Green Cleaning: Natural Ways to Clean Hardwood

This is one of my most popular green cleaning tips from my old blog. It's been pinned, picked up on several home and cleaning websites and even covered by MSN.com. Once you try it you won't want to clean your hardwood any other way. 

Normally, I would just vacuum then steam clean them with our Oreck Steam Cleaner.  It always worked really well.  Shoe scuffs came right up, as well as any sticky spills from the many play-dates that happen around here.  But a few years back I was spring cleaning and putting in a little extra effort, so I wanted to try something special.  A few minutes of research revealed a Better Homes & Garden pin on Pinterest.  They suggested used boiling tea to mop hardwoods.  I had to give it a try.

The verdict…I LOVE it!  All natural plus a brilliant shine and beautifully clean floors.  It’s exactly what I was hoping for.  If you add a drop of wild orange essential oil the sticky spots come up even easier and the smell lingers for days lifting your spirits every time you walk into the house. Here are the details.

Put a pan or tea kettle on to boil and drop 3 tea bags into a large bowl or bucket.  Be sure to use a black tea because it’s the tannins in this particular tea that give your floor the fabulous shine we’re looking for.

Add boiling water

Dunk your mop head or rag into your bowl and ring it out well.  It’s best if it’s not too wet or the floor will take awhile to dry.  If you have little ones like I do, it’s hard enough to keep them off it for a few minutes. Check it out! Isn't it shiny? 

This has become part of our regular rotation and I always use this trick before a party or big event at the house.  I love the ease of using the steam cleaner, but the shine from the black tea gives me a huge sense of accomplishment and the smell makes me happy.  I will look like you put a ton of effort into cleaning the hardwood, but it's honestly pretty easy and very inexpensive.

How do you clean your hardwood?