• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
mfoj

Mfoj

  • Home
  • Woodworking
  • How To
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Woodworking / How to Clean Hardwood Floors: A Step-by-Step Guide (2023)

How to Clean Hardwood Floors: A Step-by-Step Guide (2023)

July 26, 2020 by Editor

Hardwood floors are beautiful, and they can last a lifetime when cared for properly. Learning to clean wood floors is essential to keeping them in great shape. There’s a lot of advice out there that confuses hardwood and wood laminate, and even more, that could end up hurting your floor.

We found the best expert advice on cleaning hardwood floors the right way to give you confidence that you know what you’re doing. That beautiful wood deserves the best care, and you need to protect your investment. Let’s dig in!

hardwood floor cleaning

Hardwood Floor Cleaning 101

Hardwood floor cleaning and hardwood floor polishing are not the same, at least not entirely. Your hardwood floor will not need polishing (or refinishing) anywhere near as often as cleaning. Because cleaning happens more often, it’s vital to get it right, so you don’t damage your finish.

Additionally, note that not every hardwood floor is the same. Is it engineered hardwood, solid hardwood, reclaimed, or even unfinished? To understand the difference check out our comparison guide on solid hardwood vs. engineered hardwood, laminate vs solid wood and laminate vs engineered wood.

There are so many different types that we’re going to put together a general guide here, but you should check with the manufacturer or installer to make sure that you know what kind of floor it is and what they recommend.

You should mop about every other week, at the least.


Before You Begin

Water damages unfinished wood floors very quickly. Luckily most have some type of finish. The way to test this is to put a drop of water on your floor. If the water beads and stays on top of the wood, it’s finished. If it doesn’t, it’s unfinished, and you should be looking into finishing it before cleaning.

Once you know that your floor has a finish, it’s time to talk about the tools you’ll need.

The Tools For Our Favorite Method

  • Soft, angled broom
  • Vinegar
  • Dish soap
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Hardwood floor cleaner (optional)
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Ringer bucket
  • Microfiber twist damp mop

Step One: Remove all Debris

Remember, sweeping your floor before mopping is a crucial step. Not to mention, you must sweep high traffic areas often. Those tiny pebbles, dirt, and dust dirt can actually scratch up your wood floors finish, dulling it over time. Mopping before you have swept can do even more damage.

Step Two: Set Up Your Cleaner

If you do not use a manufacturer-approved hardwood floor cleaner, you can make your own mop solution that works really well. Grab a 1.5- or 2-gallon ringer bucket, add one capful of vinegar, and a large drop of dish soap (about half your pinky nail’s worth).

Fill the bucket to the fill line with warm water, and put your mop in the water. Allow the damp mop to sit and soften for at least a minute or two, then wring well to remove all excess water. You want to ring it as well as possible to avoid over-wetting your floor and leaving them damp too long.

Cautionary note: do not add more than a capful of vinegar to the water, it won’t clean wood any better, and it may strip the finish off of your floor.

Related: How Do You Protect Newly Finished Hardwood Floors?

hardwood floor mopping

Step three: Don’t Mop Yourself Into a Corner

That sounds like a funny statement, but it’s important to remember these next steps. Go to the place farthest from the room’s exit, face away from the exit and place the mop bucket behind you. When you do this, set it to the side a bit, and to your dominant hand side, to avoid tripping.

Mop with a well rung mop, using an infinity or horizontal figure-eight pattern, walking backward. Assure that you mop well in corners and cover the entire surface of the floor. If there is visible water on the floor, especially enough to bead up, re-ring your mop and use the microfiber cloth to dry the overly wet floor.

If you have laminate flooring then read this: How to Clean Laminate Wood Floors?


Now You Know the Best Way to Clean Hardwood Floors

That’s all there is to it; now you know how to clean a hardwood floor, and have a beautiful and clean wood floor. Remember not to use too much vinegar, and if you prefer, we do highly recommend using approved hardwood floor cleaners in your water instead of the soap combination here.

Filed Under: Woodworking

Primary Sidebar

Latest Post

wax stick

How to Repair Scratched Hardwood Floors?

September 2, 2020

when water soaks into wood floor

How to Save a Water-Damaged Wood Floor

September 2, 2020

Carpet Vs Hardwood Flooring: Full Comparison Guide 2023

July 27, 2020

wood flower is the most economical

What Type of Wood Floor is the Most Economical? 3 Best Alternatives 2023

July 27, 2020

lowdown on hardwood floors in the kitchen

What is the Best Hardwood Floor for a Kitchen? What You Need to Know in 2023

July 27, 2020

basement floor

What is the Best Hardwood Floor for a Basement? An Essential Guide

July 27, 2020

Footer

Browse By Category

  • Home & Garden
  • How To
  • Woodworking
mfoj

Mfoj is a collection of buying guides and user guides about various different products.

Learn More →
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

mfoj.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Copyright © 2023 · Mfoj