Cleaning hardwood floors can be a drag. Because hardwood floors aren’t as durable as laminate floors — and the finish can easily become ruined — it’s important to use the right products and methods to clean your floors. So, can you use a simple solution of vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors safely?
If used sparingly and diluted sufficiently, vinegar can be used to clean wood floors. However, if you use vinegar too often, use too much of it, or don’t rinse it away properly, its acidic properties can cause damage to a hardwood finish. Never use pure white vinegar to clean your hardwood floor.
Let’s take a closer look at cleaning your hardwood floors using just water and vinegar, including the right mixture and how to proceed. We’ll also go through the best cleaning alternatives to vinegar.
Will Vinegar Damage Wood Floors?
Vinegar is acidic, which means that using too much of it can indeed cause damage to your hardwood floors. When using vinegar, you need to make sure it’s diluted enough to avoid damage. You also need to rinse it away properly and avoid using it as an everyday cleaner.
The damage you might see from excessive use of vinegar will usually be a duller finish on the floors. It’s unlikely to cause extreme damage but, since hardwood floors are expensive and beautiful, it’s best to take care of them as much as possible. For many, this means avoiding vinegar entirely.
How to Safely Use Vinegar on Your Hardwood Floors
To safely clean your floors with vinegar, follow these steps.
- Dust the Floor: The first thing you’ll want to do is dust the floor with a microfiber mop (on Amazon) to get rid of any dust and debris. Make sure to get into corners and crevices to ensure it’s all been pulled up before you start cleaning the floor.
- Mix Three Parts Water to One Part Vinegar: While some people might recommend equal parts water and vinegar, it’s best to dilute the vinegar as much as possible, so three parts water to one part vinegar is preferred. This prevents the acidic properties of the vinegar from getting a chance to ruin the finish of the floor.
Use a mop to wipe over the floor gently with this mixture.
- Rinse the Vinegar Away: You’ll then want to go over the floor with a mop that just has water on it, making sure to rinse away all of the vinegar.
- Dry the Floor: Wood should never be left with water that can sink into it, as this can cause moisture damage and eventually mold or iron oxide stains. Instead, make sure you dry the floor. A quick way to do this is to go over it with a dry mop.
What Are the Best Alternatives to Vinegar?
Most natural cleaning substances tend to be acidic in nature, but there is one that you can use as an everyday cleaner that shouldn’t cause any harm to your floor: Mix equal parts dish soap and warm water and use it on your hardwood floor for the best results with minimal risk of damage.
If you keep up this cleaning routine frequently, you shouldn’t ever need to resort to using a harsher product.
What Are the Best Natural and Commercial Cleaning Products?
There are a few great natural cleaning products, including:
- Lemon juice
- Baking soda
- Essential oils
However, not all of them are suitable for hardwood floors. Unlike materials like laminate, which are built to be more durable, hardwood floors are quite fragile and require a lot of upkeep and awareness to keep them looking their best.
Harsher substances should be saved for situations like mold and other black stains and, even then, should be used sparingly.
There are some great commercial cleaners for hardwood floors, including:
- Aunt Fannie’s Hardwood Floor Cleaner (on Amazon)
- Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner (on Amazon)
- Method Hardwood Floor Cleaner (on Amazon)
When choosing a commercial cleaner, however, it’s important to ensure you get the right one. Any commercial cleaner you use should specifically be formulated for hardwood floors (not laminate!) and should have good reviews.
Not every cleaner is created equal, so make sure you do your due diligence before using something on your floor or you could cause damage.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you can clean your hardwood floor using vinegar and water, but you might see the finish become duller over time. It’s best to dilute the vinegar and avoid using it as an everyday cleaner if you want to keep the aesthetic of the floors looking its best.
Make sure that no vinegar can settle into the floor by rinsing and drying everything when you’re done with the cleaning process.