We all love the look of hardwood floors, but we don’t always love trying to keep it looking great. When it comes to figuring out how to clean hardwood floors, it can become tiresome. If you have small children or pets you may not like the idea of them crawling on the floor that has just been coated in an assortment of chemicals.
But what if you could how to clean wood floor naturally?
Related: Check out our comparisons and reviews of the best hardwood flooring for this year!
Below I have listed and explained several different ways to make your own natural hardwood floor cleaner. The benefits? At least one of the ingredients you will likely already have, it’s natural, and it’s safe for your family.
Vinegar Cleaner
If you want a natural floor cleaner with ingredients you’ll have at home, try this one. It’s as simple as mixing equal parts water and vinegar together and mopping your floor. I know vinegar doesn’t have the greatest smell, but it will go away once the floor has dried. Vinegar will help give your floor a good shine and it also happens to do some disinfecting as well. The best part about this cleaner is that it works on all floors, not merely hardwood floors.
When it comes to learning how to clean wood floors, you don’t have to choose the first option you find, if the vinegar cleaner isn’t for you, check out another option below.
A Little Extra Shine
Still rather simple, this natural floor cleaner only involves three ingredients, one of which is water!
What you’ll need:
- 1 Gallon Water (hot)
- 1/2 Cup of Lemon Juice
- 3/4 Cup of Olive Oil
The mixture of hot water and lemon juice are what give your hardwood floor a nice cleaning, and the leftover scent of lemon will surely be nice, while the olive oil helps give your floor a nice leftover shine! Simply make sure that you wring out your mop well before applying it to the floor, but you don’t have to worry about rinsing your floor. Simply let it dry on its own for a clean and shiny looking floor that won’t harm your kids.
Wood Restoration
If your wood floor, or any wood in your home, is starting to look a bit worn and tired, this recipe is great for giving it a brand new life and looking brand new again. The recipe below is for restoring small wood items, but by simply doubling or tripling it you can use it on your wood floors with ease.
What you'll need:
- 1 Cup of White Vinegar
- 1 Tb. Castile Soap
- 15 Drops of Essential Oil
The castile soap is completely natural and organic which will leave your floors looking amazing. The essential oils are great for not only cleaning your floor but giving it a fantastic smell as well. The few common mixtures of these oils are lemon and lavender, peppermint and wild orange, and orange and clove.
Spot Cleaning
If you merely need something for a small section of your floor, maybe you have a small stain or some scuff marks, I recommend using baking soda. All you have to do is sprinkle a bit on the affected area and begin scrubbing. Once you have scrubbed adequately, you just need to use some warm water to rinse the area and then dry it. With that, you should have a nice polished spot with no more stain or scuff marks.
Now, you might think the cleaners that you are using are working just fine for you. And if that’s the case, then by all means keep using them. However, if you have kids or pets that will regularly be on this wood floor, you might want to seriously consider the use of one or more of these natural cleaners.
You will likely find that you already have the ingredients for these cleaning options, but if you don’t like any of these options I encourage you to find the option that works best for your hardwood floor. Not only is this for the safety of your kids, but who doesn’t want their home to look nice to visitors?
I hope you’ll consider these natural options. Happy cleaning!