What Is The Best Way To Clean Hardwood Floors?

In many ways, hardwood floors are more convenient than carpets. After all, you don’t need to constantly pull debris out of hardwood, but that doesn’t mean the floors stay dirt-free. So, what is the best way to clean hardwood floors?

Fill a bucket with warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap, then soak a mop in the solution. Work the mop into small sections of the floor to remove scuff marks and stubborn stains. You can also dilute hydrogen peroxide with water and scrub tough stains, such as animal urine and coffee. 

Keep your dog’s nails short to protect your hardwood floors from scratch marks. Follow along as we explore the best way to clean hardwood floors. 

How To Safely Clean Hardwood Floors

1. Water And Dish Soap

Dish soap is one of the best household remedies for many problems, and that includes dirty hardwood floors. It’s the best way to clean hardwood floors without damaging them, especially if you use natural or mild dish soap. First, sweep or vacuum your hardwood floors to remove dust and debris before you mop them.

Next, mix a few drops of mild dish soap with warm water in a bucket. Place a microfiber mop in the bucket and soak the mixture up. Be careful not to oversaturate the mop, or else your floor will get too wet and take a long time to dry. 

Mop the hardwood floor section by section. Try to maintain a consistent pattern to avoid leaving strange marks behind on the hardwood. Repeat the process until your floors are clean and beautiful. 

2. Use Baking Soda

Many homeowners find scuff marks on their hardwood floors from shoes and furniture and don’t realize the solution is in their kitchen. While you shouldn’t clean the whole floor with baking soda, you can use baking soda to remove scuff marks. 

However, you must be careful, as a little bit of baking soda goes a long way. Using too much can leave a thick white paste on the floor, which can be hard to get rid of. To remove the scuff marks, moisten a sponge or rag and put some baking soda on the wet end. 

Carefully scrub the scuff marks until they lighten and eventually disappear. Repeat this process for all the scuff marks on the hardwood throughout your house. 

3. White Vinegar

Have you recently spilled coffee, soda, wine, or even pasta sauce on your hardwood floor? If so, there’s no need to panic, as you can likely remove the stain with white vinegar. White vinegar is acidic enough to remove even the most stubborn stains, but you must use it in moderation. 

That’s because white vinegar itself can stain surfaces if you use too much or let it soak for too long. Many people mistakenly pour white vinegar on stains and regret it later. Instead, you should pour white vinegar on a rag or sponge and let it sit on the stain for 10 to 30 minutes. 

Check the stain every 10 minutes to ensure the vinegar doesn't discolor the hardwood floor. Next, remove the rag or sponge and mop the remaining vinegar away with water. Repeat the process as needed and try to catch spills early so they’re easier to clean.  

4. Hydrogen Peroxide

Sometimes, not even white vinegar is enough to remove stubborn stains from hardwood floors. For example, hydrogen peroxide is one of the only effective options for animal urine stains on hardwood floors. However, you must dilute the hydrogen peroxide with water, or else you may further damage your floors. 

You must use 3% hydrogen peroxide to avoid discoloring the wood. Dilute the peroxide with water and blot it onto a sponge or cloth. Carefully blot the stubborn stain without applying too much pressure until it lightens. 

Be patient, as the stain may not lighten as quickly as you’d expect. In some cases, the stain may not seem much better until you let it air dry. Leave it alone for a few hours after cleaning the stain and return to it at night or the next morning to apply more if needed. 

How Often Should You Clean Hardwood Floors?

You should dust and sweep your hardwood floors at least 1 to 2 times per week. Doing so makes it much easier to keep your hardwood floors clean and shiny. It’s also much easier to mop your hardwood floors if the surface isn’t caked with dust and debris. 

Some people even mop their hardwood floors weekly, especially in high-traffic areas. That's a great idea if you and your family frequently wear dirty shoes in the house. Otherwise, you should at least mop your hardwood floors monthly to keep them in great shape. 

How To Protect Hardwood Floors From Dogs

It’s no secret that you must clean your hardwood floors more often if you have dogs. Between their paws, fur, and accidents, you may have a lot of work cut out for you. Luckily, you can protect your hardwood floors from dogs with a few simple solutions, such as:

Trim Their Nails

Trimming your dog's nails isn’t always fun, but it can help keep your hardwood floors in great shape. Otherwise, their nails will scratch and scuff your hardwood floors and make them look rough. Ideally, you should trim your dog’s nails at least monthly to protect your floors. 

Be Careful With Food And Water Bowls

Dogs don’t have the best table manners, and they’re quite messy when they eat food and drink water. This can result in messy and stained hardwood floors if you don’t carefully plan their feeding station. Set their food and water bowls on durable rubber mats and place a towel beneath them to protect your floors. 

Apply A Finish

Finishes not only look great and make your floors shiny, but they can also protect your floors from your dogs. Aluminum oxide is the most durable hardwood floor finish, and it can last over 20 years. Water-based polyurethane is also effective, but you must reapply it every 3 years. 

Use Potty Pads

The last thing you want is for your dogs to have accidents all over your hardwood floors. You can protect your hardwood floors from animal waste if you set out potty pads. Set the potty pads in areas where your dogs typically have accidents. 

At first, you may need to set a lot of potty pads out when training your dog. Eventually, you can remove some of the pads as your dog will likely know how to use the remaining pads. They might still have accidents, but the urine won’t damage your floors. 

Place Rugs

Rugs not only add character to a room, but they also help protect hardwood floors from your dog’s paws. Place them in areas where your dogs typically run around a lot. It’s also a great idea to put rugs in high-traffic hallways and rooms to protect the floors from your shoes. 

Summing It Up

The best way to clean hardwood floors is to soak a mop in a solution of mild dish soap and warm water and mop them. You can also treat scuff marks with a small amount of baking soda and warm water. Otherwise, you may have to use white vinegar or diluted hydrogen peroxide (3%) to remove stubborn stains from hardwood floors. 

Related Guides:

• How To Repair Scratched Hardwood Floors
• How Often Do I Have To Recoat Hardwood Floors?