How to Clean a Neglected Wood Floor

A wood floor can often go neglected. Luckily, wood floors are highly durable, and easy to maintain, making it a simple task to restore the beautiful condition and appearance of a wood floor. There are several retail products on the market that will clean wood floors effectively, but using a homemade solution, created from basic household ingredients will clean the floor just as well, and can be much more cost effective.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• Mop
• Water
• Dish detergent
• White vinegar

Instructions

1. In a bucket, mix a gallon of warm water with a cup of white vinegar. The vinegar will clean, deodorize and disinfect the wood floor without causing damage, making it a good way to kill bacteria and other germs that may have accumulated on the neglected wood floor.

2. Also add 1/4 cup of liquid dish detergent to the bucket, which will cut through grime and buildup without harming the wood. The dish detergent will also allow the floor to dry free of streaks or water spots.

3. Dip a mop in the solution, stir to combine ingredients, then pull the mop out of the solution and wring out as much excess water as possible. Using too much water can cause damage to the wood floor, so it is important to use a damp mop, not a mop that is soaking wet.

4. Mop over the floors as you normally would, applying pressure while cleaning. This process will most likely need to be repeated several times to get the wood floor back to its original condition.

5. Let the floor air dry, or follow up with a dry mop to absorb any excess moisture.

References

• Homemade Cleaner for Wood Floors