How to Clean Wood Floors With Vinegar

Wood floors can enhance the beauty and style of your home, but they can also be a source of ugliness and embarrassment if they are not taken care of. Everyday life can be hard on wood floors. People walking around on them with shoes, things getting spilled or dropped on the floors, and even chairs being scooted across them can cause wood floors to become dull. Damp mopping with a water and vinegar mix will bring life back to your wood floors.

Things You'll Need

• Vinegar
• Water
• Bucket
• Rags

Instructions

1. Pick up all objects off of the wood floor that you can. Place chairs on table or in another room.

2. Vacuum the wood floor or use a dust mop to get the dirt and dust off of the wood floor.

3. Add 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of warm water. This will dilute the vinegar enough that the mild acid in it won’t hurt your wood floor but will still cut through the dirt and grease.

4. Place your mop or rag in the vinegar cleaning mixture. Wring out the mop or rag until just damp. Damp mopping is better for wood floors than regular mopping because excess water can seep into seams and over time this can warp your wood floors.

5. Take a dry rag and wipe your wood floor dry. This will effectively buff your wood floor in the process.

Tips & Warnings

• Using vinegar will not only clean your wood floors but also make them shine if they have been dull looking. Dirt is a big culprit in dull looking and scratched floors. Making sure that your wood floors are free of dirt and objects will help to give them long-lasting life. When something is spilled on wood floors, immediate cleanup will help prevent stains. There will also be no buildup when using vinegar.

• As with any strong smelling substance, take care to have plenty of ventilation in the rooms you are using vinegar in. If you start to feel light-headed or dizzy, stop what you are doing and leave the room to get some fresh air. By itself, vinegar will not give off toxic fumes and you can not get chemical poisoning, although you might get sick to your stomach from the strong smell. Never mix bleach with vinegar. A dangerous chlorine gas is produced when the two are combined.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish