How To Clean Your Floors - Simply, Naturally

Simply, Naturally Clean Floors - The DIY Method from Lumberjack Direct

Lumberjack Direct cares about the products we sell and provide to our customers, even after the flooring is no longer in our hands. A common concern that our customers share with us is the process of maintaining and cleaning their flooring, especially with hardwood. There is a common misconception that hardwood and LVP floors cannot get wet nor be cleaned with water or that water and vinegar will negatively impact the visuals and performance of their new floors. This just isn’t so. 

We want to share with you our favorite cleaning tools and a couple of simple solutions that can easily be made at home with just a few ingredients. Even better, it’s low cost with no harsh chemicals so it’s safe for the environment and the entire family - fur babies, too! 

Which Kind of Mops and Brooms Should I Be Using on My Hardwood Floors?

For all things hardwood, we know that we need to take care more mindfully and gently. This doesn’t mean it has to be an added chore or hassle. Our favorite brooms and mops are of the microfiber variety. This fabric is soft and gentle on the natural texture while getting into those natural grooves and picking up any debris along the way. Most microfiber dust brooms (or ‘dust mop’) are push brooms which we think makes this an even simpler task. This kind of broom and mop are truly excellent for all hard flooring surfaces in your home - hardwood, SPC, LVP, tile, etc. 

Here are a couple of our favorite, HGTV-verified microfiber brooms and mops for your floors:

• Best Spin Mop: O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop
• Best Spray Mop: O-Cedar ProMist Max Microfiber Spray Mop
• Best Dust Mop: Turbo Microfiber Dust Mop
• Best for Hardwood Floors: MR.SIGA Microfiber Dust Mop

Pro Tips:

• When using water solutions for mopping, it is best to make sure to wring out the mops as much as possible before making contact with the floors so that they may dry quicker. We never want to use a soaking wet mop on the floors as the excess water can also cause the planks to warp over time
• When sweeping using a dry dust broom or mop, we like to use a spray bottle and cleaning solution to spritz a bit of our cleaning solution onto the floors as we go for a deeper clean
• Be sure to move a bit quicker with spray mops so we are not soaking our floors as we clean
• Avoid steam mops
• Dust mop dry daily, mop with solution 2x week or every other day for high traffic areas

Preferred Method for Cleaning Hardwood and Waterproof Flooring:

1. Sweep floors with a household bristle broom.

2. Do a secondary sweep with a dry dust mop.

3. Wet mop the floors with the appropriate/desired cleaning solution

4. Wet mop the floors with water only to take up any excess product so as not to alter the floor in any way

5. You may need to towel dry the floors a bit if they seem to have some excess water left behind. Damp is good and will generally dry up quickly without fuss.

Which cleaning solution is best for my floors?

At Lumberjack Direct, we are all about encouraging the use of natural, simple solutions in your home. And we’re here to give you a couple of tried-and-true options that you can create yourself with your health and your wallet in mind.

What you will need:

• 1 gallon of water, preferably filtered or distilled if available (you can also use alkaline to help neutralize the vinegar)
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 15 drops of your favorite essential oils for a clean, inviting fragrance (we love citrus with eucalyptus or something woody!)

Floors feeling a little extra grimy? Add 2 teaspoons of dish soap or all purpose (our favorite is Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap ) for a little more cleaning  power

If you are only mixing a solution for a spray bottle, follow these metrics:

• 2 cups water (filtered, distilled, or alkaline)
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 drops of your favorite essential oil
• 2 drops soap

Using these tools and cleaning compounds are effective, easy, gentle, and most importantly, safer for the family and then environment. HUGE BONUS: you can also use these solutions on your wood furniture for beautiful results!

*DISCLAIMER*  Some custom finishes will not react well with this solution, especially OIL BASED FINISHES. When finishing flooring onsite or with any oil-based finished floors, refer to manufacturers' maintenance guidance - they will often have their own cleaning product to use on your new floors.