Vinegar And Water Good Or Bad For Finished Hardwood

Vinegar makes an excellent wood cleaner because it won t damage wood finish or warp wood like other products do.

Vinegar and water good or bad for finished hardwood.

You should use the specific hardwood floor cleaner recommended by the manufacturer of the finish used on your floors. A frequent concern about the use of vinegar to clean hardwood floors is that it must be diluted in water. Using vinegar and water as a homemade hardwood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your hardwood floor. The following method works well for cleaning tough stains and extra dirty hardwood floors without using a store bought cleaner.

Some will even void the warranty if there are any signs that vinegar was used. Vinegar is acidic so it can wear down finish over time even if it s diluted with water. And wood and water do not mix. Prepare a homemade hardwood floor vinegar cleaning solution by mixing a cup of white vinegar and warm water in a bucket.

Cleaning with vinegar is a green alternative to the sometimes toxic and expensive cleaners offered at the store. It has anti bacterial properties. Second a mixture of vinegar and water typically isn t as effective as a neutral ph soap or cleaner formulated for wood when it comes to pulling up dirt and grime. It s important to remember that when you clean your hardwood floors you aren t actually cleaning the wood you are cleaning the chemical finish on the wood.

Too much water can warp your boards cause a ripple effect permanently discolor the wood and produce nonrepairable damage. Add a few drops of lemon lavender oil or grapefruit oil to help get rid of the bad odor. Many flooring manufacturers including lumber liquidators warn against using vinegar to clean your hardwood floors. Cleaning hardwood floors with water or.

While it is a natural substance it is also acidic which means it is a powerful cleaner. Vinegar can clean all kinds of wood. It can dissolve mineral deposits from smooth surfaces this is why it needs to be diluted with water to ensure no damage occurs to your floors. The acetic acid in vinegar can wear away or etch the polyurethane finish which over time will make your once gleaming floors seem dull.

So by using vinegar you are doing something good for the environment. The deodorizing and disinfectant nature of vinegar makes it effective in removing such stains. Avoid hardwood floor water damage. Standing water and wood are not friends so remember to use a dry soft cloth to dry the floor after you finish cleaning it.

But no hardwood floor is waterproof no matter how many layers of coating are used. Hardwood floor cleaners are neutral ph cleaning solutions which is why they are better than the old method of vinegar and water. Just don t use vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors. Cleaning old hardwood floors naturally.

It is true that polyurethane is the most common finish applied to raw hardwood flooring because it is a powerful barrier of protection against fast and permanent damage to the wood.