Cleaning Hardwood Floors with Vinegar

Hardwood flooring mostly comes with a urethane finish. So, cleaning hardwood flooring actually refers to cleaning the finish, rather than the floor. One has to regularly clean and care for hardwood floors. Basic cleaning of the hardwood floors, includes dusting and mopping. There are many methods for the cleaning of hardwood floor. This article helps you learn the easy way of cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar.

Vinegar is a liquid which is acidic in nature. It is made by the process of fermentation. Vinegar contains acetic acid as its main ingredient. It is available in concentrated and diluted forms. There are many types of vinegars. Cleaning with vinegar is done using white vinegar.

Vinegar is a good cleansing agent, and there are many uses for vinegar. It is also an inexpensive cleaning product. Vinegar is an antibacterial product. It works very well for sanitizing bathroom floors. It is also useful for getting rid of odors. Vinegar evaporates easily, so you don't have to wait for long hours for it to dry. Wondering how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar? Here is the process that you need to follow.

Cleaning Hardwood Floors
For cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar, you will need some basic household things. Cleaning hardwood floor with vinegar is a safe and easy way. The things that you require and the steps for cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar and water are listed below.

Things You Need

• 2 Buckets
• Mop
• Broom
• Vacuum Cleaner
• 1 gallon clean water and 1/2 a cup of white vinegar

Steps for Cleaning Hardwood Floors

• Remove all the rugs from the floor. Move the furniture off the floor.
• One of the important tips for cleaning hardwood floors is to dust the floor before mopping it. Use the broom to get rid of the dust that has accumulated on the floor.
• All the dust can't be eliminated by the broom. So, use the vacuum cleaner to remove dust from difficult places, like the corners of the flooring.
• Get rid of the stains on the floor before mopping it. Hardwood floor stain removal tips include the use of mild commercial products and soft cloth pieces.
• Cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar and water is a simple and inexpensive method. Prepare a solution in a bucket. Make the solution, using 1 gallon of water and half a cup of white vinegar. It is important that the water used in this solution is warm.
• Do not place this bucket on the wooden floor as it might leave a ring. Use a folded towel as a padding between the bucket and floor.
• In the second bucket, keep fresh and clean water. Like the first bucket, use a towel padding under this bucket too.
• Always test a small area of the floor before applying the cleansing solution.
• Take the mop and dip it in the solution. Wring out the excess water from the mop to make sure it is damp and not dripping water.
• Start mopping from the farthest corner of the room. Mop in a left to right, figure 8 motion.
• Whenever the mop gets dirty, use the clean water in the second bucket to clean the mop. In this manner, mop the entire room.

As vinegar is acidic in nature, many people do not recommend it for cleaning hardwood floors. Regular use of vinegar for cleaning hardwood floors, might leave some mild scratches. Over a period of time, this scratches can get very noticeable. So, once in a while you can use vinegar, but avoid using it every week. There are many commercial cleaning products for hardwood floor that one can use. These products are neutral and thus can be used for cleaning and shining the floor on a more regular basis.

However, you can use vinegar for cleaning once in a while. So, cleaning hardwood floors with vinegar, can be easily done with the help of the above steps. But to make your floor shiny, use a good quality wax. Using vinegar to clean hardwood floors and waxing the floors for shine, will make your hardwood floor look brand new.