Hardwood floors are lovely, but keeping them shiny is easier said than done sometimes. Lucky for us, we’ve discovered an amazing way to keep your wood floors shiny without the use of commercial cleaners.
Not only is it easy to do, it’ll mean more money in your pocket to spend on things you really want. Watch this helpful video and see how it’s done. Hint: it’s CRAZY how easy it is to get shiny floors all the time!
The good thing about something as simple as using vinegar, olive oil and water to clean your hardwood floors is that is you always have these things handy! Do you have any expert cleaning hacks to keep your wood floors nice and shiny that other moms could benefit from? Share them with us in the comments section!
Why Is it Important to Clean Your Hardwood Floors Properly?
Are you tired of seeing your hardwood floors dull and trying to figure out how to keep wood floors shiny? You need to handle your wood floors with much more care than linoleum and tiles. Hardwood floors can be stripped by powerful cleaners, leaving them brittle and dry. Water can be used to clean wood floors, but you must be careful to ensure that no water is left behind, as this could cause the flooring to warp. The same is true with laminate wood flooring. Harsh chemical cleaners have the potential to discolor laminate and possibly remove its top layer. Water can also cause laminate floors to buckle and warp.
I’m sure you’re dying to know how to make wooden floors shiny, so let’s dive straight into it!
What Type of Finish Does Your Hardwood Floor Have?
Knowing what kind of finish has been applied to the wood is one of the essential details if you want to know how to make a wood floor shiny. Was your engineered or solid hardwood sealed with a polyurethane, paste wax, or polyacrylic urethane finish? Here’s how to find out if you’re unsure.
Put a drop of water on the floor in an area where there is normally foot traffic. If the water causes spotting or absorbs quickly, never clean the hardwood floor with water because it has not been sealed. However, if the water simply rests on the floor, it indicates that the hardwood has been sealed.
Secondly, grab some fine steel wool and lightly rub the hardwood floor in a corner to check for a paste wax finish. There will be a waxy, gray film on the fine steel wool if the floor has been waxed previously.
Knowing this is crucial as it will help you figure out how to get shiny wood floors. Once you know the type of finish and how to clean hardwood floors, the rest will be a breeze!
What Ingredients Are Used in this Homemade Wood Floor Polish?
You’ll need the following ingredients to make your floors shine:
- Distilled white vinegar
- Olive oil
- Warm water
How Do You Make Your Own Hardwood Floor Cleaner?
You don’t need commercial wood floor polish to clean your hardwood floors. If you want to know how to keep hardwood floors clean and shiny in a simple way, this is for you!
Firstly, you’re going to add the vinegar and water to a spray bottle. This is the mixture you’ll use to clean your hardwood or laminate flooring on a weekly basis. Using a damp mop to clean wood floors will make it much easier to spread the solution.
You’ll use the olive oil to polish wood floors and put some of the moisture back into the floor. This is what will make the wood floor shine.
How to Polish Your Hardwood Floors
Do you constantly find yourself asking, “How do I make my wood floors shiny?” These steps are about to change the game for you.
The first step is to make the wood floor cleaner.
Next, attach a microfiber cloth to your dust mop. I recommend using a flat surface mop. If you’re struggling to do this, use an elastic band. Microfiber cloths are fantastic since they won’t scratch your floor surface.
Spray or squirt the cleaning solution on the floor surface in a small section.
Work the polish into the floor using the microfiber cloth mop. You don’t need to rinse the floor! Make sure you polish in the direction of the wood grain. The floors can be cleaned with vinegar and water and polished and shined using olive oil.
This cleaning solution is ideal for your hardwood floors as it doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals and won’t leave a thick layer of floor wax.
Why Does My Floor Surface Look Dull?
There are a few reasons why you’re not getting the desired results after cleaning wood floors:
1. You’re Using the Wrong Wood Floor Cleaner
Many liquid waxes with acrylic bases that claim to make your wood floors shine might make a bad situation worse. The floor may appear spotty or turn milky when polyurethane finishes or paste wax are placed on top of them. To get rid of acrylic waxes’ milky appearance, apply elbow grease and mineral spirits on one area at a time.
2. You’re Redistributing the Dirt
You need to know how to clean shiny wood floors before focusing on polishing them. The dirt will only be redistributed if you use a dirty damp mop or forget to sweep, vacuum, or dust mop the floor before cleaning. Think about how much dust, grit, and debris would accumulate in the cleaning solution instead of merely sitting on the floor’s surface.
3. Floor Wax Buildup
If a carnauba paste wax is used to generate the shine instead of sealing the floors with a polyurethane finish, the wax might accumulate and start to look dingy. Even if you just apply wax properly once or twice a year, it will ultimately accumulate and become dull in low-traffic areas. By using mineral spirits or another commercial wax stripper, you can remove paste wax.
4. Leaving the Job Half Done
To avoid staining, a hardwood floor should receive a thorough buffing after waxing or damp mopping. To maintain a shiny floor, simply buff the finish with a dry microfiber mop.
5. Using Too Much Product
Even if you know how to add shine to wood floors, using excessive amounts of cleaning solution or water will make floors look worse. Remember that less is more!
6. There Are Too Many Scratches
You’re going to get scratches if you have pets with sharp claws, forget to place clean doormats by the entrance areas, or often wear heels inside your house. Floors with scratches and scuffs look dull. To minimize them, take some preventative measures.
7. Your Floor Needs Refinishing
If you know how to make your wood floor shiny but aren’t seeing results, it might be time for refinishing. Unfortunately, if there is foot traffic, no hardwood floor finish is ever going to last forever. However, it is possible to repeatedly refinish and reseal solid hardwood floors. Even engineered hardwood with a thinner veneer can undergo a few coats of refinishing and sealing before needing to be replaced.
Get Your Clean Hardwood Floors Today with This Simple Hack!
You’ve finally found the answer regarding how to make wood floors shiny! There’s no need to buy expensive products with harsh chemicals that will only damage your floors further. With simple household items, such as vinegar, olive oil, and water, you can make your floors shine in no time at all!