How to clean hardwood floors (and what never to use)

Wood floors are one of the easiest surfaces in a home to keep clean. They are also one of the easiest to damage. Most of the harm does not come from dirt. It comes from too much water, the wrong product, or grit ground into the finish by everyday traffic. Here is how to clean wood floors based on how they are finished, what to keep off them, and how to tell when a floor needs more than cleaning.

Start with the finish, not the wood

How you clean depends on what sits on top of the wood, not whether it is oak, maple or walnut. Most floors fall into one of two groups:

• Surface finishes. Polyurethane and other urethane coatings, water-based or oil-based, sit on top of the wood like a clear shell. This is the most common type. Many prefinished floors come from the factory with a hard surface finish too.
• Penetrating finishes. Oils, hardwax oils and older penetrating seals topped with paste wax soak into the wood instead of sitting on it. They have a lower, more natural sheen and need their own care products.

A quick way to tell: rub a fingertip firmly across the floor in a spot nobody walks on. If it leaves a smudge, the floor probably has a penetrating seal with wax. If no smudge shows, it most likely has a surface finish. The surest answer comes from whoever installed or last refinished the floor, or from the maker's care guide if your boards were prefinished.

Engineered hardwood has a real wood top layer over a plywood or composite core. Clean it the same way you would clean solid wood with the same finish.

Older homes may have floors that were refinished more than once, sometimes with a product nobody wrote down. If you cannot tell what is on yours, use the gentlest method below until you know more.

The routine for surface-finished floors

Every day or every few days:

• Dry dust with a microfiber mop, or vacuum on the hard floor setting.
• Turn off the beater bar (the spinning brush). It can scratch the finish.
• Give extra attention to entries, the kitchen and under the dining table, where grit collects.

Once a week, or as needed:

1. 1Use a cleaner made for wood floors. Pick the one your flooring or finish maker recommends.
2. 2Spray it onto a microfiber mop pad, or mist it lightly onto a small area of floor just ahead of the mop.
3. 3Mop with the grain of the boards, one section at a time.
4. 4Swap in a clean pad when the first one gets dirty, so you are not pushing grit around.

What never to use on wood floors

Your flooring or finish maker's care guide has the final word. These are the products and habits that most often cause trouble, and why:

• A wet mop and a bucket. Water seeps into the seams between boards. It can make the wood swell, cup or turn dark, and it can dull the finish.
• Steam mops. Steam pushes hot moisture into the seams and into the finish. It can break down the finish and let moisture into the wood. Flooring makers warn against steam in their care guides, so check yours before you ever use one.
• Vinegar and water. It is a popular home remedy, but vinegar is an acid, and some flooring makers tell you to avoid it. Unless your care guide says it is fine, leave it out.
• Oil soaps and furniture polish. Some flooring makers list oil soaps among products to avoid. Both can leave a residue that makes floors slippery or dull.
• Wax on a surface finish. Wax on top of polyurethane makes the floor slick and makes recoating much harder. Only wax a floor that was waxed to begin with.
• "Mop and shine" products. Many of these leave a layer that builds up over time and looks cloudy. Removing it can take a professional.
• Ammonia and abrasive cleaners. These can dull or scratch the finish.

If a product does not say it is made for wood floors, keep it off them.

Caring for oiled and waxed floors

Penetrating finishes need a slightly different routine:

• Dry dust and vacuum the same way as any wood floor.
• Oiled floors: clean with the maintenance soap or cleaner from the maker of your oil finish. These floors need a fresh coat of maintenance oil from time to time. The finish maker will tell you how often.
• Waxed floors: use very little water, and only cleaners made for waxed wood. Buff to bring back the shine. Rewaxing is occasional work, not weekly work.

Stop damage before it starts

• Mats and rug pads that are safe for wood. Grit is what scratches a finish, so a mat at each door earns its place. Check the backing first. Some rubber or latex backings can trap moisture or mark the finish. Look for mats and pads sold as safe for wood floors.
• Felt pads under chairs, tables and sofa legs. Replace them when they wear thin or pick up grit.
• Shoes off at the door, especially high heels and cleats. A worn heel tip can dent wood.
• Pet nails trimmed. Our guide to cleaning with pets covers paws, hair and the rest.
• Spills wiped up right away, including drips around pet water bowls and plant saucers.
• Window coverings on sunny rooms. Strong sun can change the color of wood and its finish over time.

Wood floors and Northern Virginia seasons

Wood swells and shrinks with humidity. Our summers are humid, and heated homes get dry in winter. Small gaps that open between boards in winter and close again in summer are normal movement. Large gaps, or boards that cup (edges higher than the middle) or crown (middle higher than the edges), can mean too much or too little moisture. Most flooring makers list a humidity range in their care guide or warranty. A humidifier or dehumidifier on your HVAC system can help keep the house inside it.

Winter is hard on the boards nearest the door. De-icing salt dries into a white haze on wood, and the sand mixed in with it scratches. Keep wet boots on a tray, not on the floor. Wipe up slush and melted snow before it sits, then go over the spot with your wood floor cleaner to lift the haze.

When a floor needs refinishing, not cleaning

If the floor still looks dull or gray right after it is cleaned, or if water soaks in and darkens the wood instead of sitting on top, the finish may be worn through in that spot. No cleaner can fix that. A flooring professional can tell you whether a screen and recoat (a light buff and a fresh top coat) will do, or whether the floor needs a full sand and refinish.

The short version

Good floor care is mostly about restraint. Keep grit out, keep water to a minimum, and use a cleaner made for your finish. Do that, and your floors will go a lot longer between refinishing.

How we can help

Tell your team what kind of floors you have, and which cleaner your flooring maker recommends. If you keep a favorite product, leave it out with a note, and your team will use it. Either way, they will keep the water light on wood. Our supplies page lists what your team will bring.

For recurring cleaning, tell us which rooms are oiled, which rugs need care and where the traffic lanes run. We agree the care notes and share them with the assigned cleaners; we discuss any team change with you before the visit. Moving? A move-in or move-out clean is the best time to reach every inch of floor, before the furniture arrives or after it leaves.

Sources

• Kentwood Floors, hardwood care and maintenance (opens in a new tab)kentwoodfloors.com