How to Make Wood Floor Shine Without Wax

How to Make Hardwood Floors Shine Without Wax

Find out how to make wood floors shine without wax. Done the right way with the right tools and products, making hardwood floors shine could be easier than you may have thought.

Wood floors are a very popular floor treatment due to the warmth and shine they give your home.

Best of all, wooden flooring looks great in any style of home from rustic to ultra modern and will match any décor.

However, wood flooring does not keep its shine forever unless you take steps to keep your floor clean and shining. This article discusses ways to make your wood floors shine.

(You may also want to read this article on how to make tile floors shine without wax).

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Reasons Your Hardwood Floors Look Dull

Some of the reasons your wood floors look dull include:

Dirt and dust. So make sure to sweep/vacuum your floors regularly.
Using a dirty mop to clean the floors. Always use a clean mop on your floors. (You may also want to read this article on how to clean your mop head).
Wax build up
Using harsh floor cleaners.
Lack of proper buffing (after mopping). Always buff your floor after mopping to prevent streaks.
Stains and scratches
Your floor needs refinishing

Proper Cleaning of Wood Floors to Maintain the Shine

One of the best ways to make your wood flooring shine is to clean those floors properly. Proper cleaning is also helpful in preventing scratches on hardwood floors. You can do this by following these few simple steps.

Sweep your floor daily using a soft bristle broom to prevent scratching.
Go over your floor with a dust mop sprayed with furniture polish, this will help to pick up any remaining dust and dirt and help maintain the shine between cleanings.
Before cleaning your floor, remove all furniture from the room.
Clean your floor on your hands and knees using a sponge and a mild floor cleaner that will help to maintain the shine. Wring the sponge out well in order to prevent your wood floor from becoming too wet. Work slowly cleaning a small area and then buffing it as you go.

Best Wood Floor Cleaning Products

If you are looking to make your wood floors shine then you are going to want to use the right floor cleaning tools and products.

Here are some suggestions on what you can use.

A soft sponge to wash your floor with and avoid any scratching
Microfiber cloths to buff your floor after cleaning
Gentle Floor Cleaning Products. Here is a list of the best cleaning solutions to use to help maintain the shine on your wood floor.

Murphy’s Oil Soap – Murphy’s oil soap is made especially to gently clean wood and help it keep its shine. (You may want to learn more about the many uses of Murphy’s oil soap).
Lemon Juice and Water – The juice from lemons is a great natural wood cleaner and the oils from the lemons will help you maintain your floors shine.
Olive Oil, White Vinegar and Water – The olive oil provides the shine while the vinegar acts as a disinfectant and helps cut through dirt and stains.
Tea and Water – Steep a couple of tea bags in a small quantity of water and add to a couple of gallons of clear water.
Vegetable oil and Water – Add a few drops of vegetable oil to a clear bucket of water to clean a slightly dirty floor.

If your wood flooring becomes too dull, you may need to either recoat or refinish your floor to make it shine. The process of recoating requires you to lightly sand the floor and add a new coat of finish like Rejuvenate Professional Wood Restorer.

If you have an older wood floor that has a lot of scratches then you may need to refinish the floor. Refinishing a wood floor requires you to sand the floor well to remove all the stains and scratches and then apply two coats of finish allowing each coat to dry and buffing it to restore the shine.

(You may also want to read this article on tips for cleaning an unfinished wood floor).