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.
Ammonia will damage the surface of your hardwood floors, as will glass cleaner. Steam cleaners are also a no-go, as it can cause cupping in the floors from the residual water and excessive heat used.
Dry-mop at least twice a week using a microfiber head, focusing on corners. Avoid using water to clean your hardwoods, and never wet-mop, as the moisture can damage the material. To avoid staining and cracking, blot up spills immediately with a dry, clean cloth.
Manufacturers and industry experts advise against cleaning hardwood floors with water because wood naturally expands when it's wet and can cause your floor to crack or splinter.
The finish is the protective layer of your wood floors. Since vinegar is an acid, it will actually break down the finish on the surface of your floor, and over time it will reduce the shine, and leave a dull appearance.
Once a week, wood floors should be cleaned in high traffic areas with a damp mop. Low traffic areas can be done less frequently, like once a month or once a quarter. Unsealed wood floors are more susceptible to water, so make sure that the mop is just slightly damp.
Diluted vinegar can dissolve the finish that protects the wood and leave it looking cloudy, dull, or scratched. (The same goes for wood furniture.) Follow the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations or pick a cleaner that's made specifically for hardwood flooring.
Here's a secret: Tea's tannic acid makes for an excellent surface shine, according to HGTV. Boil a couple of teabags in some water and dump the tea into a bucket. Wring out a rag or mop in the solution and use it to mop the floors.
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators. That's true whether you have solid or engineered wood floors, and for bamboo, too.
In fact, vacuums are superior to mopping practices when it comes to your hardwood, because they suck up the debris and dirt straight away, rather than just spreading those scratch-causing particles around.
Your Cleaner/Water Ratio Is Off
Too much water means that the cleaner won't penetrate and cleanse the dirty floors like it's meant to. On the other hand, if you use too little water and a higher concentration of cleaner, the cleansing materials will stay on top of your wood floors after they've dried.
Never use Methylated spirits or any other type of petroleum distillate as it will degrade the floor coating and make your floor look very dull. Wipe up spills as soon as they occur with a dry cloth or paper towel.
The Winner
The hero and 100% natural cleaning active is – vinegar. Distilled (aka purified) white vinegar. Yes, you can smell vinegar when using but let an hour pass and any scent is a thing of the past. Our reliable Aunt Fannies describe this as your floors smelling of clean, not of chemicals.
Do You Have to Rinse after Cleaning with Vinegar? Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
Even if you dry mop or vacuum every day, you'll still get a build-up of dirt on your hardwood floors over time. To clean off this layer of grime, you'll want to regularly damp mop your hardwoods. The key is damp mopping, not wet mopping because you never want to let water sit on your hardwoods.
If they dry poorly, you will have streaks and other marks littering your newly mopped floors making them look dirtier than ever. If you plan on letting your floors air dry, you mustn't walk on them until it is completely dry.
When used with a cleaning solution, especially an antibacterial one, hard floor cleaners will do a much better job of banishing any nasty bacteria that might be lurking. Most have dual water tanks, which means that only clean water will be pulled through the rollers and onto your floor.