Don't use straight ammonia, alkaline products or abrasive cleaners. They'll dull or scratch the finish. Don't rely on lemon juice or a vinegar-and-water solution to clean hardwood floors. "I don't recommend using vinegar or lemon juice, at least not in large quantities, as these can damage the floor's seal," said Wise.
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.
Hardwood flooring, by its name, sounds like it should be really hard. But, compared to other materials like tile, stone, and laminate, it is relatively soft and prone to damage such as scratches, gouges, and discoloration. Unfortunately, surface scratches and gouges are the inevitable result of daily wear and tear.
Believe it or not, hot weather damages your hardwood floors just as much as cold weather. The high humidity levels cause your floor to absorb moisture which causes the boards to warp, cup, or crack. The cupping is especially true if there are gaps in your floor due to the cold and lack of humidity during the winter.
Sawdust and Unfinished Floors
Mix the dust with some polyurethane and fill the cracks. Note that this method only works on an unfinished floor and will clash with pre-finished floors.
Vinegar makes an excellent wood cleaner because it won't damage wood finish or warp wood like other products do. Cleaning with vinegar is a green alternative to the sometimes toxic and expensive cleaners offered at the store.
Whether you're cleaning one area or all of your flooring, Murphy® Oil Soap is safe to use on hardwood floors.
Don't use OxiClean on finished wood, teak wood or painted floors. OxiClean is a versatile cleaning product made from sodium percarbonate. When mixed with water, the solution forms oxygen bubbles that penetrate into stains and dissolve them without harsh fumes.
Bring Out the Grain
Place a wire brush at an angle on the board and run it with the grain. This will dig out the softer wood between the grain and give the surface more texture, which really helps make new wood look old. Wire brushing is more effective on soft woods such as pine.
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. 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.
Pine Sol is good for cleaning hardwood floors but only if they are finished or sealed with a protective coat. It's safe to use even on engineered wood floors but can cause damage if the floor is worn out, oiled, or waxed. Rinse well when cleaning with Pine Sol to prevent leaving residue on the 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.
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!
Vinegar and vegetable oil both disinfect and protect wood floors. You can use vinegar and vegetable oil to clean hardwood floors and leave them with a shine.
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.
Lauren explained: “Depending on what wood you have, the baking soda can have a chemical reaction with the tannins in the wood. “This chemical reaction darkens the wood, causing stains which you can't get out.”
For many years the product of choice for cleaning bare wood surfaces was a solution of chlorine bleach and water, perhaps with some detergent or TSP (trisodium phosphate) added to help clean the wood. When correctly applied and well rinsed, bleach solutions can work fairly well most of the time.
The abrasiveness of baking soda can ruin sealants and finishes of wood and even cause staining. Instead, opt for a mixture of dish soap and water to clean any wood surfaces. If you have used baking soda and stained the wood, you will likely have to sand back the area and reseal it to fix it.
A flexible putty knife, a stiff brush and a vacuum might be helpful. Then, he suggests that you mask off the edges of the boards but leave the gaps exposed. Painter's masking tape, often blue, would work for this. With a plastic putty knife, you can then spread gap filler in the openings and smooth it level.