Can You Clean Hardwood Floors With Water

Knowing how to clean wooden floors is a must if you like the audio of having it around your home. Because, while wooden flooring is a durable option for just about whatsoever room in the home, it does still require some care and maintenance – specially if you want to maximise its longevity.

In that location are a few tried and tested ways to clean hardwood flooring – and these methods beneath are the best. If your wooden flooring is looking a little dull, have a look at our guide to the best wooden floor cleaners, before using our footstep-by-step guide to help you restore information technology to its old glory.

Before we get started, you volition need:

Flooring mop
Vacuum cleaner
Wood floor cleaner
Soft cleaning cloth
Deep cleaning production
Fine grade steel wool
Bicarbonate of soda
Vinegar

Got different flooring to clean? This is how to clean a flooring like a pro – whatever it's made from.

What type of hardwood floor do you have?

Before you get started, it'southward important that you notice out what end you have on your wooden floor.

New wooden floors: Virtually new wood floors are sealed with a polyurethane coating; they're likewise stained or painted to protect the surface. These floors are piece of cake to care for and are resistant to stains and h2o damage.

Never use oils or waxes on these floors, as they will become dangerously slippery to walk on.

Old wooden floors: In older homes the wooden floors are likely to have a soft, oiled terminate, this oil soaks into the grain, hardens it and forms a top seal. If y'all have this kind of flooring it volition need to be looked after and protected with oil or wax.

Lacquered or varnished terminate: If your wood has a lacquered, varnished cease you'll find they are not as resistant to moisture and clothing as polyurethane sealants. This means that you will need to care for them the aforementioned as you would an oiled floor.

Unsure what kind of finish your wooden floor has? Don't worry, just rub your finger across it and if no mark appears, the floor is surface-sealed. If a marker is left, the floor has been treated with a seal, oil finish or varnish.

Find out more than about choosing the best solid forest floor in our guide.

A simple weekly clean for a wooden floor

ane. Start by vacuuming the floor to collect whatever dust, dirt or pet hair. If you are worried nearly scratches use the soft floor-brush attachment of your vacuum.

two. Go a mop and fill a bucket total of clean, warm h2o. Spray an everyday cleaner such as Orange Glo Hardwood directly on to a patch of the floor. This is not suitable for waxed or oiled floors.

3. Dip your mop into the bucket, wring out all water until it is just damp and mop backwards and forwards across the expanse you take sprayed following the grain on the woods. Motility to adjacent surface area and repeat. The floor volition dry in minutes.

four. For oiled floors merely utilise a saucepan full of manifestly, warm water and mop as above. Change the water when it gets cloudy. Leave to air dry for 15 minutes, opening windows if appropriate.

5. Buff the floor with a soft textile.

Find out more than on finding the best reclaimed wooden flooring in our guide.

A deep clean for a wooden floor

1. Dirt, grease, oil and grime will naturally build upwards on your wooden flooring, then information technology's a practiced idea to give it a really good deep clean twice a twelvemonth to keep it looking its best.

2. Purchase a trademarked deep cleaning production that suits your flooring blazon and use according to the instructions – if in whatever incertitude, enquire the manufacturer of your floor what products they recommend.

3. Dip a mop into your bucket of cleaning product and wring out and then that information technology's clammy, not soaking moisture. Mop the floor beingness carefully to not leave huge puddles of water as this tin ruin the wood. Some cleaning products need to be rinsed off with a clean, damp mop later on wards so check the instructions on the bottle.

4. Open the window and air dry or if it'south too cold turn on the central heating to speed up the drying process.

How to remove stains from an oiled flooring

Baking soda: For general scratches and scuff marks put 1tsp of bicarbonate of soda on a damp sponge and rub over mark.
Washing up liquid: For an oily stain, rub the area with a soft cloth and a blob of washing-up liquid to break down the grease. Rinse with make clean, warm water and echo until the stain has gone.
Steel wool: For night spots – such every bit water marks and pet urine – rub with a fine grade steel wool earlier polishing with a soft cloth dipped in floor oil. Note: Chose an oil colour to friction match the color of your floor.
White vinegar: If the expanse is all the same dark, apply 1tbsp of vinegar and let it soak into the wood for about an 60 minutes. Rinse with a clammy cloth, then buff up with the oil that matches your floor color.
Floor oil: Remove heel marks by rubbing with fine steel wool and flooring oil.

