Fill a clean bucket with a solution of white vinegar and warm water. Use a half a cup of white vinegar to one gallon of warm water. Immerse a clean mop into the solution and wring it until it is damp-dry. Never use a soaking wet mop on the floor.
Mix ½ cup of vinegar with one gallon of hot water to create your mopping solution. Wring out your mop thoroughly so that it is only damp and doesn't saturate wood floors with moisture to avoid damage.
Avoid cleaning with white vinegar and water for wood floors
Just please don't use them to clean wood floors. Using vinegar and water as a homemade wood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your wood floor.
Homemade Wood Floor Cleaning Solution
A good ratio is 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water. To leave a pleasant scent behind as you clean, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the cleaning solution. The vinegar smell will dissipate as it airs out.
The best way to clean hardwood floors is to adopt a regular routine. Use a broom or hardwood floor mop for cleaning wood floors daily. A microfiber dust mop pre-treated with a dusting agent will pick up dust and dirt and prevent scratches. Vacuum your hardwood floor once a week.
Only use water and a pH neutral cleaning product that is suitable for timber floors. Avoid using household detergents or methylated spirits as these can remove the varnish that protects the surface of the floors. It's also recommended not to use polish or wax products as these can make the floor surface very slippery.
For use around the home, combine vinegar with water in a 1:1 solution to clean and freshen many surfaces. Use this solution on glass, windows, walls, cupboards, floors, sinks, stovetops and coffee makers.
Avoid harsh detergents, vinegar cleaning solutions, and any other abrasive products. Clean hardwood flooring with steam, a small amount of water, or a cleaning agent purpose-made for hardwood. Mild, ph-neutral soaps also work. Remove hardened mounds of dirt with warm water and a putty knife.
Begin by dusting or sweeping your floors well. Then make a cleaning mixture using 4 cups warm water and a few drops of castile soap or dish soap. Do not shake, but gently mix this, then mop or scrub small sections at a time, drying them with a clean cloth or dry mop after."
Water, Vinegar, and Plant-Based Liquid Soap
Similarly, for a vigorous hardwood floor cleaner solution, mix one part plant-based liquid soap and one part white vinegar with 10 parts water.
Better Homes & Gardens recommends adding 1/2 cup of vinegar to a gallon of lukewarm water. Then drop a sponge or rag mop in the mixture, wring it until it's almost dry (it should feel damp to the touch), and mop your floor. Always pay attention so you don't have any standing water on the floor.
Now that your floors are clean and dry, applying a coat of polish is a great way to revive your hardwood floor's finish. A coat of hardwood floor polish can even out a floor's look, filling in any micro scratches and adding a new protective layer on top of your floor.
Olive Oil, White Vinegar, & Water: Mix all three of these natural ingredients together and you'll know how to make hardwood floors shine naturally.
Rub a clean cloth saturated in mineral spirits over 2-foot sections of the floor at a time, letting the mineral spirits dwell for 5 minutes on each section before wiping away with a fresh cloth dampened slightly with water. Then, dry thoroughly with a fresh, dry cloth.
Rinsing is not necessary! If you're simply using a vinegar and water solution to wipe and disinfect, you won't need to rinse. However, if there's also plenty of dirt and grime you're wiping away, you may also want to rinse with some extra water.
The most common vinegar cleaning solution contains one cup of vinegar mixed with one cup of warm water.
Make a simple cleaning spray with 3 parts water and 1 part distilled vinegar. You can dilute the mixture according to your needs and you can also trade out the distilled white vinegar for apple cider vinegar. Add lemon juice to disinfect surfaces.
Water and Vinegar Solution: One of the simplest and most effective ways to clean hardwood floors is with a mixture of water and vinegar. This solution is inexpensive and easy to make, and it won't damage your floors like harsh chemicals can.
Combine a gallon of water with 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar. Then, add a few drops of dish detergent for a fresh scent and extra cleaning power. Dip a microfiber mop or a sponge into the cleaner and use it wipe down your floors.
Olive Oil, Vinegar, and Lemon Juice
Mix two parts olive oil, two parts vinegar and one-part fresh lemon juice. Using a soft cloth, gently follow the wood grain in a buffing motion. Wipe the furniture down again after you've applied the solution with a clean cloth to remove any oil that wasn't absorbed by the wood.
An easy way to fill in microscratches and shine wood floors is to polish your floors after mopping. After dusting and spray mopping, use a designated microfiber mop pad to apply polish to wood floors to add shine. Bona floor polish is easy to use and adds a protection and shine with every application.
Dry-mop at least twice a week using a microfiber head, focusing on corners. Avoid using water to clean your hardwoods, and never wet-mop, as the moisture can damage the material. To avoid staining and cracking, blot up spills immediately with a dry, clean cloth.
Do not wet mop wood flooring. Damp is good. Dripping wet is bad. If you can ring out the mop or pad, you're working with too much water.
A common mistake with cleaning wood floors is that people use too much cleaner (like pine-sol) and not enough water, or they don't sweep or vacuum prior to mopping. Most hardwood floors are cleaned best with a mixture of warm water, white vinegar & lemon oil. Avoid over wetting.