Wood Floor Cleaning Tips

Wood floor cleaning is not complicated, but we‘re glad you stopped by because we can give you a few tips to make floor cleaning faster and easier. The following green tips will not only leave you with clean, polished wood floors, they’ll save you money and leave your home a safer place by eliminating some pretty nasty chemicals.

• To get started cleaning wood floors, you don’t need any fancy cleaners or expensive chemicals. All you need are a few safe and natural ingredients. Your kit should consist of a broom or vacuum, clean white rags or a soft mop, a spray bottle or a bucket, water, distilled white vinegar, castile soap, and essential oils (I suggest lemon, lavender, or rosemary). Now, if you’re new to purchasing essential oils, you might think that they’re a bit pricey. Because you only use a few drops at a time though, they really do last for a long time. They’re definitely worth the price.
• When it’s time for a thorough mopping (which isn’t often) this is your go-to recipe: to two gallons warm water, add one-half cup white vinegar, a dash of castile soap, and a few drops of essential oil. You don’t need to worry about being too exact here.
• Don’t use a lot of wood floor cleaners on your floors. Liquids of any kind are extremely damaging to wood and can cause warping and staining. The truth is you shouldn’t wet mop wood floors very often. It’s better to sweep daily and dry, or damp, mop regularly, and spot clean any larger messes. The less moisture your wood floors are introduced to, the longer they’ll stay looking great.
• Dirt and sand can scratch wood floors and make them look dull. Sweep wood floors daily to avoid the damages caused by gritty substances. If you choose to vacuum your floors instead, make sure the vacuum itself is not scratching the wood. Also, always sweep or vacuum with the grain of the wood. This will help you pick up as much dirt as possible.
• Use throw rugs, runners, or small carpets to prevent wood floors from wearing down in high traffic areas. And never drag furniture or other heavy objects across wood floors.

Here is the reason we are wary of store bought chemical floor cleaners. Typical chemical based wood cleaners and polishes that you buy in stores are expensive and commonly contain carcinogens and other chemicals that are toxic to our nervous and digestive systems. And our exposure to these toxins is not short-term. When applied to wood floors in the form of commercial cleaners, these chemicals will linger for us to soak in through direct contact or inhale through floating particles - and that is a big deal.

One of the best things about green wood floor cleaning is that you can start right now. You don’t need to invest lots of time or money to eliminate dangerous chemicals from your home. By the time you go to bed tonight, you can make a difference in the health of your home and your family, all the while saving a little money and sprucing up the place. I’d say that’s quite an accomplishment.

Happy cleaning!