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Q: I have never given much thought to cleaning my cherry wood floor, but I’m starting to notice how dingy it has become. What’s the best way to clean hardwood floors? I’d love recommendations for wood floor cleaning techniques, and a good hardwood floor cleaner.
A : It ’s true , regular cleansing is a must tomaintain hardwood floors . Because dissimilar storey cultivation have unique care requirements , the best way to clean hardwood floor will count on the eccentric of finish rather than the Sir Henry Wood mintage ( for instance , cherry , maple , or oak ) . If you expend the wrong method or neat , youcould damagethe Mrs. Henry Wood .
Read on to learn how to identify your floor ’s finish and prize supplies for dusting , deep cleaning , and absent dirt . Using these recommended techniques for the skillful mode to clean hardwood floors will keep yours face great for years to get along .
First, figure out what kind of finish your floor has.
There are two maintypes of hardwood floorfinishes : surface finishes and penetrating finish .
The easiest mode to see if a story has a surface finish is to take a penetrative knife leaf blade to a small , out of sight field of the floor and scrape off a diminutive amount of finish . If the scrape material is clear , your floor likely has a airfoil finish . If scraping the floor finish smudge it , but no clear material issue forth away , the floor likely has a penetrate finish .
Bust dust by mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming regularly.
Dry mopping , sweeping , and/or hoover on a hebdomadal basis are the dear means to disembarrass hardwood floors of loose dust , dirt , and pet hair accumulation . This routine work on floor with either surface or penetrating finishes .
Thebest mop for wood floorsis usually one with a big , flat head stick on with a microfiber fabric pad , such as theSwiffer Sweeper . These mops have pads with bantam synthetic fibers that reach into the groove of wood floor to pick up and hold rubble without scratching the wood .
To keep costs down and lower your environmental impact , prefer pad that can be removed , motorcar wash , and reuse . Compatible on a miscellanea of hardwood level mop stigma , a pair of reusable inkpad like theOld Home Kitchen Mop Padscosts less than $ 15 .
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
If you prefer to sweep rather than mop , opt for abroom with celluloid fiber endsto assistance trap collected rubble in the broom head and prevent it from resettling on the floor .
If your preferred fashion of debris busting isvacuuming , practice a floor - brush attachment and avoid the beater bar — its spread out brush can indent wood floors . Move your cleanup tool from one side of the floor to the other , paying extra attention to area where adjacent floor boards meet . These nooks are hiding spots for trap debris .
Scrape off food stains.
Remove cake - on nutrient by carefully stick in the tip of a fictile knife under the lower edge of the dust and then mildly sliding the knife upwardly . Rub the scraped spot with a fair fabric slightly soften with a few drops of water , then make a 2d passing play with a dry textile to dab up the water .
If using this proficiency on a floor with a diffuse finish and a small section of the wax coat gets strip by the tongue , reapply a dollop of the hardwood floor wax to the area with a soft fabric , buffet it in to render the area shiny and spotless .
Fight oil stains with TSP.
fossil oil and grease stains on floor with surface or penetrating ending easily break down when exposed totrisodium phosphate ( TSP ) . Don protective gloves andsafety glasses , and adulterate 2 tablespoons of TSP in 1 Imperial gallon of quick piss in a large pail . Dip the tip of a clean cloth into the solution , then use gentle circular motions to ferment it into the stain . Once the TSP dissolve it , run a piddle - dampened cloth over the surface area to sop up the TSP , then quickly dry the expanse with a clean material .
Ice out wax and gum.
dry out candle wax , crayon grade , and chew gum on floors with surface or penetrate finis can easily be removed with sparkler . Fill aZiploc deep-freeze bagwith a fewice third power , place the chilled traveling bag over the buildup until it becomes brickly , then scrape it off with the edge of a fictile spatula .
If the spatula removes the protective wax from a floor with a penetrate cultivation , use a soft textile to reapply a answer - based hardwood floor wax to the scraped area , then buff it into the repaired area with the cloth .
Scrub water, ink, and pet stains well.
