Homes that have wood flooring always seem to give off a warm and inviting atmosphere. A common problem with having wood floors, is the battle to keep them clean. Dust and dirt seem to always be visible. With carpet, dirt gets ground into to the fibers, and for the most part, you don’t see every day dust. With wood floors, every spec of dirt shows. Not to mention, without the right care, your wood can get dull, and scuffs and scratches can overtake the surface. How to naturally clean wood floors is what we’ll look into here. Chemical floor cleaners can leave harsh smells that can cause irritation to your throat and nose. There are ways to avoid the chemicals and keep your wood floor looking like new.
You’ll first want to sweep out any dust and big chunks of dirt off of the wood. You can wrap a clean thin towel to the end of any soft bristle broom and push the dirt and dust along the floor. You can either push it into a dust pan, or push it to the front door and all the way outside. By using a cloth on the end of the broom, this will ensure that the bristles of the broom don’t scratch the wood. For regular sweeping, use this cloth method once a day, if your home gets a lot of dust.
Once the surface dirt and dust are taken care of, you can begin to clean. If you have a hardwood floor with a natural surface finish, a good way to clean the wood is just to use a mop that is slightly damp. You can either use plain warm water, or use a homemade wood floor cleaner (mix 1/2 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water). Wash the floor with your preferred solution two times. This will ensure that any ground in dirt is cleaned off. Then dry the floor the same way that you swept it. Attach a clean dry towel to the end of a broom and dry the wood. This drying method is also a good way to buff the floor. If you notice any pet accidents or other stains, wet a cloth towel with warm water and add to it a little baking soda. Rub the towel over the stain thoroughly and then buff the wood dry again.
If you have an older floor that has a wax finish, cleaning the wood might be a bit more difficult. Wood floors that have a wax finish can’t tolerate water. You’ll also want to clean up any spills immediately if you have wax finished wood floor. To clean a wood floor that has a wax finish, you can use a natural citrus solvent. You can make your own, but you need to do it way in advance. Fill up a large jar with the peels of oranges, lemons, grapefruits, or limes. Pour in some white vinegar and let it sit for about one month. During that time, give the jar a shake or two now and then just to get it mixed up. Once the month is up, strain the liquid into a bottle or a jar to get ride of the peels. Use this solution to clean your wood floor and then buff it dry with a clean, dry towel or cloth.
If you get a lot of dust in your home you might want to sweep your wood floor every day. If your home doesn’t get a lot of dust, every other week is sufficient. The actuall cleaning process can be done twice a month. And remember, if you have an older floor with a wax finish, take care of any spills as soon as they happen. Now that you know how to naturally clean wood floors, your home will always have that warm and inviting feel to it.
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