Water & Vinegar to Wash Wood Floors

You can use vinegar to wash wood floors, but it has some drawbacks.

Many people turn to a water and vinegar cleaning solution for their wood floors to avoid the chemicals found in commercial cleaners. Besides being dye- and perfume-free, vinegar is also cheaper than many commercial cleaners. Vinegar is not the ideal cleaner for all floors, however, or even for all kinds of dirt and grime. It is important to understand vinegar's effects before pouring it all over a wood floor.

Properties

Vinegar is an acidic cleaner that easily dissolves mineral deposits and hard water. Vinegar is capable of eating through many of the common contaminants that fall onto a hardwood floor, strictly due to its acidic nature. White vinegar has a harsher smell and effect than apple cider vinegar, but apple cider vinegar may leave a sticky residue on the surface of the floor if not rinsed off. Water combined with vinegar makes an effective cleaner for most hardwood floors.

Benefits

There are many benefits to using a vinegar and water cleaner over other cleaning materials. Vinegar is an all-natural substance and contains no harsh chemicals. This may be an important consideration for households with children, pets or babies who may crawl around on the wood floors. The vinegar and water solution is also better for the environment than many harsh commercial cleaners. Vinegar works quickly and effectively at removing hard water stains and mineral deposits, and it can shine a dulled finish on hardwood floors.

Disadvantages

Vinegar and water solutions are not always beneficial for use on wood floors. There is some debate over whether vinegar is an effective cleaner for grease or oil. According to Wood Floor Doctor.com, only alkaline cleaners, such as soaps and detergents, are effective at removing grease. The best way to determine the grease-fighting powers of vinegar is to test a small section of flooring. If the vinegar effectively cleans the grease, then there is no reason to use another cleaner.

Process

A vinegar solution for mopping contains 1 part distilled white vinegar and 1 part water. After application, the entire floor needs a clean water rinse followed by drying with a towel or other dry, absorbent material.

Warning

Water and vinegar can cause damage to wood floors that are not finished, or constructed from raw wood. The resulting bare wood can become waterlogged and moldy with the use of too much water. If a floor has fewer than three or four applications of floor finish (such as a polyurethane finish), then the floor is susceptible to water damage. It is important to find out how many coats of finish are on a wood floor, as well as what kind of finish is on the floor, before washing with a water and vinegar solution.

References

• Green Steps: Natural Wood Floor Cleaner
• Wood Floor Doctor: Learn the Best Methods to Hardwood Floor Cleaning
• Bella Online: Cleaning with Vinegar