When you have real wood floors to take care of in your home, choosing a suitable wood floor cleaner can be a bit of a minefield.
You want a product that is strong enough to remove bacteria and grime, but won't damage the wooden floor by scratching it or creating scuff marks or wear away its natural finish.
Fortunately there are lots of eco-friendly wooden floor cleaners that are great for cleaning wooden floors, without damaging the natural product. There are also many special formulas, ideal for homes with pet hair, laminate floors and also polished and unpolished wood.
Best multipurpose wood floor cleaner
Flash One for All offers you a universal solution for your entire home, even delicate wooden floors. This multi purpose cleaner is ideal for cleaning almost any hard surface in your home - from the kitchen sink to your floors.
Best mops for wooden floors
Bona is a Swedish company who have been specialising in hard floor care for almost 100 years. In fact their products are used on some of the most prestigious floors you could think of, such as Westminster Cathedral, The British Museum, The National Gallery and Edinburgh Castle! The Bona spray mop has been ergonomically designed with an extra-wide, 360u00b0 swivel head and comes with Wood Floor Cleaner, which is also suitable for tile, stone and laminate floors, and a Microfibre Cleaning Pad. Non-streaking and pH-neutral, Bonau2019s cleaning solutions whisk away the most stubborn dirt and grime, leaving no residue and prolonging the life of your floors.
This reusable microfibre pad mop is gentle enough for many floor types, such as hardwood and ceramic tiles. There's no bending and no heavy bucket to carry around - all you have to do is press the convenient trigger on the handle to get the cold water mist you need - you could also fill with a wood floor cleaner solution.
Best eco-friendly wood floor cleaners
We're big fans of Method, who believe in products which are good for every surface, including the Earth's. This no-wax formula is non-toxic and biodegradable, the ergonomically designed shower-nozzle spray covers your floors in fewer sweeps and helps avoid puddling, for floors you could eat off. It can also be used on stone, tile and laminate, with a sweet almond fragrance.
This natural soapy wash formula is suitable for all natural sealed wood floors, it will thoroughly clean as well as nourish wood surfaces and maintain its natural appearance. It has a gentle formulation whilst giving a professional cleaning performance. Dirtbusters wood floor wash has a natural fragrance and is diluted for use, making it long lasting and economical.
How to care for hardwood floors
The best way to clean wooden floors involves three key stages:
1. Remove surface dust
You can do this by sweeping or hoovering, but the best thing to use is a dry microfibre dust mop. Some vacuums can damage and scratch wooden floors with their wheels or attachments. However, you can also purchase vacuum cleaner attachments especially designed for using on hardwood floors - or your vacuum may have come with a suitable attachment. Be sure to remove dust from the gaps between the wood, particularly if there are large spaces between the planks.
2. Use a wood floor cleaner
There are lots of specialist wood floor cleaners you can buy (see our list below). Alternatively a mixture of four cups of warm water and a few drops of washing up liquid brings up wooden floors a treat. Mop or scrub to clean floors in small sections at a time. Never use a very wet mop or cloth when cleaning wooden floors - water is not a friend of wood - so ring it out well before applying, or stick to the specialist products.
3. Dry the floors
This is particularly important if mopping or scrubbing your wooden floors with a water mixture. That's why working in small sections is advised, as it means you can dry them with a clean cloth or dry mop afterwards.
Why are some products not safe for use on wooden floors?
Your hardwood floors are easily susceptible to dents, scratches, warping, peeling, stripping, and even water damage that many cleaning products can cause.
Harsh chemicals and even fragrances have the power to wear down the finish of your wood floor's natural shine and value.
That's why it's best to use a specific wood floor cleaner. Here are some recommended products:
Best specialist wood floor cleaners
Weiman High-Traffic Hardwood Polish & Restorer is ready to use and requires no mixing, diluting or rinsing which makes cleaning your hardwood floors easy! Polish and Restore in just one easy step versus using multiple products and additional steps.
Murphy Oil Soap hardwood and wood cleaner is specially designed to clean both finished wood and non-wood surfaces so they maintain their beautiful shine at all times. The Murphy Oil Soap wood cleaner aims to bring out wood's beauty in a gentle and natural way. It doesn't contain any ammonia or bleach and is biodegradable and phosphate free. 98 per cent Natural Wood Cleaner. Specially formulated with: water, coconut & plant-derived cleaning ingredients, natural fragrance, and 2 per cent synthetic ingredients.
Best for light wood/unpolished wooden floor
Pledge Clean It Gentle Wood Floor Cleaner Original has an oil-free solution that gently cleans sealed wood flooring. This wood floor cleaner also acts as a laminate floor cleaner and hard floor cleaner that enhances the natural beauty of your sealed wood floors, without leaving residue.
Best wood floor cleaner for oiled wood
Natural Soap is ideal for cleaning and maintenance of oiled, waxed and natural soaped surfaces. Natural Soap is a regular cleaner which due to its nourishing properties quickly closes the pores of the wood and protects against dirt and the penetration of liquids. Natural Soap white and grey are recommended for surfaces treated with white and grey oil, while Natural Soap natural is ideal for surfaces treated with natural or Colour Oil. Natural Soap is available as a pre-mixed spray or in a concentrate for dilution at home.
Best wood floor cleaners for homes with pets
Pet stains are just as frustrating on wooden floors as they are on carpet. The products below are safe to use on wooden floors and specifically designed for removing stains such as urine.
Another technique to remove dark spots and pet stains is to rub the spot with ultra fine steel wool and floorwax.
If the area is still dark, apply bleach or vinegar and allow it to soak into the wood for about an hour. Rinse with a damp cloth.
This concentrated formula is designed for use in Bissell CrossWave or spinwave series machines so you can clean a variety of pet messes on your hard floors and area rugs. This versatile formula tackles dirt, mud, paw prints, and other pet messes across a variety of surfaces such as hardwood floors, tile, laminate, and area rugs. Plus, it fights odours. It has an earth-friendly design and is pet and child friendly.
This pet stain and odour remover can be used on carpet and other surfaces such as wooden floors. It uses natural microbes and enzymes for fast effective cleaning, non-pathogenic to plants, animals or humans. The formula contains no aggressive chemicals including Caustics, Acids, Solvents, Oxidisers and intentionally has no odour and is neutral in pH. It should not stain or discolour any surface on which it is applied - however, it is recommended to test in a small inconspicuous area prior to use.
How often should you clean wood floors?
Wood floors that experience moderate traffic need to be mopped at least once a week. However, if you want to obtain better results, if possible do it two to three times a week. The wood floors must be swept first to remove any surface dust.
You should also oil wooden flooring every two years - although you may want to do this sooner depending on how much your flooring is used. This also adds an additional layer of protection from daily foot traffic or day-to-day mishaps that may damage your floor.
Best for oiling wooden floor
This natural maintenance oil can be used for all oiled surfaces and is especially suitable for the regular maintenance of wood surfaces. Oiled floors should be maintained regularly - normally once a year, but more often in the case of floors exposed to extremely hard wear.
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