Vinegar Bad For Hardwood Floors

Vacuuming or sweeping removes all dust particles lint hair and debris that can scratch.

Vinegar bad for hardwood floors.

To clean your hardwood floors using vinegar follow these simple steps. In fact vinegar is great for cleaning bathrooms kitchens and other areas in your home. The main problem is that often people make mistakes by using too much water. Using vinegar and water as a homemade hardwood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your hardwood floor.

Again this is fine for most general cleaning but when cleaning floors excess water should be avoided since it can lead to moisture damage. If you need to clean your wood floors and don t have either one of these types of vinegar on hand you can use apple cider vinegar as an alternative. It s like kryptonite for superman. You may be inclined to use furniture waxes and oils on the floor to restore the sheen but this not advisable.

When used correctly vinegar breaks down the grime and dirt on your finish and leaves it clean and streak free. Vinegar is acidic and it can strip away all types of finishes on wood floors. The process may be hastened if vinegar is used in conjunction with very hot water. Vinegar is an acidic substance and over time can eat away or deteriorate the finish on a hardwood floor.

Remove all the furniture or objects from the floor to create adequate space for effective cleaning. But they do warn against the use of water and vinegar for hardwood floors. You can also buy cleaning vinegar 14. When cleaning with vinegar the solution created is made up of mostly water.

Unlike vinegar however ammonia is a base with a ph around 11 similar to household bleach. Just don t use vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors. Using vinegar to clean hardwood floors is an inexpensive non toxic option for polyurethane finished wood flooring. 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.

The same effect is possible when using ammonia abrasive cleaning agents and alkaline based products. Since vinegar is acidic it can have the negative effect of damaging the finish on your floor leaving floors looking dull or cloudy. Because it s not a neutral ph it can be harsh on the finish causing discoloration over time. White vinegar is ideal for cleaning wood floors.

For hardwood floors water is anathema. But also like vinegar ammonia is bad news for your hardwood floors.