The Absolute Easiest Way To Clean A Hardwood Floor

How do you clean a hardwood floor? I do it with white vinegar, water and a damp mop.

My floor are over 20 years old and look brand new.

Get the details and watch your floors shine.

I've been sharing pictures of my kitchen for over a decade now and every time I do people comment.

Are they asking about the addition?

Do they want to know why I chose laminate countertops?

Are the smitten with the custom hood my husband built for me?

Well, yes.

But.

Ten to one, they want to know how I clean my old hardwood floors.

How do you keep it so shiny?

What product do you use to mop it?

How often do you have it refinished?

And on and on. And on.

The answers are all pretty simple.

However, I never shared, because I thought this was the way everyone cleaned their wooden floors. Apparently not.

So today I'm here with all the details, but don't blink. It's a super quick cleaning DIY.

How To Clean Your Hardwood Floor With Vinegar (without damaging them)

I clean my floors with white vinegar and warm water.


I don't use a bucket and I don't soak the floor with either. It's a damp mop method and it's kept the Bruce hardwood floors in my kitchen looking brand new for over 20 years.

Plus, it's my go to cleaning method on the original, old hardwood floors in the rest of the cottage, some dating back as far as the 1920s.

No warping, no stripping, no discoloration.

And no dull, cloudy film or streaks left behind.

I trust this process on my dark hardwood floors and the light ones, as well.

Here's exactly what I do.

Step 1: Vacuum

I start by vacuuming my floor with a wide brush tool.

I make sure to get all the dirt and anything that might scratch the floor when the mop gets dragged across it, sucked up.

I have a central vac system, but any good, soft brushed vacuum will do.

Step 2: Wet The Pad

I have an old mop I bought when the floors were installed in 2003. It's similar to this mop.

Of course, the pads that velcro to the bottom, are long gone. So I recently bought these microfiber mop pads and they're awesome.

Really big, thick and they cover a lot of ground in a few passes.

Plus they're great for when I just want to dry mop or dust the floor.

I simply wet the pad, by running it under warm water, ring it out, just a bit and attach it to the mop.

Step 3: Mop

Then I start to run the pad over sections of the floor.

Step 4: Spray Vinegar

At the same time, I have a spray bottle filled with a water and vinegar mixture. I'd say it's about 2/3 water to 1/3 white vinegar.

I literally walk around and spray some on the floor while I'm damp mopping. I turn the spray bottle nozzle to a stream spray so it easily reaches the floor in a small puddle.

Step 5: Rinse The Pad, Ring and Mop

Once I've made my way around the entire room, I rinse my pad again with warm water, ring it out well and damp mop the floor one last time.

It rinses away any of the vinegar mixture and removes any excess water at the same time. 

Then I'm done and left with a shiny, clean, mostly dry wood floor.

See. Easy.

No chemicals, nothing fancy or super involved. No heavy buckets to lug around or clean out.

I just peel the microfiber pad away from the mop and toss it into the washer and dryer and it comes out super fluffy.

Ready for another day of cleaning.

I use vinegar a lot:

• To clean my glass shower doors
• To clean my glass stovetop
• To clean my glassware
• And everything I bring home from the thrift store to upcycle and makeover

Now, let's answer some of those questions.

How often do you have your wood floor refinished?

Never and since I have terrible allergies, I doubt I ever will. We actually painted the one wood floor that needed it instead.

The kitchen looks amazing. Aside from a few water spots that we repaired, that popped up under our hand towel from water drips, it looks fabulous.

No need.

Is it OK to clean hardwood floors with vinegar?

I've cleaned my hardwood floor with a damp mop and a vinegar water mixture for over 20 years and they look great. No damage, no warped boards or wear on the finish. 

However, I don't use a bucket full of it. I use it in moderation, I spray it on sparingly and remove it quickly.

Why do you use vinegar on wood floors?

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant. It also cuts though dirt easily since it's acidic.

We use our back door all day long, lots of feet in and out of this room. Plus it's a kitchen, the floor gets dirty.

I like a clean home, but hate chemicals and mass produced cleaners. 

Is this method really enough to clean it well?

Yes, in my home it is. However, I use the same mop and pads to dust the floor and remove any crumbs on a daily basis. I also clean up any dirty, gritty, sticky or messy spills right away...or quick enough. 

I don't let stuff get stuck on or seep into the wood. The small maintenance goes a long way.

Oh...and we don't wear our shoes in the house. That's probably the biggest help of all.


Of course if you have pets that go in and out a lot, you might want to up your frequency, but we've had indoor/ outdoor cats, pups, hamsters and more in this house over the years and the vinegar has been more than sufficient.

And there you go.

Questions answered.

It only took me a decade to do it.

Now about those laminate countertops...

😉

Happy Mopping, Friends!