How to Naturally Clean Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floors offer timeless beauty in a home. While they’re pretty durable, they do need to be properly cleaned to maintain their beauty. If you’re wondering how to naturally clean hardwood floors, this helpful guide will walk you through all the steps you need to know.
Why You Should Naturally Clean Hardwood Floors
While there are a variety of hardwood floor cleaners on the market, there are several reasons why you should try to naturally clean hardwood floors.
First, using store-bought cleaners can be dangerous to your health. They often contain chemicals that can irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system. Some of these chemicals are also toxic if ingested.
If you have pets or young children that play on (or sometimes even eat off) your floor, you’ll feel better knowing they’re cleaned without dangerous chemicals.
Related: The Dirty Secrets Hiding in Your Cleaning Products
Additionally, cleaning your hardwood floors naturally can save you money. Store-bought cleaners formulated to clean hardwood can cost up to $20 a bottle. Naturally cleaners can cost significantly less.
Lastly, naturally cleaning your hardwood floors helps you make your cleaning routine more eco-friendly. You’ll be able to reduce your waste and protect the environment!
Just remember that if you don’t have time to make your own cleaner, that’s not a problem! Simply check out this post on the best eco-friendly floor cleaner to find a variety of options that are great for hardwood floors.
3 Steps to Naturally Clean Hardwood Floors
Now that you know why you should naturally clean your hardwood floors, it’s time to discover just how easy it is. When you follow this simple 3-step process, you can enjoy clean and shiny hardwood floors without using any toxic chemicals.
Step 1 – Make a DIY Hardwood Floor Cleaner
The first step to naturally cleaning your hardwood floors is to make a DIY hardwood floor cleaner. This hardwood floor cleaner doesn’t use vinegar since the acid in vinegar can damage the finish on wood.
Instead, this cleaner uses just a few simple and natural ingredients for a beautiful shine.
Don’t forget that before using any new cleaner, you should do a spot test in an out-of-the-way area of your floor. Good areas include under a rug or under furniture.
Simply apply the cleaner using the following directions and then check for any signs of damage. If everything looks good, you can continue cleaning the rest of your floor.
Step 2 – Sweep Your Floors
Once you’ve made your homemade hardwood floor cleaner, it’s time to sweep your floors. Sweeping cleans up all the tiny bits of dirt, dust, and other debris that can scratch your floors when you’re mopping.
You can use either a broom or a vacuum to sweep your floors. If you’re looking for a more eco-friendly broom, this Full Circle broom is an excellent option because it has a bamboo handle and is made from recycled plastic.
If you use a vacuum, make sure you turn the brushes off and use just the suction so you don’t scratch the wood.
Step 3 – Mop Your Floors
After you’ve swept your floors, it’s time to mop them. If you already have a Swiffer-style mop at home, you can easily repurpose it to become your floor mop.
Next, get some of these organic cotton unpaper towels to place on the head of the mop. Not only can you use these towels again and again, but organic cotton also offers a variety of benefits over microfiber.
Spray your DIY hardwood floor cleaner over a small area of your floor, and wipe it up using a back and forth motion that goes with the grain of the wood. Excess moisture is the enemy of your hardwood floors, so make sure you don’t saturate them with cleaner or let the cleaner sit for too long.
Continue cleaning like this in sections until you’ve completed your entire floor.
The Easy Way to Naturally Clean Hardwood Floors
Naturally cleaning your house is incredibly important for your health, the health of your family, and our environment. Fortunately, it’s amazingly easy to get naturally clean hardwood floors by following this 3-step process.
More Eco-Friendly Living Tips
Now that you know how to naturally clean hardwood floors, are you interested in even more tips to help you live a more eco-friendly life? Then be sure to check out some of these other popular posts:
- Over 25 DIY Cleaning Products for a Naturally Clean Home
- How to Make DIY Carpet Cleaner
- Easy Ways to Reduce Paper Towel Use
- 50+ Alternatives to Plastic
