What Is the Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner?

Cleaning hardwood floors requires special cleaners and care. Learn which is the best hardwood floor cleaner today, alongside other helpful tips.

You adore your hardwood floors, but you haven't found the magic key to maintaining their luster so far. There's good news for you and your feet!

While you might think keeping up with hardwood is tedious and unobtainable for the average person, that's not true. Perhaps you've even gone so far as to hire a flooring specialist to come in and maintain your floors.

We'll share our tips on hardwood floor care in today's post. We'll explain how to take care of your floors and why you should do it yourself. We'll also talk about the best hardwood floor cleaner and best practices for using professional cleaning solutions.

Grab a cup of coffee or whatever you like to drink while enjoying a good read, and let's work on making your hardwood floors look fantastic!

Start with Daily Floor Care

Basic cleaning techniques applied daily go a long way toward beautiful floors. Our first secret weapon against dull floors is dusting. 

Dust daily.

Dust is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of cleaning hardwood floors. Since dust naturally occurs inside your home, you'll see an accumulation of it on your floors (and your feet) by the end of each day.

A microfiber dust mop and dust cloths should be a staple in your cleaning closet.

Microfiber attracts dirt and dust. A microfiber dust mop ensures you're not just collecting dust and then redistributing it later. One with disposable pads is even better.

What about sweeping?

Most people keep a broom handy, especially if they have wood floors. But is a broom the best solution for sweeping up crumbs and debris?

Brooming wood floors is a proven cleaning method. However, brooms don't trap dust, they push it around.

As mentioned above, the goal isn't to redistribute dust. It's to isolate it as much as possible. 

Buy a broom with soft bristles and an angled head if you prefer sweeping to using a microfiber dust mop. 

Deal with spills head-on

We know all about living in a busy household - we're right there with you. It's easy to miss a few spills on wood floors. The problem with liquid spills is that they can permanently stain the wood if not addressed immediately.

Enter secret weapon number two.

If you have wood floors anywhere in your home, a cleaning product designed for hardwood is a must. Ensure it's an easy-to-use product that you can spray on your microfiber cloth and wipe up the spill.

If You Do Use a Broom

The key to sweeping a wood floor with a broom is proper sweeping motion. 

When you do sweep, start in one corner of the room and work your way across.

Sweep with a back-and-forth motion, and don't hesitate to pull out the vacuum so that you can get at any dirt along the edges of the floor.

Vacuum? Yes, you can and should use a vacuum on your floors weekly. See below.

Don't Fear the Vacuum

You've likely heard that using a vacuum cleaner on hardwood causes damage. That's true, but that doesn't mean you can't vacuum at all.

Secret weapon number three for cleaning hardwood floors is to find the right type of vacuum cleaner.

Buy a vacuum that either doesn't have a brush roll head or has a switch to turn it off so that you can use the machine on the hardwood. Why?

Brush roll heads dig down into carpet fibers and draw the dirt up so that the vacuum can suck everything into the bag or canister. While they work well on carpet, brush roll heads can scratch a wood floor and cause significant damage.

The best vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors is one with powerful suction. Vacuum cleaner manufacturers measure suction in terms of watts. One thousand watts is as low as you'll want to go if you want to suck up the maximum amount of dust and debris.

Finally, while it's not a commandment, we strongly suggest a vacuum with a crevice tool. Dust settles around floorboards and underneath appliances. A crevice tool will make your life so much easier!

Why Can't You Use Water?

Did someone say you're not allowed to use water on hardwood floors? That's not true, but there are a few caveats if you use water to clean your floors.

We've all heard about the merits of cleaning with hot water, especially during the most recent health crisis. While hot water does help kill germs on surfaces, it can also dissolve finishes on wood floors. 

Wax finishes and warm water don't make good friends unless you're trying to get down to the natural wood so that you can refinish it. The best cleaner for waxed hardwood floors is one that doesn't strip the finish and doesn't leave a residue.

You can use cold or room temperature water to clean wood floors. Make sure you have your microfiber cloth alongside to dry the surface completely.

With so many chemical-laden cleaning products on the market, there's a valid concern about introducing toxic by-products into your home. Of course, water is natural and typically toxin-free, but by itself, water may not get all the grease, grime, and food spills removed.

The best natural hardwood floor cleaner doesn't contain harmful chemicals but still removes grease and grime. 

Things to Avoid Using on Hardwood Floors

If hardwood floor maintenance is a hot topic in the break room or while out on a coffee date, you've likely heard various opinions on how to clean hardwood floors. 

While there's a lot of anecdotal evidence for using things like vinegar and water or a sprinkle of baking soda mixed with water, keep the key word here in mind - anecdotal.

Vinegar is acidic. It can break down the surface finish, resulting in a dull, lackluster appearance. 

We've also heard of people steeping tea bags in boiling water, then using the tea to clean and shine. Rather than waste it on the floor, perhaps enjoy a cup of afternoon tea with a tasty biscotti or a biscuit if you're in England.

What about steam mopping?

In theory, hot steam and a mop will clean your floors and get rid of most surface dirt and germs. Steam cleaning can also damage both natural and engineered hardwood.

For example, the drastic temperature changes can warp the wood on your floor when using steam. Even sealed flooring isn't 100% safe from damage caused by using a steam mop.

Whew! That's quite a lot to think about, but there's more information here if you're still curious about floorcare.

Buy Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner Right Here

Today, we shared just a few of our favorite tips on caring for hardwood floors. In such a short space, it's hard to cover everything you need to do to ensure your wood floors give you years of beauty.

In addition to dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning up spills right away, we also talked about what not to use on hardwood floors. 

If you're looking for the best hardwood floor cleaner, you're still in the right place! You can buy Ultimate Wood Clean at ADVANCED Sealers and Cleaners today and start enjoying your floors rather than stressing over whether you're using the right cleaning solutions. Our team is ready and waiting to answer your questions.