How to Clean and Care for Wood Floors to Keep Them Looking Beautiful

To protect the finish and keep wood floors beautiful—either solid wood or engineered wood—it is essential to take care of messes as they happen. Artazum/Shutterstock

Of all the choices in home flooring, wood stands out for many as the most beautiful. Wood is durable and coordinates well with any decor, and most real estate agents agree it improves the home’s value at resale. Knowing how to protect and clean wood floors is essential—and surprisingly easy.

As It Happens

To protect the finish and keep wood floors beautiful—either solid wood or engineered wood—it is essential to take care of messes as they happen. That means spills, water drops, dry messes, what have you. Spills and messes happen, but make sure they don’t remain for more than a few minutes.

After cleaning up the spill with a paper towel or cloth, give the floor a final damp rinse with a slightly water-dampened cloth or mop. Make sure you dry the area well with a microfiber cloth to prevent streaks. Do not allow any amount of water to sit on wood flooring for any length of time if you can help it.

Daily

Sweep with a soft bristle broom or vacuum your wood floors daily to remove dust, dirt, crumbs, and debris. Even minute debris, when allowed to sit and to be walked on, will dull the finish and eventually cause noticeable wear and tear.

Weekly

Using a good dry dust mop, go over wood floors once a week to remove the buildup of dust—especially the dust bunnies that accumulate along the edges. Make sure you move area rugs to get any bits of dirt and dust that find their way under rugs and mats.

Seasonally

When you are diligent to tackle messes as they happen, sweep or vacuum daily, and dust mop weekly, mopping finished wood floors is necessary only a few times a year. An easy way to remember is to do this at the start of each season. Yes, seriously! Four times a year is a good schedule.