Some of the other types such as apple cider vinegar as delicious as it is will have a brownish tint which could potentially damage floors.
Can you clean hardwood floors with water and vinegar.
White vinegar has no particular color so will not stain hardwood.
I strongly recommend you only ever use basic white vinegar for cleaning purposes.
White vinegar is also the most inexpensive option.
Begin mopping at one side of the room using a use a side to side motion to clean the floor as you go.
Don t rely on lemon juice or a vinegar and water solution to clean hardwood floors.
I don t recommend using vinegar or lemon juice at least not in large quantities as these can damage the floor.
You can also add a few drops of essential oils to give the solution a nice fragrance.
The great thing about water and vinegar is that it can be used to clean many things around the home.
Do not use red wine balsamic or apple kinds of vinegar.
While cleaning wood floors with vinegar and water is ideal it isn t the only natural option.
For cleaning unfinished hardwood floors fill the bucket with warm water and white vinegar dunk the mop head into the vinegar solution and wring out any excess liquid.
Final thoughts on how to clean hardwood floors with vinegar.
Just don t use vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors.
Plain white distilled vinegar should be your only choice.
To clean hardwood floors with vinegar start by sweeping your floors to remove any dust and debris.
Then mix a 1 2 cup of white vinegar with a gallon of warm water in a bucket.
Using vinegar and water as a homemade hardwood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your hardwood floor.
If you like the cleaning power of vinegar but want to cut the smell just add an essential oil such as lemon.
You can also use cleaning vinegar but note that cleaning vinegar has a higher acid concentration than the regular white vinegar.
Or alternatively you can use a spray bottle and microfiber mop whereby you spray the vinegar and water solution on the floor and wipe it with a mop.
While there s disagreement as to whether you can use water and vinegar for hardwood floors there s no debate that as a general cleaning solution for windows and ovens and glass items water and vinegar truly works well.
Cleaning wood floors with vinegar helps keep your floors clean without using toxic.
Vinegar can do damage to your wood floor finish if the vinegar to water ratio is too strong if you use the wrong type of vinegar or if you allow the vinegar water mixture to pool puddle or over soak your floor.
Lemon oil also helps to cut grease which may be very useful if you re trying to clean wood floors in a kitchen.