Spots forget by H2O , ink , or pet water are some of the most stubborn stains . For floor with penetrating finis , it ’s just to tackle these stains with the take after footfall using only an appropriatehardwood floor cleanerand a purge pad contrive for a infiltrate - wind up floor .
Deep clean the floor with a quality hardwood floor cleaner.
The character of wood flooring uncontaminating that ’ll work well for your floor depends on the trading floor ’s close .
If asurface - finishedhardwood floor still bet dingy or dull after dusting , deep clean it with any pH - electroneutral , wax - free , and rock oil - free cleanser , such asBona PowerPlus Hardwood Floor Deep Cleaner , or a homemade resolution make up ¼ cup of dish soap and 1 congius of warm H2O .
The good elbow room to mow wood floors with a airfoil finish starts with saturating a sponge swob with the cleaner , wringing out the excess liquidness until the mophead is damp but not dripping , and then mopping 3 - foot sections of the trading floor at a prison term using circular motions to quarter out dirt and filth . Then , gargle the mop in clear piss , extort out the surfeit , and damp mop the floor again to soak up lingering cleaner . apply a mild , clean cloth like theAIDEA Microfiber Cleaning Clothsto dry the floor .
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
If your level has apenetrating finish , the best way to deep clean-living it is to strip away the grimy one-time wax coat and reapply a sweet wax pelage . chafe a clean textile impregnate inmineral spiritsover 2 - fundament section of the storey at a prison term , permit the mineral spirits dwell for 5 second on each section before wiping away with a fresh cloth dampen slimly with water . Then , ironic exhaustively with a fresh , ironical cloth .
at last , apply a solvent - based hardwood trading floor wax , such asTrewax Paste Wax , with a soft material . Use the amount the manufacturing business recommends . Then habituate the material or an galvanic buffer ( buy one or rent one at a hardware store ) to buff the wax in circular motions , polishingin 2 - foot sections at a time .
Perform the appropriate deep - cleaning subprogram on a biannual footing , whether you see dingy buildup or not . It can be hard to notice gradual changes on a floor you walk on every day , but after it ’s clean you may be impressed by the difference .
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Final Thoughts
When looking for the good elbow room to clean hardwood floors , first determine the type of finish on the floors . The type of cultivation determines the variety of cleaners and method that will safely help cleanse the level . While a in force mystifying cleansing can help oneself restore the look of Natalie Wood , it ’s normally only necessary a few times each yr . In between , regularly mopping , wholesale , and vacuuming can help maintain the finishing and keep floors seem their practiced .
FAQs
Using ahardwood base cleanermade with blank vinegar can help with cleaning intemperately soiled hardwood floor . It ’s important to dilute the whitened acetum , using ½ loving cup of white acetum for every gallon of water , as it can be too harsh and damaging on its own .
Deep clean old hardwood story is very similar to cleaning newer floors . take a method acting and fresh that ’s made to clean wood floors with the same character of finish . However , it ’s important to test a small surface area and go slowly , as the Sir Henry Joseph Wood may need some small reparation or have wrong that ’s only seeable up close .
Dr. Bronner ’s is a pure castile soap that is safe on Natalie Wood if it ’s diluted . To make your ownhomemade wood floor cleaner , bestow just a few drops to a atomiser feeding bottle occupy with water .
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob VIla
Microfiber padded mops are groovy for Earth’s surface grease , but ground - in filth may postulate the use of a plastic knife to scrape out dirt , a vacuum attachment to perpetrate it out , or luminousness sanding if it ’s really pin down in the Natalie Wood .
There are a lot of reasons wood floors seem dirty after mopping . check that to rinse the mophead thoroughly and often , as a dirty swob ca n’t attract new grease it encounters on the story . Also , swapping out mopheads can avail when dealing with very pestiferous floors . To find out if the floor is uncontaminating , wipe a whitened fabric over new mopped area to see if the floor is still lousy .
This Is the Year for a Kitchen Renovation
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Whether you ’re selling or staying , everyone can get something out of a kitchen update . Learn why we consider this refurbishment the Most Valuable Project of 2025 and how to rest on budget .
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
Photo: Tom Fenenga for Bob Vila
