Most of the time, clear water and mild cleaners are all you need to clean a wooden floor. Home remedies can also clean stubborn stains and dirt off sealed wooden floors.
To get stains and dirt off the floor, you should first find out if it is sealed or oiled/waxed.
Oil-absorbing cleaners should not be used on wood floors. Because taking away the oil that protects the floor makes it look dull and grey.
Maintain and clean wood floors naturally
All wooden floors need a neutral vegetable oil like sunflower, olive, or coconut oil as the base for pore-deep care.
It is made by mixing vinegar, water, soap, dishwashing liquid, and if needed, essential oils. The following recipes are for homemade wood floor cleaners that don’t use vinegar.
Floor care with vegetable oil and vinegar
Ingredients needed:
- 300 ml vegetable oil (linseed oil is recommended for dark wood and olive oil for light wood)
- 200 ml table vinegar (no essence)
- 1 dash of organic washing-up liquid or dawn.
- a few drops of essential oil for the fragrance of your choice, for example, lavender – or tea tree oil
- 4 liters of water
Mix all the ingredients well in a bucket to make a milky liquid, then use it to clean the wooden surfaces.
The vinegar has a mildly disinfecting effect and gets rid of germs. The oil then gets into the wood’s pores to care for and protect it. This post has more ideas for how to use vinegar.
Vegetable oil, alcohol, and lemon for the wooden floor
Ingredients needed:
- 250 ml vegetable oil
- 1 liter of water
- 125 ml alcohol (vodka with at least 40% vol)
- 125 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 dash of organic washing-up liquid
All the ingredients in this formula are also mixed well, so the floor doesn’t get too wet.
The result is identical to the first method, except alcohol is used to clean this time. Lemon also has a pleasant and clean odor.
If you leave out the water, you can store this mixture in a jar and mop the floor as needed. Using vodka to clean the floor will make it look amazing.
Black tea, especially natural for dark wood
And here’s an exceptional mixture that works well on darker wood floors:
- Heat 500ml of water until it boils.
- Add 8 tea bags of black tea, cover, and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
- You can add some water to the very dark and strong tea you made to make it less intense.
The result is an all-natural cleaning product that kills many microbes and helps your floor shine thanks to the thein it contains.
Repair small flaws in the wood floor
You don’t have to use heavy tools or expensive chemicals to fix scratches and water stains. Here are some good ways to deal with small problems:
Minor scratches and dents
You can get rid of it naturally. Using a 1:1 ratio, mix a few tablespoons of white vinegar and water.
Scratches and dents in the wood floor can be fixed with a teaspoon of baking soda. Then, use the water and vinegar mixture to wet the area. Let it foam up for a few minutes, then wipe it clean with a cloth.
With this treatment, the wood gets a little bigger. The surface is “dented out,” just like the car mechanic.
When everything is dry, paint over any remaining scratches with a brown colored pencil, preferably a wax crayon.
Lastly, rub warm beeswax, carnauba wax, or firm wax into the area. Use a soft cloth to rub the scratch and buff it until it’s almost gone.
Ballpoint pen stains
Pen stains are usually easy to remove with toothpaste or a stain eraser.
Red wine stains
If you can, clean up red wine and other liquid stains as soon as possible. For older red wine stains, you can use a paste made of baking soda and mineral oil (also called white oil or paraffin oil).
But you should only use this method if you’ve tried everything else and nothing has worked. Oils made from petroleum may not be the best choice for your floor.
White water stains
Mayonnaise can remove white water stains: apply it thickly, leave it on overnight, and then polish it. You can also use toothpaste and baking soda together.
Mix the two ingredients to make a paste. Rub the paste into the stain with a soft cloth. Lastly, wipe off and rub with a dry cloth to quickly remove water stains.
Burn marks from cigarettes
Burn marks from cigarettes, candles, and other things make it harder. In cases like this, you must be patient and sand the burned area with coarse and fine emery paper.
It’s the same as with the scratches: use a wax crayon with brown wood color, “seal” it with beeswax or carnauba wax, and polish over it.
Clean wooden floors and parquet properly with home remedies
With proper care, real wood floors can last for many generations and make any room look better. But the surface of the wooden floors is easy to scratch, and you can’t stand harsh cleaning products.
They aren’t necessary because the natural material doesn’t need anything more than natural care with simple home remedies.
You should know not to use harsh cleaning products when cleaning hardwood floors. Use mild cleaning products made for wooden floors instead.
Different home remedies are suitable for different surfaces. For example, oiled and waxed, the wood’s pores stay open, and the floor is soaked.
Cleaning with soft soap – for oiled wood floors
Soft soap removes wood from wood floors by leaving behind a protective film.
Because it re-lubricates, soft soap can be used on oiled wood floors but not on waxed and sealed wood floors.
The protective layer keeps dirt and water from getting into the open pores. Also, the wood stays able to breathe this way.
