Hardwood floors are pretty expensive, and so they call for proper maintenance. Knowing what cleaning product you should use and what cleaner you should avoid is a big part of its maintenance.

But here’s the problem.

In a market full of cleaning products and mouth to mouth advice, you might get swayed from the right decision and end up using cleaning products that might harm your hardwood floors.

And so to help you take better care of your hardwood floor, we noted down a few of the cleaners that you should avoid using.

Let’s get started.

Cleaning products you should avoid for hardwood floors

Here are a few cleaning products listed below that you should avoid for hardwood floors.

Excess water

Using water to mop your hardwood floors might seem like a good idea, but unlike regular floors, an excess amount of water can damage your hardwood floors permanently.

If you use an excessive amount of water, then the wood would absorb it all, making the hardwood floor to expand and then potentially crack at the edges. This kind of problem leaves a permanent effect on your hardwood floor.

Excess vinegar

Although vinegar is used to clean away dirt and grime and often found in several cleaning products, using an excessive amount can leave your wooden floor to get damaged.

Vinegar is excellent at scraping away the dirt on your floor. But if you use an excessive amount of it consistently, it can also damage the floor itself. The acidic property of vinegar will wear out the hardwood and leave splotchy patches all over your floor.

Excessive oil

A lot of cleaning products contain oil to make your wooden floor shine. And that’s great unless you use too much of it.

Using excessive oil on your hardwood floor may make it slippery and cause an accident. It can also leave footprints and make the dust or dirt stick to the sticky surface due to the oil. If you use oil in your hardwood floor cleaner, you should always do a patch test in the corner of your hardwood floor.

Anything containing ammonia

Ammonia is one of those many chemicals that are often found in many cleaning products. But they shouldn’t ever be used for wooden floors.

This chemical will damage the surface of your hardwood floor and cause the lignin, a component in the wood to dissolve, leaving a dull look on your once bright hardwood. You should also never mix it with bleach to clean your hardwood floor, or it will wear it out.

Rough ends of vacuum cleaners

Vacuum cleaners do a great job of getting rid of dust and dirt. However, if your vacuum cleaner has plastic edges, then it might harm your hardwood floor.

Many vacuum cleaners don’t come with rubber ends or soft edges. When the rough plastic edge scrapes against your hardwood floor, the collision leaves dents or scars on your floor. So, if you want to use a vacuum cleaner on your hardwood floor, make sure to cover it with a microfibril cloth or anything else to have a soft edge.

Sandpaper

Don’t ever give in to your urge to smooth out any rough spot on your hardwood floor with sandpaper.

The hardwood on your floor is not the same as the ones directly from a tree. It is processed and put together to make it most suitable for your home. Using sandpaper on it would break any seal and ruin the finishing. So, even if you see a rough patch on your hardwood floor and want to smooth it out, refrain from using sandpaper.

Note: Looking for hardwood floor cleaners that are safe? Do check out the article here, bona vs swiffer

Conclusion

We hope you found this article helpful. After extensive research and personal experience, we noted down most of the cleaners that you should avoid for hardwood floors.

If you use the right products and steer clear from the products, we mentioned then your hardwood floor is good to go.

Thank you for being patient and staying with us till the end.

I admit it, I’m a laundry detergent snob. For the past decade I’ve been using 2 name brand laundry detergents because I like how well they clean and how nice our clothing smells after laundering them. The one thing that I didn’t like was the price.

Last month a friend of mine was telling me how she buys her laundry detergent from Dollar Tree and only pays $1.00 per bottle. Say what? Only a dollar? Yes indeed! She told me that this liquid laundry detergent works just as well as many of the name brand competitors out in the retail marketplace. She told me her family’s clothing comes out clean and smelling fresh with each load.

My friend challenged me to try the LA’s Totally Awesome 2-in-1 Laundry Detergent plus Fabric Softener from Dollar Tree. There are other varieties available like unscented, scented and with or without fabric softener. Each bottle will clean 32 loads of laundry.

I decided to take her up on that challenge and for the past 12 days I’ve been using that laundry detergent and admit…I love it!!! Does it smell as nice as brand G that I’ve used for years. I admit, no. But it does smell fresh and clean. Does it clean as well as brand T? Well, I believe it does!

What is really cool is that I haven’t had to add extra fabric softener or use dryer sheets at all. Our clothes are clean, smell nice and there has been no static cling at all. It has done a great job at cleaning my hubby’s work clothes, our regular household laundry and so forth. Absolutely no complaints from me. None!

I wish I had tried their laundry detergent a lot sooner. I typically pay $4.89 to $7.98 per bottle at the grocery store depending on which of the 2 name brands I buy and if they’re on sale or I have a coupon. Boy…was I wasting money over the years! Sigh.

For those of you who are looking to save money…I recommend that you give the LA’s Totally Awesome Laundry Detergent from Dollar Tree a try. Is it the best out in the retail marketplace? Of course not…but it’s right up there with the good ones!

Disclaimer: The writer is sharing her 100% unbiased opinion with the readers of the TwoClassyChics blog. No product or monetary compensation was received. The product mentioned was personally purchased by the writer.