How to Make Hardwood Floors Shine Without Toxic Chemicals

The proper maintenance of hardwood flooring is essential if you want to keep your floors beautiful and shiny for a long time. However, since conventional wood cleaners contain lots of chemicals, cleaning a home or office that houses those with allergies or young children may seem impossible. But, with a little thrifty ingenuity you can get your wood floors to sparkle without using harsh chemicals.

Things You'll Need

• Non-toxic wood cleaner
• Mop
• Vegetable oil
• Vinegar

Instructions

1. Find a non-toxic wood cleaner. There are several popular brands of non-toxic wood cleaners like Orange Glo and Bonakemi. Once you have found a suitable cleaner, spray it evenly onto your floor.

2. Mop up the cleaner with a damp mop, making sure to pay particular attention to dirty corners and scratches where dust can congregate. Once the floor has been mopped, wait thirty minutes for it to dry.

3. Create a non-toxic polish. This will give your wood flooring a shiny "new floor" luster. Simply mix equal parts of vinegar and vegetable oil together in a spray bottle.

4. Use a damp mop to spread the mixture evenly around the floor. Do NOT rinse the mop out with water. You don't want to take the polish off the floor, simply spread it around evenly.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to use too much polish, as it can make your floor sticky or slick. generally one spritz of polish is good for two to three square feet of wood.

References

• Orange Glo Non-Toxic Cleaner
• Bonakemi Non-Toxic Floor Cleaner
• Non-Toxic Home Care