While wood floors are durable and can last for years, they start to lose their shine if not cared for properly. This is especially true for floors with a lot of traffic or that have been treated with harsh chemical cleaners.
If you’re ready to bring dull floors back to life, here’s exactly how to make wood floors shine naturally.
Key Takeaways:
Start by sweeping and mopping floors thoroughly. Use a hardwood floor cleaner or white vinegar and water to mop across. Then, combine two tablespoons of olive oil, two cups of warm water, one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, and an essential oil of your choice (for fragrance), and add to a spray bottle to apply across the floor. You can use a dry microfibre cloth to work the polish in.
What’s the Best Way to Make Wood Floors Shine Naturally?
If your floors look dull, you can create your own homemade wood floor polish to restore their natural shine. To make the floor polish, you’ll need olive oil, vinegar, and water. Before applying the polish, you need to sweep and mop your floors thoroughly.
3 Steps to Making Your Wood Floors Shine
Step 1: Sweep and Mop Your Floors
Start by thoroughly sweeping your floors. You can do this by using a broom and dustpan or a vacuum.
After you finish sweeping your floors, mop them with hardwood floor cleaner or a vinegar and water solution. Avoid over-wetting your mop. If you see any water puddling on the floor, wipe it up.
Step 2: Make Your Homemade Floor Polish
Homemade floor polish is super simple to make. If you’re wary of using store-bought polishes and waxes, you’ll like this mixture – it’s nontoxic, and you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen.
Here’s what you need to make homemade floor polish:
- 2 TBS Olive Oil
- 2 Cups of Warm Water
- 1 TBS Distilled White Vinegar
- Essential Oils for Fragrance (Optional)
Add these ingredients to a spray bottle and give the bottle a shake to combine.
Step 3: Apply the Homemade Polish
Once you have your polish mixed together, lightly spray it on your floor and use a dry microfiber mop to work it in. (If you don’t have a microfiber mop, you can use a microfiber cloth.)
There’s no need to rinse. Once you apply the polish, your floors should look naturally shiny.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I keep my wood floors from looking dull?
The best way to keep your wood floors from looking dull is to use the right cleaning products. Harsh cleaners that are soap or oil-based will build up and leave a residue on your floor, making your floors look dull.
To avoid the dullness or haze build-up on your floors, use cleaners that are specially formulated for hardwoods.
What is the best natural cleaner for hardwood floors?
The best natural cleaner for hardwood floors is a mixture of white distilled vinegar and water. You’ll need to heavily dilute the vinegar at about ½ cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water.
How can I clean my hazy hardwood floors?
A cleaner build-up most likely caused the haze on your hardwood floors. To remove this, sweep your floors and then mop with a water and vinegar mixture. The vinegar has enough acidity in it to eat through the haze build-up.
After thoroughly removing the haze, you can use homemade floor polish to give your floors extra shine.
Make Your Floors Look Great without Chemicals
If you want to make wood floors shine naturally, you can. Homemade floor polish is easy to make and easy to apply. It’s also cheap and 100% safe for your kids and pets.
So, the next time your floors are looking dull, head to your pantry to whip up this mixture.
