Clean wood floors with vinegar by adding 1/2 cup white vinegar to a gallon of lukewarm water. Follow the tips for how to clean hardwood floors with a mop, above, to prevent water damage.
Vinegar is an acid and hardwood floors need a pH neutral or close to it cleaner. When mixed with water, the solution's acidity is drastically lowered and it becomes an effective method to wash hardwood floors. The vinegar and water mixture cuts through dirt and grime, leaving a streak-free and naturally clean floor.
The more concentrated the solution, the better it'll perform when you're mopping porcelain and linoleum. Aim for 50/50 vinegar and water, or more vinegar and less water.
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 use a commercial wood-cleaning product, like Bona or Murphy Oil Soap. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions. You can also make your own cleaner by mixing one part vinegar to 10 parts warm water. Add a few drops of liquid Castile soap.
And a quick Google search reveals that a lot of people still recommend using it. But vinegar should not be used as a hardwood floor cleaner because its acidity can lead to etching in the wood's surface. Avoid ammonia – Ammonia will discolor, deteriorate, and dull the finish.
Fill the bucket with warm water and add a small amount of vinegar (1/4 cup per gallon of water). To apply the cleaner to the floor, a mop or a cloth can be used. Regardless of which one is used, ensure that it is thoroughly rung out to prevent dampening the wood any more than necessary.
While vinegar is safe to use on hardwood, it should be diluted in order to work properly. Using undiluted vinegar can lead to sticky flooring and a strong odor that takes quite a while to dissipate.
Begin by dusting or sweeping your floors well. Then make a cleaning mixture using 4 cups warm water and a few drops of castile soap or dish soap. Do not shake, but gently mix this, then mop or scrub small sections at a time, drying them with a clean cloth or dry mop after."
Whether you're cleaning one area or all of your flooring, Murphy® Oil Soap is safe to use on hardwood floors.
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.
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.
Rinse away grime with clean water. To prevent soap scum buildup, wipe shower doors with a sponge soaked in white distilled vinegar. There's no need to rinse.
Water You Using to Clean Your Floors? You can safely use Swiffer products on hardwood floors. For a quick clean, try Swiffer WetJet Wood Starter Kit.
Using Vinegar as a Floor Cleaner
Let the floor air dry, as this vinegar solution dries clear and streak-free, leaving behind no sticky residue.
Dusting/sweeping
Brooms with soft bristles or microfiber dust mops are the best to use for dusting both sealed and the unsealed hardwood floors. A soft bristled brush won't damage anything whilst cleaning unfinished wood and won't cause any scratches either.
To tell if your wood floor is sealed, find an inconspicuous area, dab a drop of water on the surface, and see if it soaks in or beads on top. If the water drop beads on top of the wood, your floor is sealed. Surface-sealed floors are stain and water-damage resistant and easiest to clean.
What Is Cleaning Vinegar? The only difference between cleaning vinegar and distilled white vinegar is the level of acidity. They are both made through a process where alcohols are distilled from grain and allowed to ferment as microorganisms process the alcohol into acetic acid and water or vinegar.
Most people agree that the basic difference is the level of purity. Simply put, distilled vinegar has been purified more than white vinegar. Furthermore, there are some dissimilarities when it comes to chemical structure, production, and usage. White vinegar is sometimes also referred to as spirit vinegar.
Soft microfiber mops work best on hardwood floors. You can spray a sanitizing cleaning solution or hardwood-friendly cleaner on before dusting for a deeper clean, but a mop with a gentle microfiber pad is the best option for engineered wood or hardwood floors.
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.