How to Clean Varnished Wood Floors
The shine of a varnished wood floor is nice to behold. Unfortunately, keeping wood floors clean and luminous is time-consuming. However, using optimal cleaning methods, you can maximize your time and minimize your cleaning frequency. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Floor soap
- Bucket
- White distilled vinegar
- Cotton mop
- Water-based wax
- Sponge mop
Instructions
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1
Mix a capful of floor soap with 1 gallon of warm water in a bucket.
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2
Soak a cotton mop in the bucket of soap and water for approximately 30 seconds. Wring out the mop before using it on your wood floor.
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3
Mop the floor once with the soap-and-water mixture, then allow to dry.
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4
Clean and rinse the mop, dispose of the soap and water and rinse the bucket.
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5
Fill your bucket with equal parts white distilled vinegar and warm water.
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6
Soak the rinsed cotton mop in the vinegar and warm water solution for approximately 30 seconds. Wring out the mop and scrub the floors. Only use the vinegar solution. The pH of vinegar is superb for breaking down grease and sugar, but overexposing your floors to it can cause the wood veneer to break down.
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7
Allow the floors to air dry.
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8
Apply a line of water-based wax to the length of the sponge on your sponge mop. Think of your sponge mop as a hot dog and the wax as mustard.
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9
Sponge mop your floors. For every 10 feet you mop you probably will need to apply another line of wax to the mop.
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10
Allow the wax to dry. Water-based floor waxes do not require buffing.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Cold black tea (e.g. Lipton) can be used to clean varnished wood floors instead of vinegar.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
