I own a new home with hardwood floors and tried five popular ways to clean them – I was shocked by the winner
A HOMEOWNER has found the best way to clean hardwood floors after trying five popular methods.
From natural remedies to more expensive gadgets, cleaning expert Ashley Abramson tested sprays and DIY techniques until her beautiful oak floors were shining.
One of Abramson's least favorite wood floor cleaning methods was surprisingly vinegar with a microfiber mop.
"Good ol' vinegar has long been touted for its cleaning power," the homeowner said.
"It can be one of the most effective and most inexpensive ways to cut through grease, lift stains, remove limescale, and more."
With this in mind, Abramson added half a cup of white distilled vinegar with a gallon of lukewarm water in a bucket.
"I had to re-spray the microfiber more than once to lift stuck-on grime. In the end, I sprayed it directly on the floor to make it easier.
"The floors were clean enough, but not shiny when I was done."
Another less-than-ideal method that Abramson tried was castile soap and essential oil.
"The castile soap, essential oil, and water mixture definitely cleaned the floor effectively, even lifting sticky residue from the wood," she said.
"But this technique also required more elbow grease than some of the other methods."
The homeowner also found that the iconic Murphy's oil soap was quite effective, but had some downfalls.
While it definitely deeply cleaned the floors, the cleaning process was quite messy.
"It was a bit harder to control how much liquid I used on my floor when I dipped the microfiber mop in the solution," she said.
"Compared to the other methods, I ended up spending more time making sure I spread the cleaner around the floor."
Abramson's second favorite cleaning product was the Method Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner for being "extremely satisfying."
"I loved how easy it was to squirt the mixture on the floor - definitely more efficient than filling a bucket and dipping a mop into it," the cleaning expert said.
"My only critique is that while the cleaner made the floors shiny and removed the layer of surface grime, it wasn't super powerful at wiping away stuck-on gunk."
And finally, Abramson's favorite method for cleaning wood floors is the Swiffer WetJet Hardwood Floor Cleaner.
The ease of using the thin mop instead of having to lug around a huge bucket of water made this a clear winner for the cleaning expert.
"I loved that I didn't have to spray anything on the mop or dip it in a solution," Abramson said.
"Instead, I just pressed a button and wiped away.
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"The battery-operated mop releases just the right amount of cleaning solution to get the job done, leaving the floors clean and polished looking."
This comes as a professional cleaner revealed how to scrub your entire bathroom in five minutes with just two products.