How to clean wooden floors properly: what to use and how much to dilute

Quick answer: clean wooden floors with a well-wrung cloth or mop, using a diluted floor cleaner labelled for wood, mop along the grain and let the floor dry quickly. Avoid standing water and harsh cleaners, and don’t use a steam mop unless your floor maker allows it.

What wooden floors don’t like

• Standing water: it seeps between boards, causing swelling and cupped edges.
• Harsh cleaners: they dull the finish.
• Grit and sand: stepping on it scratches the finish.
• Dragging furniture across the floor.

Daily cleaning

1. Sweep or vacuum first to remove grit.
2. Dilute floor cleaner as directed. For example, SPY Floor Cleaner uses 1–2 capfuls per bucket of water. For wood, use the lower amount.
3. Wring the mop well so it’s only slightly damp.
4. Mop along the grain, one small area at a time.
5. Open a window or turn on a fan so the floor dries fast. If you see water marks, wipe with a dry cloth.

Which mop to use?

Type	Suits wooden floors?
Microfibre mop, well wrung	Yes, uses little water and leaves few fibres
Absorbent cotton mop	Only if wrung out very well
Steam mop	Only if your floor maker allows it
Robot mop	Use a low-water setting; see Can you use floor cleaner in a robot mop?

Habits that wear wooden floors out faster

• Pouring floor cleaner straight onto the floor before mopping.
• Using cleaner that’s too concentrated, so the floor feels sticky and attracts dust.
• Leaving spills and water marks for a long time.
• Dragging tables and chairs without felt pads.

SPY Floor Cleaner for wooden floors

SPY Floor Cleaner is a low-foam formula that cleans quickly with no need to rinse, for tiles, wooden floors and granite. Five scents: Blossom Relax, Pink Relax, Green Relax, Cinnamon, Ginger & Lemongrass. Sizes: 3.6L can and 950ml bottle.

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Read more: Why floors feel sticky after mopping, and how to dilute correctly