Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Clean your hardwood floors with a soft broom or flat mop about once a week to remove dirt and grit. Focus on high-traffic areas and areas just inside the major entryways twice a week. Deep clean your floors with water and a cleaning solution about once every two months.

Vinegar won’t strip the wood stain from your wood, but it can help remove a different type of stain. If you’re dealing with food stains or trying to remove water rings on your wood, you can use a little olive oil and vinegar (mixed equally) to remove those stains without stripping your actual wood stain. Just rub the solution in the direction of the wood grain, let it sit, and then wipe it away with a damp towel.

While contra-indicated for regular hardwood floor cleaning, a diluted ammonia or vinegar solution can help remove hazing on wood floors. The acidity of these products can eat away the finish of some floors, but they can also help remove hardened residue on flooring. Combine one cup of ammonia with one gallon of water for an ammonia solution. To use vinegar, use equal parts water and vinegar. To avoid hazing, only clean hardwood floors with products designed for this purpose.

Yes, vinegar can break down the adhesive bond, effectively dissolving the glue from wood. It will be much easier to wipe away. Vinegar’s acidity, which helps to make it an effective all-purpose cleaner, can also aid in removing adhesive with less chance of damaging the wood and finish than more aggressive solvents.