The Vintage Cleaning Ingredient To Make Your Hardwood Floors Shine Like New

With constant foot traffic, your hardwood floors may become dull over time, especially when you skip out on regularly cleaning and maintaining them. One of the easiest ways to clean hardwood floors is to mop them. While many people use commercial products, these solutions have chemicals like ammonia, ethanol, and other acids for a thorough clean. Sometimes, these store-bought floor cleaners cause the protective layer to fade, allowing it to dull or become more prone to damage. However, that doesn't mean there aren't natural ways to get a polished clean through homemade products. And some of those solutions have already been around for many years as a preferred cleaning strategy. That's how borax is the vintage cleaning ingredient that makes your hardwood floors shine like new.

This cleaning agent is an odorless, white natural mineral commonly used to clean, polish, and buff everyday household items, features, and even clothing. It is also known to combat mildew, tough stains, and grime, giving your space a sanitized refresh. Never worry about foul smells from your floors due to spills or dirt, as it naturally eliminates odors on the spot. What's great is that it doesn't help with just wood floors; you can easily eliminate grout stains on your floor with your grandma's all-purpose cleaning tool. There's a big stigma that this washing and sanitizing method is dangerous and shouldn't be used, but just like with any cleaning solution, it has proper steps you must follow to ensure your safety.

Just like any other cleaning item, you must know how to use borax to clean your hardwood floors safely. For smaller, surface-level messes, place the white cleaning agent onto a damp sponge or rag to wipe it up. To clean the overall floors, you can mop the floors by adding a small scoop of powdered laundry detergent and an equal amount of borax into a bucket. Stir them in water until they dissolve, and use your mop to scrub the floors. 

For tougher spots, you also can blend together ½ cup of vinegar, ¼ cup of borax, and a squeeze of mild dish soap in hot water. As a mopping tip that will keep your floors looking like new, always wring out your mop head so excess water doesn't pool on the floors, damaging them. While you may want to mix bleach for extra sanitation, refrain from doing so since the combination may release toxic fumes. Borax is known to cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation; therefore, you must wear protective gear like goggles, shoes, gloves, and aprons.

After you finish cleaning, take your dirty water bucket and toss it down the drain. Then, wash your mop head or sponge, letting it fully dry before putting it away. The now-empty pail must also be washed and dried before you use it again. While borax is non-toxic, you must keep it stored away from pets and animals in a sealed container, preferably in a dry, moisture-free, and closed-off area.