Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to any home. They are a versatile flooring product because they moderate temperature well – keeping cool in the summer and warm in the winter – and they are stylish to look at too. Hardwood floors come in a range of colours and finishes to match any style.
But how do you look after them in the best way possible? What kind of floor cleaning product is best for hardwood floors? Are there natural ways of getting hardwood floors clean?
We answer all your hardwood floor cleaning questions in this easy-to-follow guide, giving you tips on natural ingredients to clean hardwood floors, as well as the best product on the market to get the job done right.
The Best Hardwood Floor Cleaners to Use
A lot of homeowners want a natural remedy for cleaning their hardwood floors because they’re afraid that harsh chemicals might ruin or wear down the flooring. When it comes to a natural wooden floor cleaner, the best solution to use is something that you’re pretty much guaranteed to have in your pantry cupboard – white vinegar.
Vinegar is strong enough to get rid of dirt and grime but gentle enough not to scratch the flooring, or be too harsh for the family either. Here’s how to clean wooden floors in South Africa, using white vinegar:
As with any cleaning job, you need to give your floor area a good sweep first. You want to get rid of as much dust, dirt and debris as possible.
In a bucket of warm water, add a cup of white vinegar (two cups for very dirty floors). You can add a few drops of your favourite essential oils to this solution too for a lovely fragrance in the home. We love lavender or rose geranium as they are gentle and calming scents.
Using a microfibre cloth or mop, wash the floor. Be careful not to put too much water onto the floor to avoid any excess water getting in between the floorboards. Wring out your mop as much as possible before putting it on your floor to clean.
Let the floors dry well, before shining.
How to Shine Your Hardwood Floors
Using this vinegar solution alone, should leave your floors with a clean shine. However, if you want to take your floor shining to the next level and really make them sparkle, try this at-home remedy too;
Mix vegetable oil (like sunflower oil or canola oil) with white vinegar in a reusable spray bottle.
Spray a light layer on your clean, dry floors.
Using a dry microfibre mop, give the floors a wipe and shine.
Keen to get more ideas on how to shine wooden floors? Read our blog on Powerful Floor Cleaning Cocktails That Make Your Floors Shine for more ideas.
How Often Should Hardwood Floors be Cleaned?
Are you wondering how often you need to repeat this clean and shine process for your wood floors? Well, the short answer is that it depends on how much foot-traffic or dirt a certain area gets. We recommend that you clean your hardwood floors once a week, but if you have small kids or lots of pets, you might want to look at cleaning them twice weekly.
Tips for Keeping Your Hardwood Floors Looking New
Use these tips on how to keep your hardwood floors looking brand new, and you’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come;
If any liquid or water spills onto your floors, soak it up immediately.
Never use a harsh chemical cleaner on your wood flooring
Never use an abrasive brush or scrubbing brush on your flooring
Wash your floor thoroughly at least once a week.
Shine your floors after every wash.
Read more of our articles for floor and surface cleaning now.