While refinishing might seem the only potential fix for hardwood floors to you, the good news is that this somewhat unnecessarily long and detailed procedure isn’t always the solution for wood floor problems. Besides that’s particularly a concern, if you’re the one who wouldn’t, under any circumstances, find it okay to indulge in the tiring sessions of resealing, sanding, and staining your Hardwood Floors.
As a matter of fact, most of the time, you can easily get the floor revival job done with the help of just a few products or smart ways of cleaning. So whether your hardwood floor has been subjected to huge wear and tear or simply you’ve been cleaning it the wrong way, and have eventually ended up with a dulled out and unpleasant looking version of it.
All you need to do is act upon some of the simplest and essentially cheapest guidelines, and you should be able to effectively address the situation, without having to do something labeled “a lot”, such as, of course, refinishing the floors!
Let’s get to see what the Pro Flooring Guide has got you in this regard.
Easy And Effective Practices For Shining Wood Floors Without Refinishing
The favorability factor of these cleaning methods is that you don’t need a lot of stuff for them and they are essentially often one-product-cleanups. Over and above, the very techniques of cleaning aren’t very demanding, either.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Sweeping
- The good old sweeping is one excellent way of not just cleaning your hardwood floors but it also serves as the initial and integral part of all the maintenance procedures.
- Sweeping your hardwood floors gently and regularly, at best three times a week can not just upkeep your floors really well but can also serve as a restoring mechanism for them.
- As sweeping keeps all the dirt, dust, and grime buildup at bay, it ultimately keeps revealing the entire lustrous attractiveness of Hardwood Floors.
- You can achieve even better results by using something particularly meant for the purpose, i.e. a commercial floor sweeper, like the Swiffer Sweeper.
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Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Commercial Cleaners
- Commercial Cleaners are the safest and by all means, the most effective choice for cleaning Hardwood Floors, since, of course, they’re specifically meant for this purpose.
- These commercial cleaners also help get rid of soil particles build up, scuff marks, and scratches caused by pets and/ or furniture dragging.
- Commercial wood floor cleaners don’t cause fading of the hardwood floor surface, something you can’t find when using universal floor cleaners. Also, there is no residue film experienced with commercial wood floor cleaners, as well.
- Bruce Hardwood and Laminate Floor Cleaner and Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner are some of the most notable commercial wood floor cleaner choices to go for.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Universal Cleaners
- Universal or Multi-surface Hardwood Floor cleaners do guarantee effective results and are also an excellent way to enhance both the working and durability of your wood floors.
- You need to be careful while getting hardwood floor cleaners and only choose those that have an Ammonia-free formula, so as to avoid fading and dulling out of the floors.
- Most of the Universal or Multi-surface cleaners need to be sprayed onto the floor, followed by a thorough mopping done with a microfiber mop.
- Windex Ammonia-Free Universal Cleaner is of the most notable commercial wood floor cleaner choices to go for. It not only carries out a detailed and safe cleaning of the hardwood floors but also diminishes the likelihood of water damage caused to Hardwood floors, as it consumes less water than other cleaners.
Homemade Cleaning Ingredients For Shining Wood Floors Without Refinishing
DIYs are always the best approach to achieving any and every of the desired outcomes when it comes to almost all home improvement projects. One major advantage of choosing DIY cleaning recipes and home-based ingredients is the fact that such elements are always super gentle to the floors and do not subject it to any damage at all, something which often becomes difficult to achieve when using harsh chemical-based cleaners.
And of course, the effectiveness of decluttering and most importantly stain-cutting is of course the first and foremost perk..
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Diluted Lemon Juice
When life gives you lemons, use them to revamp your hardwood floors! And keeping the jokes apart, lemon juice, with its acidic nature, works as the most effective agent against stains, buildup, grease, and grime. Take a look at the super easy DIY cleaning recipe ahead:
- Start by mixing around two teaspoons of lemon juice with essentially a gallon of warm water to make a cleaning solution. You can also have the addition of a few drops of olive oil for giving a shine to your floors.
- Take a mop, saturate it in the solution and use it to clean the floor(s) after wringing it well.
- Do not forget to towel dry your floors once they’ve been cleaned thoroughly.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Diluted Vinegar
Vinegar, the vintage and vogue cleaning agent is something that always works wonders regarding any and every concern of cleaning and decluttering. From dislodging various build-ups and stubborn stains to reviving the look of most surfaces, it has always been one of the most effective decluttering remedies.
However, Vinegar must always be used in a diluted form or the concentrated acidity can risk the floor finish. As for hardwood floors, you can go for this amazing DIY recipe:
- Start by mixing up to 2 tablespoons of Vinegar with around two and a half gallons of warm water to make a cleaning solution. Olive oil can be added to this solution, as well, for getting some extra surface gloss.
- Take a mop, saturate it in the solution and use it to clean the floor(s) after wringing it well.
- Do not forget to towel dry your floors once they’ve been cleaned thoroughly, to get rid of all the moisture residue.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Baking Soda And Vinegar
Vinegar and Baking Soda both work as more spot-treatment agents and therefore can be used to address problems such as scuff marks, pet pee stains, and minor scratches, as well. Another advantage of using this remedy is the fact that there is no chance of water residue damage to the floors.
You can make use of this simple cleaner recipe:
- Take suitable amounts of Baking Soda and Vinegar according to the area you’re dealing with. Keep mixing the two until your paste archives a consistency resembling oatmeal.
- Apply the paste onto the problematic spots and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
- Wipe off the paste with the help of either paper towels or a few cotton swabs.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Tea
While this might seem somewhat of a strange remedy, the results are totally worth the try. That’s because the acidity present in the tea can totally help get rid of grime and it works particularly well for lifting dirt. Also, it leaves the floor surface with a glistening finish.
