Sweep, dust mop or vacuum on the bare-floor setting a few times a week to get the grit up. Then, every week or two, clean with a microfiber mop that's barely damp and a pH-neutral cleaner made for your floor's finish. Wipe spills right away, and skip wet mops, steam mops and vinegar.
First, know what finish you have#
How you clean a wood floor depends on what's on top of the wood more than on the wood itself. Most floors installed in the last few decades have a surface finish, usually polyurethane, that sits on top like a clear shield. Older floors and some newer European-style ones have a penetrating oil or wax finish that soaks into the wood.
Two quick checks in a hidden spot, like inside a closet:
- Put a drop of water on the floor. If it beads up and sits there, you almost certainly have a surface finish. If it soaks in and darkens the wood, the finish is worn, or it's oil or wax.
- Rub the spot hard with a fingertip. If you leave a smudge or a mark, it's likely waxed.
If you can, find the original paperwork, a leftover box of flooring, or ask whoever installed it. Oiled and waxed floors need their own maintenance products, so follow the installer's instructions for those. Everything below assumes a surface finish, which is what most homes have.
How to clean hardwood floors, step by step#
- Get all the grit up first. The National Wood Flooring Association says routine cleaning means sweeping, dust mopping, or vacuuming on the bare-floor setting. Turn the beater bar off: a spinning brush roll can scratch the finish and fling grit around.
- Pay extra attention to the doorways, the kitchen and under the dining table. That's where sand gets ground in.
- Spray a cleaner made for finished wood floors onto the mop pad or directly onto a small section of floor, never pouring. The NWFA's advice is to use a cleaner made specifically for the floor's finish. Shaw's hardwood care page says to always use a neutral-pH cleaner.
- Mop with a flat microfiber pad, going with the direction of the boards. The pad should feel damp, not wet. If you can see a wet film trailing behind you, there's too much.
- Swap to a clean pad when the first one looks gray. A dirty pad just moves dirt around and leaves a haze.
- Start at the far side of the room and work toward the door so you're not walking across what you just cleaned.
The floor should be dry within a minute or two. If it isn't, you're using too much liquid.
Can you use vinegar on hardwood floors?#
Better not. Vinegar is acidic, and over time acid dulls a floor finish. Shaw's guidance is to use a neutral-pH cleaner, and vinegar isn't one. Shaw also rules out ammonia, harsh chemicals and abrasive cleaners. The same goes for most all-purpose sprays: they're not made for floor finishes and can leave a film.
Can you use a steam mop on hardwood?#
No. The NWFA is direct about it: don't use wet mops or steam mops, because over time they damage both the finish and the wood. Steam forces hot moisture into the seams between boards, where it can cause swelling and cupping. Shaw's care page says the same thing.
What about oil soap, wax and polish?#
On a polyurethane floor, skip them. Shaw tells owners not to use oil-based wax or polish. They leave a layer on top of the finish that looks streaky, gets slippery, and attracts dirt. A buildup of residue can also stop a fresh coat of finish from bonding when the floor eventually needs a recoat, which makes that job harder and more expensive. If your floor looks dull, the answer is usually a proper clean or a recoat, not another layer of product.
How often to clean hardwood floors#
| Task |
How often |
| Sweep, dust mop or vacuum busy areas |
Daily or every other day |
| Vacuum the whole floor |
Weekly |
| Damp mop with wood floor cleaner |
Every 1 to 2 weeks, or monthly in quiet rooms |
| Wipe spills |
Immediately |
| Check under rugs |
Weekly |
| Professional recoat |
When the floor looks dull even right after cleaning |
A robot vacuum running daily on a bare-floor setting covers the grit problem well, provided its brushes stay clean. Our robot vacuum maintenance guide covers what to check.
How to protect hardwood between cleanings#
Most of the damage you see on a wood floor comes from grit, water and furniture legs.
- Put walk-off mats at every exterior door to catch grit before it reaches the wood. Shaw recommends this.
- Put felt pads under every chair and table leg, and replace them when they get gritty or worn thin.
- Keep pets' nails trimmed.
- Keep indoor humidity fairly steady. Shaw recommends staying between 35% and 55% to prevent warping. Wood shrinks in dry winters, leaving gaps between boards, and swells in humid summers.
- Lift area rugs and check underneath now and then. Shaw suggests weekly. Grit works its way through and scratches the wood under the rug.
When cleaning won't fix it#
Deep scratches, gray spots where water has gotten into the wood, and boards that are cupping or lifting aren't cleaning problems. If the traffic lanes just look dull and lightly scratched, the NWFA notes that a floor can be renewed by recoating, meaning a new coat of finish over the old one without sanding down to bare wood. That's a job for a flooring professional, and it's usually much cheaper than a full sand and refinish. Once the finish is worn through to bare wood, though, a recoat won't be enough.
Hardwood or laminate?#
Plenty of "wood floors" are actually laminate or luxury vinyl with a wood-look print. They clean similarly, but not identically, so check before you buy a cleaner. Our laminate floor guide covers the differences. Whichever you have, wash the mop pads after every use, as covered in how to clean a mop head. A pad with grit stuck in it will scratch the finish. If it helps, set a ChoreLists.com reminder for the weekly mop so it doesn't slide to monthly.