Wood floors that have been waxed also need a protective layer, but wax products must be used.
Cleaning wood floors with vinegar and spirit – against stains
White spirits, mineral spirits, or vinegar are the best ways to remove stains on wooden floors. Apply a few drops to a cloth and rub it over the stains.
Since vinegar, methylated spirits, and turpentine remove the protective film from oiled and waxed wood floors, they should only be used on sealed wood floors.
If you don’t, the floor will look dull over time, and water can get into the wood more easily.
Cleaning wood floors with black tea – against greasy dirt
Wood floors can be oiled, waxed, and sealed with black tea. Some of the tannins in the tea break down grease, nicotine, and other stains, making it easier to get rid of stains.
Black tea also gives dull floors a new shine by polishing them. When used often, floors that aren’t sealed can get darker.
So don’t make the tea too strong, especially if your wood is light and not sealed.
Cleaning wood floors with ammonia solution – material-friendly dirt remover
A cleaning solution made of water and ammonia or an ammonia solution is another very gentle way to get rid of rough dirt around the house. Like black tea, ammonia leaves a nice shine on the floor.
On the other hand, this home remedy can only be used on sealed floors. The tanning agents can change the color of wood that hasn’t been sealed.
Clean sealed, oiled, and waxed wooden floors
Find out if the floor is sealed, oiled, or waxed before you try to eliminate stains and dirt that won’t come off.
Wood floors that have been sealed, oiled, or waxed can be cleaned in two easy steps if they are only lightly wooden:
- Use a dry floor mop with a cotton tip to eliminate dust and loose dirt. Vacuum cleaners can damage the seal, so they can’t be used for this. If you still want to use a vacuum, the best way is with a special nozzle for wood floors.
- Use lukewarm water without soap to get rid of stubborn dirt. Use a floor wiper and a damp cloth to do this. Wipe in the direction of the wood’s grain. Don’t wipe when your rag is dripping wet because water could get into the joints and make the floor covering swell.
Do not use floor wipers with microfiber cloths. On sealed floors, they leave scratches; on oiled or waxed floors, their structure soaks up the grease film that keeps the wood from getting wet or damaged.
Remove stubborn stains and dirt from sealed wooden floors
You can use the following home remedies to clean floors that have been sealed:
• Use a 1:3 mixture of ammonia solution and water to wipe the affected areas.
• Use clear water to wipe away any residue.
• Rub with a dry cloth to soak up any moisture left over.
In this recipe, a solution of ammonia is used to clean things without hurting them. But it can’t be used on surfaces that aren’t sealed because it could react with the tannins in the wood and turn the floor a different color.
Mineral spirit can be used to get rid of stubborn stains:
• Put a few drops on a cotton cloth and rub the stains.
• Wipe the cloth clean with clear water.
It is important to first test the mineral spirit treatment on an unnoticed spot. When you use mineral spirit, it’s a good idea to open the window so the fumes can get out quickly.
Putting black tea in the water you use to mop helps eliminate greasy dirt and gives dark, dull floors a new shine.
This is how it works:
• Brew one liter of water with five bags of black tea.
• After 15 to 20 minutes, pour the cooled tea into a bucket with four liters of cold water and use a moist cloth to wipe the entire floor. It is not required to clean with pure water.
• If regularly treated with black tea, unsealed floors can be darker.
Clean and care for oiled or waxed wooden floors
You should use cleaners that add moisture to get the dirt off of oiled and waxed real wood floors. For this purpose, you can buy special wood soap, but regular soft soap will work just as well.
It cleans the floor and takes care of the wood by leaving a thin layer of protection. This is what you do:
• Fill a bucket with warm water.
• Mix 2–3 tablespoons of soft liquid soap into 1 liter of water and use it to clean the floor.
• Wipe it clean with water that isn’t dirty.
After every third treatment, you should add more oil to the floor, such as linseed oil. It gets into the wood’s pores and keeps dirt and water from getting in. For pore-deep care, you can also use other vegetable oils.
More tips for wood floor care
Don’t use cleaning products that soak up oil, like wood floor cleaner or dish soap. The floor can become dull and gray if the protective oil layer is attacked or removed.
How often to mop wood floors? Wood floors in high-traffic areas should be cleaned with a damp mop once or twice weekly. You can do it less frequently in low-traffic areas, such as once a month or every three months.
Cloths and other things used to spread linseed oil or turpentine are very easy to set on fire. When finished, rinse it thoroughly with clear water or store it in a metal or glass container with a lid.
Conclusion
Every floor is different, as is every piece of wood. So, you should always try these tricks out first in a place no one will see and see if the recipe works for the floor.
As you can see, the best wood material is other natural things. Chemicals are not needed to treat and take care of the wood.
When simple home remedies are used, people and animals are less likely to get sick from pollution. This is also good for the environment and your wallet.