How to clean hardwood floors with vinegar. This inexpensive cleaner works well to remove dirt and odors from your floor. Learn the best way to mop your hardwood floors so you don't damage them.

When we moved to the farmhouse, I was thrilled that I would finally get hardwood floors. The dining room and living both have hardwood floors, and the kitchen is a wood looking laminate.

Hardwood floors are easier to keep clean than carpet, at least I think so anyway. We aren't supposed to wear shoes in the house, but I have caught a kid—or husband—walking across the dining room and into the kitchen to grab just one thing more than a few times.

How to clean hardwood floors with vinegar. Cleaning naturally with vinegar is easy and helps keep the wood shiny. This simple recipe is good for stains, pets, and old houses. How to use vinegar and essential oils to mop your floor. This is the best way to keep your floors clean naturally with natural products. Also includes how to deep clean wood floors. #woodfloors #hardwood #vinegar #natural

We have a farm. We have dogs and cats. I do not even want to think about what they track in on their shoes.

With hardwood floors, I can mop them with hot water and remove dirt and kill germs in less than an hour. With carpet, you can only scrub it a few times a year and then you have to wait hours for it to dry.

When we moved, I wasn't sure how to take care of the floors. I had carpet and linoleum before, so I didn't know how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar. Could I even use vinegar?

I like to clean my home naturally whenever I can. I have kids, pets, and a kid with asthma. Artificial scents and cleaning products cause his asthma to flare up. And I don't want my cats walking across the floor and then licking the cleaner residue off of their paws.

I was thrilled when I leaned how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar. Vinegar is inexpensive, and I always have it on hand to clean with and for cooking.

How to Clean Hardwood Floors With Vinegar

I have real hardwood floors, except in my kitchen. It's a cheap laminate type flooring that I hope to replace when I redo my kitchen.

The floors in my dining room are original to the house, which was build in the late 1800s. It needs some repairs as rooms were added on and doors were moved over the years, but 99 percent of the original wood remains.

The hardwood floors in my living room are from the 1970s we think. We think that's when the living room was added anyway.

What is the Best Thing to Use to Clean Wood Floors?

I'm not gonna lie. I was a little intimidated to clean my wood floors. I wanted the best thing to use to clean wood floors, so I bought some cleaners.

Those cleaners were expensive and stinky. I'm so glad I learned how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar (even it is a little stinky at first!).

You can also use a soft broom, a vacuum with the beater turned off, and a dry microfiber cloth to clean your floors. We'll talk more about this in a minute.

As for wet cleaning your hardwood floors, you can use vinegar or one of the following cleaners.

I've used Method Squirt and Mop before. It's easy to use, natural, and helps cut through dirt and grime. It doesn't leave streaks or a residue and it dries quickly.

I also like Minwax's Hardwood Floor Cleaner. It's a little more expensive, but it has surfactants that act as an emulsifier to move dirt from the floor to the mop head.

Is It Safe to Use Vinegar to Clean Hardwood Floors?

Yes, it is absolutely safe to use vinegar to clean hardwood floors. I've been using vinegar to clean my hardwood floors for five years. My dad has been using it on his hardwood floors for a lot longer, too.

A word of caution is that water is the enemy of hardwood floors. When you're learning how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar, it's important to keep your floors as dry as possible.

The best way to clean your hardwood floors with vinegar is to get on your hands and knees and hand wash the floor with a slightly damp microfiber cloth.

My arthritis prohibits this, and the rooms are just too large. So I have to use a mop to clean my floors.
It's best to avoid using a cotton mop because they hold too much water. Make sure the mop that you use is slightly damp and doesn't leave puddles on your floor.

It's best to use a microfiber mop that can be wrung out. I have my eye on the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop. You can refill the tank with your own cleaner and reuse the microfiber head up to 100 times.
The O-Cedar Microfiber Spin Mop and Bucket is also highly rated. It has a built in wringer to get more water out of the mop before you use it.

It has a triangular head to get into corners. The 360 degree rotation helps you get under furniture.

Does White Vinegar Damage Hardwood Floors?

White vinegar won't damage your hardwood floors, but the way you mop with vinegar can damage your floors.

It's very important to keep your wood floors as dry as possible. How to clean hardwood floors with vinegar means using a slightly damp mop or cloth to wash your floors.

Vinegar is an acid, so it can make the finish fade quicker. Any cleaner that you use can eat away at the finish, but vinegar may speed up the process.

Vinegar Wood Floor Cleaner Recipe

Step #1

Before you clean hardwood floors with vinegar, sweep to remove dust, hair, and other debris. Dirt can scratch your floor as you mop, so it's important to remove it first.

Step #2

Combine 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 gallon of warm to hot water. You can also add 2-3 drops of essential oils.

Good essential oils to add are pine essential oil, lemon essential oil, or clove essential oil.

Step #3

Use a microfiber mop or a microfiber cloth to wash the floor in the direction of the wood. Make sure that you wring out the mop or cloth well so that it is only slightly damp.

Step #4

You can use a soft sponge to scrub tough or sticky spots.

How Do You Clean Really Dirty Hardwood Floors?

So how do you clean really dirty hardwood floors?

First use a broom to sweep up large pieces of debris. Then use a vacuum with the beater bar off or use one with a soft beater brush.

Then follow with how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar as directed above. Work in 3 foot by 3 foot sections. It's best to do this by hand, but you can also use a mop.

Rinse the microfiber cloth or mop with clean water after each section.

How Often Should You Mop Hardwood Floors?

I sweep mine daily or almost every day. We track in dirt and have a dog that sheds like crazy, so I have to sweep daily.

You should mop high traffic areas once a week. If the floor doesn't appear to be dirty and isn't walked in much, you can mop once a month or even every three months.

And now you know how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar.