels and cleats) indoors, using felt pads and floor protectors beneath furniture, and keeping your pets’ nails trimmed. These methods will also help keep your floors cleaner longer. Also, make sure to dry spills quickly and never put houseplants directly on your wood floors since pooling water will cause them to warp.

Homemade Wood Floor Cleaning Spray

The best way to mop hardwood is with a microfiber cloth mop and a spray bottle filled with a wood-safe floor cleaner. Don’t use Murphy’s oil soap or Castile soap on your wood floors because their oils can leave a film that causes streaks and dulls their shine. Avoid using furniture polish or floor wax, too, which will leave your floors dangerously slippery.

You will need:

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup plain 70% rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
• 3 drops of mild liquid dish soap
• 3 drops of a pet-safe essential oil (optional, for fragrance)

Add everything to a clean spray bottle and swirl gently. Lightly spray a 3’x3′ area and go over the area with a microfiber mop. Change mop pads once they look dirty so you don’t leave streaks. Repeat until you’ve finished cleaning your wood floor. There is no need to rinse this cleaning solution, so sit back and enjoy the shine.

How To Get Rid of Marks on Wood Floors

You probably already know you should go shoeless in your home and make sure every piece of furniture has a felt pad on the bottom to protect your wood floors. You may still find other stains and marks on your wood floors, so here are quick ways to clean them.

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• Scuff marks on wood floors come up quickly when you rub them with a tennis ball. If you have a lot of scuffs on wood floors to remove, cut an X on the top of the ball and stick it on the end of a broom or mop so you don’t have to bend over to clean them.

• Greasy marks on wood floors are easily removed by rubbing them with the pink eraser on the end of a pencil or the fuzzy outside of a clean tennis ball.

• Glue or adhesive tape residue on wood floors needs a little oil to help dissolve the bond. Olive, vegetable, or even coconut oil will work. Rub on a tiny amount and let it sit for a few minutes, then go over the area with a damp microfiber cloth. Spray the area with hardwood floor cleaner and wipe it again to remove the oily film.

• Water stains cause white marks on wood floors when moisture gets trapped between the wood and its protective finish. Your goal is to remove that moisture without damaging your wood floor’s finish. You can use heat or oil to remove water stains from wood.

• Nail polish and paint spills on wood floors need a two-step approach. First, sprinkle sugar or cornmeal on the liquid to absorb it and wipe it away with a paper towel. Then use rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol to remove the stain.

• Pet stains on wood floors should be cleaned immediately with a paper towel, then spray the area with 3% hydrogen peroxide to remove the stain and odor.

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