For stubborn stains that don't respond to handling, lightly sand the floor with fine paper, clean with fine grade steel wool and white spirit (or white vinegar), then vitrify up with the oil that matches your flooring's natural colour.

Find more stain removal tips in our guide.

How to clean and protect wooden floors

Remove dust and dirt regularly: Dust and clay are two of the almost harmful things to wooden floors, so you don't want either sitting on your flooring for too long. Reusable microfiber pads attract dust, dirt, and grime – keeping your floors looking fresh and clean. Depending on how dusty your home gets, y'all might have to use a microfiber. mop or vacuum daily, if not every other twenty-four hour period.
Wipe up spills immediately: Wipe and then and buff dry to avert stains.
Never flood a floor (peculiarly corners): When mopping your hardwood floors, resist the urge to over-saturate your mop. Water is not wood's friend as it's so porous so when lots of moisture seeps in, it can cause discolouring or the woods to buckle.
Avert steam mops: Fifty-fifty the best steam cleaner on the market is sadly non the wisest choice for your hardwood floors. While these mops are platonic for non-porous floors like laminate and tile, they saturate wood floors with too much water, an outcome that's intensified with steam.
Steer clear of harsh detergents: Avoiding any chemicals and harsh cleaners is vital. For case, while some are partial to Spud's Oil Soap, the cleaner can cause a buildup over the finish of your floors and go out behind a pasty residue that makes footprints or streaks more visible.
Attempt vinegar in an inconspicuous spot first: Many praise vinegar, but the all-natural cleaner can be too acidic for some hardwood floors, and may react negatively with your finish and crusade some dulling or harm. Spot test an surface area earlier you utilise it to treat stains as above.
Utilise furniture pads:Information technology's of import to foreclose wear, scratches, and damage in the first place. This ways outfitting the bottom of the legs of article of furniture with furniture pads, so the forest doesn't endure indentations or scratches.
Use door mats: Take them at every entry to your home as they are also necessary to prevent water or dirt from entering the home and damaging the floors. One outside and in the entryway is best.
Invest in an area rug: One of the easiest and most stylish ways to protect your hardwood floors is with a rug. Surface area rugs are like article of furniture pads in that they'll protect the hardwood floors from scratches. They also catch the grit and dirt that your door mats don't. Just brand sure they don't have a rubber or constructed latex backing or a crude outside that volition scratch or damage the hardwood.
Monitor sunlight levels: Whether you have curtains or blinds, exist enlightened of how much sunlight you're allowing onto your hardwood floors. Wood is photosensitive in the same way nosotros are. The more light they get, the darker they go. Areas of a hardwood floor hidden nether a carpeting may announced much lighter when the carpeting is moved. To preclude this, you'll want to move rugs and furniture around, so y'all don't end up with light and dark patches of forest. You could also invest in curtains, blinds, or shades that help filter lite around rooms.

Find the all-time mop for the job.

Tips from the pros

Martha Stewart along with Mary Gagliardi of Clorox suggest that 'Dirt and grime, specially, tin can make your hardwood floors expect dull. If this is the instance, deep clean hardwood floors every 2 to four weeks... ' Gagliardi also suggests sweeping or vacuuming (just if you lot take a hardwood floor attachment), then mix upwards your cleaning solution and 'Employ a conventional mop (a mop with hands-gratuitous wringing makes the job even easier) or you can use a microfiber mop'.

Donna Smallin Kuper creator of Declutter.com shares that 'A common mistake is cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar and water. The makers of wood and wood laminate flooring beg you not to practise that as vinegar is acidic and tin can harm the surface of your floors. They recommend vacuuming first then using a only a damp mop... Too, never use an eraser-type sponge to remove a stain from woods flooring every bit information technology will remove the finish as well as the stain. '

Accept your wooden floors looking good as new, for years to come up!