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How to deep clean old wood floors


The Best Way to Clean Hardwood Floors — Advice From Bob Vila

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Q: I have never given much thought to cleaning my cherry wood floor, but I’m starting to notice how dingy it has become. What’s the best way to clean hardwood floors? I’d love recommendations for wood floor cleaning techniques, and a good hardwood floor cleaner.

A: It’s true, regular cleaning is a must to maintain hardwood floors. Because different floor finishes have unique care requirements, the best way to clean hardwood floors will depend on the type of finish rather than the wood species (e.g., cherry, maple, or oak). If you use the wrong method or cleaner, you could damage the wood.

Read on to learn how to identify your floor’s finish and select supplies for dusting, deep cleaning, and removing stains. Using these recommended techniques for the best way to clean hardwood floors will keep yours looking great for years to come.

First, figure out what kind of finish your floor has.

There are two main types of hardwood floor finishes: surface finishes and penetrating finishes.

The easiest way to check if a floor has a surface finish is to take a sharp knife blade to a small, hidden area of the floor and scrape off a tiny amount of finish. If the scraped material is clear, your floor probably has a surface finish. If scraping the floor finish smudges it, but no clear material comes away, the floor likely has a penetrating finish.

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RELATED: New Floors? 5 Top Hardwood Options to Know

Bust dust by mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming regularly.

Dry mopping, sweeping, and/or vacuuming on a weekly basis are the best ways to rid hardwood floors of light dust, dirt, and pet hair accumulation. This routine works on floors with either surface or penetrating finishes.

The best mop for wood floors is usually one with a large, flat head affixed with a microfiber cloth pad, such as the Swiffer Sweeper. These mops have pads with tiny synthetic fibers that reach into the grooves of wood floors to pick up and hold dust without scratching the wood.

To keep costs down and lower your environmental impact, choose pads that can be removed, machine washed, and reused. Compatible on a variety of hardwood floor mop brands, a pair of reusable pads like the Old Home Kitchen Mop Pads costs less than $15.

If you prefer to sweep rather than mop, opt for a broom with synthetic fiber ends to help trap collected dust in the broom head and prevent it from resettling on the floor.

If your preferred mode of dust busting is vacuuming, use a floor-brush attachment and avoid the beater bar—its rotating brush can dent wood floors. Move your cleaning tool from one side of the floor to the other, paying extra attention to areas where adjacent floor boards meet. These nooks are hiding spots for trapped dust.

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Scrape off food stains.

Remove caked-on food by carefully inserting the tip of a plastic knife under the lower edge of the debris and then gently sliding the knife upward. Rub the scraped spot with a clean cloth slightly dampened with a few drops of water, then make a second pass with a dry cloth to dab up the water.

If using this technique on a floor with a penetrating finish and a small section of the wax coat gets stripped by the knife, reapply a dollop of the hardwood floor wax to the area with a soft cloth, buffing it in to render the area shiny and spotless.

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Fight oil stains with TSP.

Oil and grease stains on floors with surface or penetrating finishes easily break down when exposed to trisodium phosphate (TSP). Don protective gloves and safety glasses, and dilute 2 tablespoons of TSP in 1 gallon of warm water in a large bucket. Dip the tip of a clean cloth into the solution, then use gentle circular motions to work it into the stain. Once the TSP dissolves it, run a water-dampened cloth over the area to sop up the TSP, then quickly dry the area with a clean cloth.

Ice out wax and gum.

Dried candle wax, crayon marks, and chewing gum on floors with surface or penetrating finishes can easily be removed with ice. Fill a Ziploc freezer bag with a few ice cubes, place the chilled bag over the buildup until it becomes brittle, then scrape it off with the edge of a plastic spatula.

If the spatula removes the protective wax from a floor with a penetrating finish, use a soft cloth to reapply a solvent-based hardwood floor wax to the scraped area, then buff it into the repaired area with the cloth.

Scrub water, ink, and pet stains well.

Spots left by water, ink, or pet urine are some of the most stubborn stains. For floors with penetrating finishes, it’s best to tackle these stains with the following steps using only an appropriate hardwood floor cleaner and a scouring pad designed for a penetrating-finished floor.

  1. Remove the spots from floors with penetrating finishes by lightly sanding the stain with extra-fine sandpaper.
  2. Gently scrub with a coarser “00” grade steel wool wet with mineral spirits.
  3. Wipe away the mineral spirits with a damp cloth, then use a dry cloth to remove the water.
  4. With a soft cloth, apply a solvent-based hardwood floor wax to the scrubbed area and buff it in to restore its shine.

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Deep clean the floor with a quality hardwood floor cleaner. 

The type of wood floor cleaner that’ll work best for your floors depends on the floor’s finish.

If a surface-finished hardwood floor still looks dingy or dull after dusting, deep clean it with any pH-neutral, wax-free, and petroleum-free cleaner, such as Bona PowerPlus Hardwood Floor Deep Cleaner, or a homemade solution comprising ¼ cup of dish soap and 1 gallon of warm water.

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The best way to mop wood floors with a surface finish starts with saturating a sponge mop with the cleaner, wringing out the excess liquid until the mophead is damp but not dripping, and then mopping 3-foot sections of the floor at a time using circular motions to draw out dirt and grime. Then, rinse the mop in clean water, wring out the excess, and damp mop the floor again to soak up lingering cleaner. Use a soft, clean cloth like the AIDEA Microfiber Cleaning Cloths to dry the floor.

If your floor has a penetrating finish, the best way to deep clean it is to strip away the grimy old wax coat and reapply a fresh wax coat. Rub a clean cloth saturated in mineral spirits over 2-foot sections of the floor at a time, letting the mineral spirits dwell for 5 minutes on each section before wiping away with a fresh cloth dampened slightly with water. Then, dry thoroughly with a fresh, dry cloth.

Finally, apply a solvent-based hardwood floor wax, such as Trewax Paste Wax, with a soft cloth. Use the amount the manufacturer recommends. Then use the cloth or an electric polisher (buy one or rent one at a hardware store) to buff the wax in circular motions, polishing in 2-foot sections at a time.

Perform the appropriate deep-cleaning routine on a biannual basis, whether you see grimy buildup or not. It can be hard to notice gradual changes on a floor you walk on every day, but after it’s clean you may be impressed by the difference.

RELATED: The Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner Machines of 2022

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Final Thoughts

When looking for the best way to clean hardwood floors, first determine the type of finish on the floors. The type of finish determines the kinds of cleaners and methods that will safely help clean the floor. While a good deep cleaning can help restore the look of wood, it’s usually only necessary a few times each year. In between, regularly mopping, sweeping, and vacuuming can help maintain the finish and keep floors looking their best.

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FAQs About Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Whether there is natural wood flooring or engineered wood flooring underneath your feet, there are bound to be questions about what’s safe and effective for cleaning wood floors. Keep reading for answers to some of the most popular questions about how to clean wood floors.

Q. Can I use vinegar on hardwood floors?

Using a hardwood floor cleaner made with white vinegar can help with cleaning heavily soiled hardwood floors. It’s important to dilute the white vinegar, using ½ cup of white vinegar for every gallon of water, as it can be too harsh and damaging on its own.

Q. How do you deep clean old hardwood floors?

Deep cleaning old hardwood floors is very similar to cleaning newer floors. Choose a method and cleaner that’s made to clean wood floors with the same type of finish. However, it’s important to test a small area and go slowly, as the wood may need some small repairs or have damage that’s only visible up close.

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Q. Is Dr. Bronner’s safe on wood?

Dr. Bronner’s is a pure castile soap that is safe on wood if it’s diluted. To make your own homemade wood floor cleaner, add just a few drops to a spray bottle filled with water.

Q. How do you get ground-in dirt out of hardwood floors?

Microfiber padded mops are great for surface dirt, but ground-in dirt may require the use of a plastic knife to scrape out dirt, a vacuum attachment to pull it out, or light sanding if it’s truly trapped in the wood.

Q. Why are my wood floors still dirty after mopping?

There are a lot of reasons wood floors seem dirty after mopping. Make sure to rinse the mophead thoroughly and often, as a dirty mop can’t attract new dirt it encounters on the floor. Also, swapping out mopheads can help when dealing with very dirty floors. To find out if the floor is clean, wipe a white cloth over newly mopped areas to see if the floor is still dirty.

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How To Clean Hardwood Floors | Deep Cleaning Old Flooring

Contents

Countless homeowners fantasize about having luxurious hardwood floors that complete their home’s aesthetic and cause everyone who enters their house to sigh with envy.

On the maintenance front, however, most people are unaware of all of the maintenance work that comes with hardwood.

Continue reading to learn how to clean grime off hardwood floors or give our hardwood flooring experts a call with your questions.

 

How To Clean Old Hardwood Floors

 

How To Deep Clean Hardwood Floors

When it comes to the question of how to clean and shine hardwood floors, here are three main steps for how to properly clean hardwood floors.

3 steps for how to clean dirty hardwood floors:
  1. Thoroughly Remove Dirt. Vacuum or sweep in order to remove debris that has accumulated on your floor.
  2. Mop Your Hardwood Floors. Once you have dealt with the dust and debris, mop your floors by applying a cleaning solution to your floor and using your mop to remove streaks and stains.
  3. Polish Your Hardwood Floor. The final step in your how to clean your hardwood floors tutorial is to polish your newly swept and mopped floors. Attach a polishing cloth to the end of your household mop and use a shine solution to restore a glossy finish to your floors.

 

Three Steps for Cleaning Old Hardwood Floors

Let go into depth a bit more and explore the process of cleaning your hardwood flooring.

1. Remove Dirt and Debris

Start by sweeping up any loose dirt and dust that accumulates on your floor. Hardwood floor experts highly recommended that you use a vacuum designed for cleaning. Look for a vacuum that does not use a rotating beater brush that can scratch and damage the finish, so you can clean up any dirt and debris safely.

Using a broom or traditional carpet vacuum cleaner for hardwood floors may cause sand, grit, and dirt to scratch the finish of your floors. This could expose the raw wood to moisture during the cleaning process or through daily traffic. Vacuuming up the debris eliminates this potential problem helps to keep the finish intact for as long as possible.

 

2. Apply Mop

After you remove all the dirt and dust off the floor, you are ready to apply your cleaning solution. Think of this as giving your floors a mop bath. The type of floor cleaner you use largely depends on the finish. Modern wood floors are sealed with polyacrylic, urethane, or polyurethane upon completion. This protects the wood underneath, and it makes cleaning a much easier task.

a. Determine The Type of Finish You Have

Older or original hardwood is usually sealed with a penetrating sealant, shellac, lacquer, or an oil-base finish before being waxed. These older floors require different cleaning products than a modern or recently installed hardwood floor.

An easy way to determine what kind of finish is present is by running a finger across a plank or strip of the floor. If it smudges, you have an older finish and sealant. If it doesn’t smudge, your wood floor has a hard, modern finish.

Never, ever use a floor cleaner that contains ammonia, abrasives, or alkaline products. These chemicals strip that sealant right out of the wood and dull your floor’s finish. Always use a hardwood floor cleaner with a pH-neutral soap, such as Murphy’s Oil Soap mixed with warm water and a mop.

b. Fill Your Bucket

Once you have the appropriate cleaner for your floor, mix up a bucket according to directions or apply the spray from a bottle as directed. There are many all-in-one spray mops designed for cleaning hardwood flooring. These tools simplify this task by removing the bucket from the general cleaning process. You still need a bucket of cleaner and a damp mop to do really deep cleanings.

 

c. Wring Out Your Mop

Wring the mop out so it is only slightly damp before applying it to the floor. Begin cleaning from far edges of the room and work your way towards the entry or doorway in a consistent pattern that covers the entire floor.

Remove water rings or stains from modern hardwood finishes with a little elbow grease and a cleaning cloth. Older, soft oil finishes for hardwood floors may require you to remove stains and rings with some steel wool dipped in floor wax. If this doesn’t work, try sanding it gently before applying mineral spirits and fine steel wool before waxing the affected area.

Never use steel wool on a modern urethane or acrylic hardwood floor finish. This creates an expensive repair that most people cannot complete on their own.

 

3. Polish and Shine

Apply the finishing touch when you clean your hardwood flooring with a polishing cloth attached to a mop. It is highly recommended that you use a wood floor shine refresher solution, or floor restorer in the case they are older, to give your floors a high gloss, like-new shine. You should apply a restorer at least every three to six months to keep your hardwood floor looking its best.

Finally, you should protect the high traffic areas of your home – like doorways, entryways, and staircases – with rugs or runners to prevent long-term damage. This also makes cleaning much easier.

 

Tips For How To Keep Hardwood Floors Clean

What are some practical tips that can be used to keep your hardwood floors clean? Let’s take a look at three different types of hardwood flooring and the best tips for keeping them clean and maintained.

  1. Vintage Hardwood Floors. When it comes to tips for how to clean old hardwood floors, you should avoid harsh chemical-based cleaning solutions and instead opt for a water-based solution.
  2. New Hardwood Floors. When it comes to the question of how to clean new hardwood floors, you should always follow the directions listed by the hardwood flooring manufacturer. Different new hardwood types may require different cleaning methods so it’s important to learn what’s best for your hardwood floor before attempting to clean it.
  3. Dark Hardwood Flooring. Now comes the question of how to clean dark hardwood floors. Dark hardwood floors are generally less forgiving than lighter shades of hardwood as dust will show up more easily. Make sure that you always remove your shoes and use felt pads on furniture to prevent scratches and stains on dark hardwood.

 

 

How To Best Clean Hardwood Floors: Call An Expert

Don’t have the time to deal with maintaining your hardwood floors? Give our flooring experts a call today.

Here at Carpet To Go, we have years of experience helping homeowners install, clean, and maintain their hardwood flooring. If you are too busy to take weekly time out of your schedule to clean your hardwood floors, get in touch with our team of hardwood floor specialists today.

We’d be happy to offer you advice or send our flooring specialists to your home to help you with hardwood flooring maintenance issues.

 

How to clean wooden floors, cleaning products for unpainted wooden floors

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The wooden floor needs constant care. Without it, spots quickly appear on the surface, dirt accumulates between the boards. Cleaning an unpainted wood floor will be easier if you know the cause of the contamination. This will help you choose the right method for cleaning, excluding damage to the coating.

Contents

  1. How to clean unpainted wooden floors
  2. How to clean the floor in a sauna
  3. Wood floor cleaners
  4. Prevention of soiling of an unpainted wooden floor

How to clean an unpainted wooden floor

Dirt on an unpainted wooden floor is clearly visible, so it must be removed immediately

Before cleaning wooden floors remove debris and dust. It tends to clog into joints and accumulate in the form of ugly hard-to-remove black stripes. Use a broom or vacuum cleaner with a floor cleaning attachment. nine0003

Unpainted wood instantly absorbs moisture, so it is not recommended to wet the boards abundantly. From dampness, they are deformed and begin to creak when a person steps on the floor.

How to clean wood flooring depends on the type of soiling:

For routine cleaning, fill a bucket with hot water, dip a soft cotton cloth into it, wring it out and mop the floor by hand or with a mop. The ingrained dirt will quickly be cleaned, and the tree will shine with cleanliness. At the end, wipe the coating with a dry cloth made of natural material. nine0003

How to wash the floor in the sauna

A thick melamine sponge will help to clean the floor in the sauna

In the sauna, microbes, soot and dirt are absorbed into the wood along with water. In order for the bath to shine, it must be washed regularly. First of all, sweep the plaque from the ceiling and walls with a broom. Walk on the wooden surface with a vacuum cleaner. Then use the following methods:

  1. Purchase a melamine sponge to remove soot stains. It quickly absorbs blackness, dirt and deteriorates, so you need 2-3 pieces. nine0010
  2. Soak it in cool water, wring it out a little and clean off any soot marks. As the sponge gets dirty, rinse it in water. When it loses its shape, replace it.
  3. If the soot is deeply ingrained in the wood, apply a teaspoon of liquid detergent without chlorine to the unpainted floor and rub the stain with a sponge.
  4. After removing the soot, take a bucket of water, add 50 g of grated laundry soap, 100 ml of vinegar into it and scrub the floors with a stiff brush. Rinse off the foam with clean water and dry the surface with a dry old bath towel. nine0010

Thick layers of soot on the floor spoil the appearance of the sauna. Getting rid of them is difficult. If you have time and energy, use an iron spatula. Slowly clean dry boards by scraping off the soot.

To make work easier, a grinder can be used. Place a 12.5 cm circle with a 35 grit petal shape on it. and remove the top darkened layer of wood. Rub the roughness with sandpaper. Remove dust collected during operation with soapy water and a rag. nine0003

Cleaning an unpainted wooden floor in a bathhouse will be easier if you properly care for it. Do a general cleaning once a month. Remove the rugs in the dressing room, shake them outside, wash and dry in the sun. Use Pemoxol cleaner to clean cans and ladles. Apply the powder to a damp sponge and rub the surface, washing off the soap residue.

Pemoxol can also be used to remove dirt from the floor. Add 1 tbsp to a bucket of water. l. funds and stir. Scrub the floor in the washroom with a stiff natural bristle brush. Rinse it with running water, blot moisture with a dry cloth and ventilate the room. nine0003

Wood floor products

Special wood floor cleaners quickly remove dirt, disinfect and freshen the air in the room. They are produced in the form of a liquid, including:

Well proven floor cleaner Pronto . The inorganic liquid is produced in the Netherlands. Contains cleaning components that do not adversely affect the tree. To wash the floor, dilute 2 caps of Pronto in 5 liters of water and clean the coating from plaque and dirt with a cloth. The liquid does not need to be rinsed off. To eliminate deep blots, black stains from shoes, greasy stains, pour a spoonful of undiluted product on the boards and rub with a hard sponge.

Effective cleaning for:

When buying household chemicals, read the instructions carefully and follow the manufacturer's recommendations. For parquet, purchase detergents with a special mark on the label that allows use on this flooring.

Folk remedies

Kerosene is good at removing greasy stains and traces of paint from wood floors

Works well on stains and keeps unpainted wood floors fresh and clean with folk methods. They are useful when there are no professional tools at hand. nine0003

There is a proven old method for washing wood. Pour 50 g of quicklime and 100 g of river sand into a plastic bucket, add 4 liters of cool water and mix well. Dip a soft brush into the liquid and scrub the floor thoroughly with it. Rinse the rest of the mixture with water or wait for the floor to dry and vacuum it.

Each type of stain has its own folk remedies:

Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from these substances.

Prevention of soiling on unpainted wood floors

If soiling is not removed immediately, it will firmly eat into the wood floor

The wooden floor looks presentable and beautiful, but requires careful maintenance. To keep it clean and smooth, competent prevention is needed.

To clean parquet and plank floors, use a mild detergent. Not recommended:

The unpainted board surface does not tolerate dust. Vacuum the floors twice a week, carefully working through the joints and removing dirt from them. nine0003

Lay a rug near the front door and dry your shoes when entering the house. Sand and small pebbles accidentally brought into the room can scratch the boards.

Do not spill water on the floor and do not allow dampness in the apartment, even if the wood is varnished. This will help prevent the boards from swelling and warping.

Any kind of soiling on the floor should be wiped off immediately. The tree quickly absorbs grease and moisture, so old stains are more difficult to deal with.

How to remove old paint from a wooden floor with your own hands

An ordinary wooden floor is good because it allows you to freshen up the atmosphere without re-laying the floor, just paint it in a different color. But first you need to remove a layer of old paint, especially if it is too thick or peeling off.

If it is planned to tile on a wooden floor, it must also be cleaned of paint to improve the adhesion of the adhesive. And here a problem often arises - in some places the paint has worn off or peels off, but in some places it stubbornly holds on. What is the best way to remove it? nine0003

Ways to remove paint from a wooden floor

There are 3 main ways to remove old paint from a wooden surface: or abrasive nozzle

  • Thermal - softening the paint with a heater and then removing it with a spatula

    • Each method has its pros and cons
    The chemical method is quite simple, does not require much effort and the use of special tools , but it has disadvantages:

    Mechanical paint removal with hand tools is suitable for situations where small areas need to be cleaned where the paint peels off on its own. This is the safest method, which is suitable even for poorly ventilated rooms, since it is not associated with the formation of toxic substances, but it is very laborious.

    Power tool is required for large areas, it is more costly but also more productive. If abrasive attachments are used, a lot of dust is generated and it is necessary to protect the respiratory organs and eyes.

    The most effective mechanical method is sandblasting, but it requires the use of special equipment (high pressure apparatus) and significant financial costs. So when you need to clean a wooden floor from paint at home, this method is rarely resorted to. nine0003

    The thermal method is highly effective, suitable for large areas, allows you to remove thick stain from the tree, formed from several layers of paint . Preliminary thermal impact on the coating facilitates mechanical work. But this method is also not without drawbacks:

    Paint removal technique

    Having decided on the method and preparing the necessary chemical composition and / or tools, as well as personal protective equipment, work.

    Chemical Removal

    Ready-to-use washes must be applied in accordance with instruction , liquid and gel formulations are applied by brush or roller, aerosols are sprayed. nine0071 Experts advise to cover the applied wash with a layer of polyethylene on top to create a greenhouse effect . Suitable for removing paints from wood:

    of the best compositions is the American aerosol wash Abro PR-600. The composition is sprayed from a distance of approximately 25 cm (the balloon must be held vertically). The surface is abundantly covered with a wash, which must be kept for 5-20 minutes (depending on the composition, age of the paint and the thickness of the layer). The paint is then scraped off with a wide spatula. nine0003

    You can try to use home-made chemical compositions :

    When removing paint with a chemical method, be sure to ventilate the area well, use gloves, a respirator and goggles.

    Removal by the mechanical method

    to remove paint from wooden surfaces are such manual instruments :

    from power tools, you can use:

    • Electric Room
    • Cycle machine
    • Bolder with a wide circular nozzle
    • DRAM (perforator) with an attachment of
      • 900 900 900 900 900 9000 9000 900 900 9000 900 water-based compositions, but for oil paint this is an unfortunate solution - sandpaper quickly clogs

    It is undesirable to use a metal brush for cleaning wood, wood can easily be damaged. nine0072

    The removal of paint with an ax is the oldest method. First, shallow notches are made, then the floor is doused with water, and when it is absorbed, the paint is scraped off with an ax, and its blade must be directed almost parallel to the floor. With an axe, electric planer or sander, not only paint but also the top layer of wood is usually removed, this is a good way to freshen up the coating .

    Rotary grinder creates a lot of dust , it is good to use a tool with a built-in vacuum cleaner. A puncher with a chain ink stripper beats off the paint in larger pieces, and the dust does not hang in the air. nine0003

    Important! In order not to damage the power tool, it is necessary to deeply drown the heads of the nails with which the boards are fixed before starting work. If this fails, it is better to remove protruding nails.

    Thermal paint stripping and combined method

    The dryer switches to paint stripping mode and blows hot air onto the floor surface. When the paint begins to bubble, the hair dryer moves slightly forward, and the softened paint is removed with an elastic narrow spatula. The heating tool is held in the left hand, and the spatula in the right. Some hair dryer models allow you to attach a spatula directly under the nozzle. nine0003

    An expensive building hair dryer can be replaced with improvised means - an ordinary iron. The heated iron is turned on at maximum power and is installed on a piece of chintz fabric laid on the floor. It must be held for 15-30 seconds, and then quickly remove the softened paint with a spatula.

    Several methods can also be combined:

    1. First, the paint is heated with a hair dryer and removed with a spatula
    2. Areas where paint remains are treated with a remover and the spatula is applied again

    After removing paint by any method, the substrate becomes rough. If it is being prepared for tiling, the roughness will only improve adhesion, but if re-painting is planned, the surface must be sanded .

    It is best to use a grinder, if not available, a hand tool with a sanding attachment. Grinding after washing should be started with coarse-grained sandpaper, after a hair dryer, you can immediately use fine-grained sandpaper. nine0003

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    Summary

    If the flooring used is not an elite massive board, but ordinary boards for painting, they periodically need to update the paintwork. In order for the new paint to lay down evenly and not lag behind the surface, it must first be cleaned from the old paint and sanded .

    There are various ways to remove old paint from a wooden surface, you need to choose the right one, taking into account the composition, thickness and age of the paintwork, the possibility of ventilating the room, the amount of work, the tools available. nine0071 In limited areas, hand tools or chemical washes can be used, for large areas, power tools or a building dryer are preferable.

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