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Clean Your Hardwood Floors
With One Unexpected Beverage
By MARCO ROSSI
Hardwood is known for its durability, but you have to be careful how you clean it. Black tea might be the kitchen staple that will help you get your wooden floors glistening.
To use this natural cleaning remedy, get a bucket, a microfiber mop, and black tea. It's best to brew a new batch of tea for this purpose so the active ingredients are fresh.
Using one gallon of water, use eight tea bags for medium-brown floors, five
to six for lighter wood floors, and for dark floors, you might have to increase it to 10 or 12.
Let the tea fully cool before using it to clean your floor, or else you may mar it. Before going all-in, spot-test part of your floor to make sure it doesn't discolor your planks.
Once you know it's safe to use, grab a microfiber mop, dip it into the mixture, wring it well, and begin to mop your floors. You want to ensure the mop is just slightly damp.
Black tea has polyphenolic compounds that prevent bacteria from growing, helping to disinfect your floors, and its tannins not only clean your floor but help stain it.
Tannins are slightly acidic, so they will help cut through dirt and grime while you're mopping and create a light brown stain, which can
help add richness to your
natural hardwood.