Do not use fabric softener to shine hardwood floors. Only use the homemade floor shiner on linoleum and vinyl floors. Always follow the manufacturer's recommended cleaning instructions for your brand of flooring. Before trying any new cleaners on the floors, test it on an inconspicuous area of the floors.
If you have wood-paneled walls, baseboards or other surfaces, it can be tough to keep them clean. Try washing them down with fabric softener. It can remove grime without damaging the finish — and it will make the room smell fantastic.
It doesn't only remove static from clothes, it also takes the zap out of surfaces like hardwood floors. If you want to mop the floor, mix some fabric softener with warm water. It will keep the dust out and make your floors shine.
Try 1/4 cup of mild or pH-neutral soap (like liquid dishwashing soap) or Murphy Oil Soap (despite the name, it doesn't contain oil) to a bucket of water. Don't use oils, waxes or furniture sprays.
Ammonia. Ammonia is a pungent chemical that has many cleaning uses in your home, but it should never be used on hardwood floors. “The ingredient damages the surface and dissolves the lignin in the wood,” explains Leanne Stapf, chief operating officer at The Cleaning Authority.
Pine-Sol is safe on hardwood floors and can be used to clean and disinfect them. What is essential is to use the right concentration and correctly follow the instructions: Sweep or vacuum the floor to remove loose dirt and debris. Take ¼ cup of Pine-Sol and mix with a gallon of water in a bucket.
Whether you're cleaning one area or all of your flooring, Murphy® Oil Soap is safe to use on hardwood floors.
Sweep or vacuum, then mop with a commercial wood floor cleaner or solution of a quarter-cup of dish soap and a gallon of warm water to lift any lingering grime. Give the floors a final pass with a clean, water-dampened mop to remove any cleaner residue. Dry completely with a soft, clean towel.
An alternative natural cleaning solution is warm water and dish soap (1/4 cup of dish washing liquid for a bucket of warm water). For spot cleaning needs, sprinkle baking soda on the affected area and scrub with a sponge. To ensure the area is thoroughly clean, rinse with warm water and dry.
There are chemical cleaners you can use for this, but fabric softener is a great alternative. Add 1/2 cup of fabric softener into 1/2 cup of warm water and spray it onto the surface. Clean it with a sponge and let it dry. The stains should wipe right off and no chemical smell will be left behind.
Remove Smells –
You can use liquid fabric softener to remove smells that are hanging onto a fabric item like a mattress, car seat or couch. Just mix it with a little bit of water. For garbage smells, simply drop a fabric softener sheet in your trash can under the bag. It will keep your garbage can from smelling stinky!
The bottom line is yes. “I recommend you take the same precautions that you would with any product that you're using around pets and kids,” Maker says. Unless your children are regularly licking the floors (which is a bigger issue), it's totally safe to mop with detergent.
The cleaning enzymes in laundry detergent work great at pulling away dirt from floors. Fill your mop bucket up with hot water, then add one teaspoon of laundry detergent (a little goes a long way). Make sure to wring out as much water as possible from your mop as you clean—too wet and you'll leave streaks.
If it's not too dirty, you can just use dish soap and hot water. For your mopping solution, mild dish detergents are best – even just a few drops of dish soap and hot water will do for linoleum. Also, any combo of apple cider vinegar and water or even a baking soda scrub for tough stains is fine for linoleum.
Just squirt Reviver on the floor in an "S" pattern and spread a thin, even coat using a damp painter's pad or a synthetic applicator attached to a long handle. Work in small sections, moving in the direction of the floorboards using a back-and-forth motion, until the entire floor is coated. Even the cleanup is easy.
Vegetable Oil & White Vinegar: Mix equal parts vegetable oil and white vinegar together to make a simple, yet effective, cleaner for your hardwood floor. Vinegar is a natural polish that is perfect for cleaning. It's acidity will help break down dirt and grime.
The finish is the protective layer of your wood floors. Since vinegar is an acid, it will actually break down the finish on the surface of your floor, and over time it will reduce the shine, and leave a dull appearance.
Neutral pH
Vinegar is an acidic substance and over time, can eat away or deteriorate the finish on a hardwood floor. The process may be hastened if vinegar is used in conjunction with very hot water. The result will be cloudy, dull or white patches on your floor.
You can safely use Swiffer products on hardwood floors. For a quick clean, try Swiffer WetJet Wood Starter Kit. With just the right amount of solution, it breaks up tough, sticky messes, brings out the natural beauty of your floors and won't damage them.
We do not recommend using Mop & Glo or any other acrylic cleaning polishes on your sealed hardwood floors. The result will only be a mess. It will be more work to clean up the residue than it was to apply the Mop & Glo!
When cleaning hardwood floors, it's important to use a cleaner that won't damage the finish or the surface of the wood. Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is great for cleaning up spills and scuffmarks, and tackling dirty areas without degrading the finish of your wood flooring like vinegar or other acidic chemicals.
Avoid Using a Steam Mop on Wood
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators.