Cleaning Hardwood Floors

While there are a wide variety of professional cleaning products available to clean your hardwood floors, the best, most-effective cleaner is one you probably already have in your kitchen: vinegar and water.

Here are several advantages of using vinegar and water:

- Because it evaporates so quickly, it leaves no spots.
- With no harsh chemicals, it can be safely used around children and pets
- It is mild, and causes no damage or stripping of the wood
- It does not build up, like some cleaners which you then have to strip off later

Prepare your wood floor by sweeping, or even better, vacuuming, the floor.

Mix one cup of vinegar to 2 gallons of water. Mop the entire floor, and then let it dry.

If you want to add a shine, you can try the commercial products that are designed to polish the floor. However, they tend to build up layers, which, again, you will need to remove eventually.

You can also buff your floors with olive oil. It is tedious, but if you use just a drop or two on a rag, you can cover about ten square feet, rubbing the wood by hand with the rag. Olive oil is strong, and it moisturizes the hardwood flooring, and leaves it shiny. Using olive oil is a better alternative because you probably have it readily available in your kitchen right now, and, like the vinegar solution, it contains no harsh chemicals which could be dangerous to your family. Be sure to rub the oil in very well to avoid leaving a slick coating on the wood.

Once the floor is clean, be sure to take measures to prevent damage to the floor. Use area rugs, and make sure that entrances from outdoors have large mats that prevent dirt and grit from being tracked in. Additionally, consider using adhesive felt pads on the bottom of furniture to prevent scratching the wood when moved.

For hardwood stairs, consider using stair tread rugs to protect the steps. (You can find them at http://stairtreadrugs.net) They have the added benefits of reducing noise and preventing slipping on the stairs.

George is a regular contributor to several syndicated blogs about home improvement.

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