Natural Hardwood Floor Cleaner Tips, Tricks, and DIYs

Keeping hardwood floors in great shape doesn't mean having to use tons of chemicals. In fact, you have a lot of options when it comes to natural hardwood floor cleaner and techniques. There is nothing wrong with doing things the organic or old-fashioned way, even though we're all inundated with ad promises of better cleaning products now. If you're more comfortable using all-natural hardwood floor cleaner products or methods, then this list of tips and tricks is for you.

So, put down your fancy bottle of chemicals no one can pronounce and get ready to keep your hardwood floors pristine with the best natural hardwood floor cleaner methods. 

Natural Hardwood Floor Maintenance

Before we get to the natural hardwood floor cleaners, you should probably know about natural maintenance methods. Some of these you may already know but, doesn't hurt to have a reminder. What makes these maintenance methods natural is the simple equipment and low or nonexistent use of hardwood floor cleaner products.

Dump the Dust

Dust wreaks havoc on hardwood floors and isn't the healthiest thing to have around the house. Brooms may be old tech to us now but, that doesn't mean you have to go for the chemical-laden Swiffer style stuff.  Instead, use a lightly damped mop. You may be thinking "water is bad for hardwood floors!" and you'd be right. You don't have to soak the mop, just keep it strictly for dust mopping and only a little damp. 

Spot Check

See a little dust in a corner or some stuff to scrub off? Don't go running for a wet rag or bust out a wet mop, water warps the floor. One natural hardwood floor cleaner method is to spot scrub with a toothbrush. The bristles are harder than a mop or sponge, and its water use is a minimum. Spot scrubbing the hardwood floors is a wonderful natural method to get the grit out of the wood without damaging it. Just don't scrub too hard, you don't want to scrub away the protective coat. 

Fill the Gap

Most people would run and get a wood filler but, since we're doing the organic and natural thing here let's skip that. Although there are natural wood filler products, you can also use rope or sawdust. That's right! In old homes with wider planks, using a rope to fill a gap is an old technique. The downside to using rope as a natural hardwood floor gap filler is that it won't look like wood. You can blend it in by using the same stain as the wood. Certainly less noticeable than a large gap in your floor. 

Natural Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Now that you've seen a few natural techniques for hardwood floor maintenance, we can move on to the natural hardwood floor cleaner. There is a whole host of organic cleaning products so, this list will focus on the homemade concoctions and DIY mixtures you can use as a natural hardwood floor cleaner. 

Lemon Fresh

One natural hardwood floor cleaner you can whip up yourself is some lemon juice and olive oil. The lemon juice eats away at the grime and dirt on your floor while the olive oil will give it a shine. The way to do this is to combine three-fourths of a cup of olive oil with a half cup of lemon juice. Mix it together in a gallon of hot water and mop away. Just remember that too much water can damage your hardwood floors, so don't soak the mop. Damp is best. 

Stain Away

Another natural hardwood floor cleaner you can mix up is some baking soda and vinegar. It should be said that vinegar use on hardwood floors is debated but, it's also been used for eons. What you do to get this hardwood floor stain remover made is mix white vinegar and baking soda in equal parts. It forms a paste that you apply with a cloth or sponge. Once the paste dries you wipe it up and that should do the trick!

Oil Spill

Oil stains are a bit different, which means cleaning it is different. The natural hardwood floor cleaners above aren't best for oil stains or spills but, Castille soap is. Castille soap is an all-natural vegetable-based soap that doesn't use any animal or synthetic ingredients. What you do is put some Castille soap on a soft damp cloth, make sure it isn't wet enough to drip, and wipe the oil away. You may have to try it a few times to fully remove the oil from the hardwood. 

Best Natural Hardwood Floor Cleaner

The best always depends. Out of the natural hardwood floor cleaner options listed above, see which works best for you. It's the same as if you went shopping for all-natural and organic hardwood floor cleaner products. Some, of course, are objectively better than others but everyone has their preferred brands. If the idea of buying any products is off-putting, now you have a few homemade options and techniques to keep your hardwood floors in tip-top condition.

Enjoy the free clean!