Wooden floors are a major investment but we can’t expect them to remain clean after a whole day of tracking dirty on them. You can return your wooden floors to their original new and shiny looks with just little time and effort.

With wood flooring in demand among buyers and renters, property owners are looking to increase rental income by replacing old carpeting with wooden floors. That renovation isn’t cheap, either: wood flooring costs between $9 and $15 per square foot, which is almost three times more expensive than carpet. When you’ve made that kind of investment, you need to know how to clean wooden floors properly, so they look good and shining for years to come.

How to clean your wooden floor

Clean your wooden floor and make it look new as always with the following steps.

• Clear the floor of any movable furniture. Preferably use furniture pads to prevent the floor from being scuffed.
• If your floors are made of polyurethane, dampen a mop with water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Be sure to ring out the mop thoroughly before using it on the floor. Run the mop back and forth, going with the grain of the wood in smooth strokes. (If your floor is shellacked, don’t use water as it may result in buckling)
• To lift soapy residue after mopping and make your floor shine, hold a soft cloth in your hand and use it to rub the floor gently in a circular motion.

Final Verdict

If your wood floor is new, you should follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions or risk voiding the warranty.

Even with regular cleaning, it’s important to use a floor refresher or polish as directed by your flooring manufacturer. This is a task that only needs to be done once a season following a deep-cleaning, or anytime your floors are losing their shine.