Here’s all that you need to do in order to benefit from this incredible cleaning recipe:
- Boil around 4 cups of water and add in up to 3 to 4 bags of Black Tea.
- Let it steep for the next 10 to 12 minutes before you go for removing the black tea bags.
- Take a few cotton balls or cotton cloth, dip it in the brewed tea and use it to wipe the problematic spots.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Vinegar And Vegetable Oil
This is one of the most effective remedies against hardwood staining and dulling out. This cleaner not only cuts down all the grime, debris and dirt buildup but also is an excellent way to polish your floors in an entirely natural way.
Consider this easy and effective recipe for addressing your hardwood floors:
- Take equal quantities of Vegetable Oil and Vinegar and mix them together to make a cleaner.
- You can use any old cleaning rag or a few cotton balls for applying the cleaner onto the stained parts of the floor. Any disposable fabric or cotton balls will be a better option in this regard.
- Once you’re done wiping the floors, consider going over them again with a clean and dry fabric, so as to wipe off any possible lingering residue.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning With Castile Soap
Castile Soap is also an amazing remedy for Hardwood Floors and most importantly it’s an all-natural solution, containing plant extracts as well as Vegetable oil. Therefore it is a great way to treat the floor staining and also for reviving the surface shine.
You can benefit from Castile Soap with this simple yet effective cleaning recipe:
- Mix around 4 cups of lukewarm water and a tablespoon full of liquid castile soap to make a cleaning solution. You can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the soap mixture.
- Take a mop, saturate it in the solution and use it to clean the floor(s) after wringing it well.
- Do not forget to towel dry your floors once they’ve been cleaned thoroughly.
Tips For Maintaining And Caring For Your Hardwood Floors
Here are some of the expert recommendations regarding the maintenance of your Hardwood Floors. Keep them in mind and you can easily make the most out of your hardwood floor treatment.
- Carry out regular cleaning of your Hardwood Floor, so as to not give rise to any major concerns over time. This initially involves mopping at least twice a month and vacuuming at least thrice a week.
- In the case of polished wood floors, have them polished at regular intervals, essentially every 3 to 4 months.
- Place foot mats and doormats all around the flooring, so as to stop the transfer of dirt and dust from outside to the floors. If possible do not walk over the floors with shoes.
- Do not use excessive water or products while cleaning hardwood floors. And do wipe your floors dry once they’ve been cleaned, in order to not leave any dirt-attracting residue.
- Do not drag furniture on top of Hardwood Floors and also install felt pads on the furniture legs to avoid scratching and impact damage.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
How To Make Dull Hardwood Floors Shine?
Start by mixing vinegar and vegetable oil in equal parts to make a cleaning solution. Use this DIY cleaning solution to clean your floors and you should be able to restore all their shine and beauty. That’s because Vinegar works as an effective diminishing agent for all the accumulation such as grime and dirt. In addition to that, it also is an all-natural and harmless polish that will bring back all the shine of your hardwood floors.
How To Make An Old Hardwood Floor Shine?
For reviving an old hardwood floor, all you need to use is a hardwood cleaner. Start by spraying just a little amount of it onto the old wood floors, followed by gently wiping with the help of a dry dust mop or at best a dry terry cloth mop. Another detailed and effective way of dealing with issues like scuff marks, staining, or wear damage is to first address the floor with mineral spirits, which will effectively remove all of these. After that, the floor can be thoroughly mopped to clear out everything, such as any residue that’s likely to be left after cleaning.
What To Not Put On A Wood Floor?
Alkaline Products, Straight Ammonia, and any abrasive cleaners must not be used on wood floors, since they’re meant to cause huge damage by scratching the finish or dulling it out. In addition, several homemade cleaning recipes with an acidic nature, like vinegar or lemon juice aren’t considered a good idea for hardwood floors either. That’s because they’re very likely to damage the floor’s seal, definitely the last thing you’d want to happen to your wood floors. So it’s always best to stick to neutral and mild cleaning products when it comes to hardwood floors.
What Is A Natural Cleaning Recipe For Hardwood Floors?
Start by mixing 1 part of vinegar with 10 parts of warm water and add a few drops of liquid Castile Soap to it, as well. Take a sponge mop or an old and clean rag, saturate it thoroughly in the cleaner you made and go over the wood floors after wringing it well. Try cleaning the floor in a thorough yet gentle way, so as to not end up causing any damage to the floor’s finish. This all-natural hardwood floor cleaner recipe is the best idea to go for if you don’t want to spend on costly cleaners or don’t want your flooring to be exposed to harsh chemicals.
Is Using Steam Mop A Good Idea For Hardwood Floors?
Steam mopping must only be done to those hardwood floors that have been sealed well since they have the tendency to withstand all the heat and moisture being emitted from the steam mop. Using a steam mop on your hardwood floors will leave you with perfectly cleaned floors and most importantly without any streaks. While this is an effective way of deep cleaning hardwood floors, it also works as a fine restoring mechanism for them. Nevertheless, you need to avoid using steam cleaners on unsealed hardwood floors since excessive moisture exposure can easily damage them.
How Often Should The Wooden Floors Be Mopped?
Those areas of your floors which have to bear heavy foot traffic should be mopped at least once a week. In the same way, those floors with relatively lesser foot traffic can be mopped once a month or at best once a quarter, since that works totally fine. Apart from that, whenever you’re cleaning hardwood floors, your mop(s) must always be damp only and never wet, as wood floors are susceptible to damage when in contact with excessive amounts of water. Using a damp mop is also particularly important when you’re dealing with unsealed hardwood floors.
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