How to Clean Hardwood Floors With Ammonia
Ammonia is not widely recommended as a cleaner for wood flooring because it has a very acidic pH that can eat into and lead to dulling of the floor finish or even bleaching of the surface. Cleaning your hardwood floors can be done safely with many gentle cleansing products heavily diluted in water. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Bucket with several gallons slightly warm, clear water
- Gentle cleansing product
- Black tea bags
- Mop that can easily be wrung out to near dry
Instructions
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Ammonia, Not Your First Choice
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Dilute ammonia. When using ammonia, it must be in an extremely diluted form--no more than 1 or 2 tsp. in 2 gallons of tepid water. Apply with a well wrung mop and rinse floor well with pure water. Better options follow below.
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Dilute oil soap in tepid water for a good, traditional cleaner for wood floors. It is an economical choice because you use very little, and some people like and have happy memories of the scent.
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Make an all-natural, chemical-free cleaning solution. The natural oils and tannic acids in strongly brewed tea clean and give a nice shine to hardwood floors. Immerse 3 tea bags into a few cups of hot water, steep for at least 5 minutes, dilute in a bucket with tepid water, dip and wring out your mop and go.
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Dilute orange oil-based cleansers, such as Orange Glo, in tepid water. Orange oil-based cleaners are a good solution if you like the scent and want to invest in a bottle.
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Tips & Warnings
Ammonia is really not suited for this purpose; there are dozens of better options that clean and protect your flooring.
