Cleaning hardwood floors can be challenging, but you can learn how to make this tedious task far more manageable! Our professional cleaners have spent years perfecting their powerful cleaning methods for taking on tough hardwood floors. 

Although taking on your own hardwood floors is more than possible, sometimes it’s more time-effective to enlist the assistance of professional cleaners. If you’re interested in outsourcing your cleaning to a company that expertly handles deep house cleaning services, contact Super Clean 360. We provide San Francisco and surrounding areas with professional house cleaning services, Airbnb cleaning services, and more. In fact, we’re one of the top-rated cleaning companies for Airbnb in the area! 

Outsourcing deep cleaning is the best option for some, but others may want to handle the task themselves. If you’re wondering how to clean hardwood floors in the most effective way possible, read on.

Some hardwood cleaning methods work regardless of your floor’s finish, but if you want to know the best deep cleaning methods, you need to understand the difference between the main two types of hardwood finishes: surface and penetrating. 

Surface finishes have a polyurethane coating, giving the hardwood floor a waterproof barrier. Because these finishes make the flooring somewhat impervious to water damage, you’re more likely to use water-based cleaning products. The surface finish keeps liquids from penetrating the wood. 

Penetrating finishes, on the other hand, are deeper than surface finishes. They use linseed or tung oil soak within the hardwood floor, and they usually also feature a top wax coat. These finishes absorb water, so it’s important to avoid water-based cleaning solutions. 

You can use this simple solution for identifying which type of finish your floor uses: rub your hand across your floor. If the floor features a bumpy or grainy texture, it likely has a penetrating finish. You can tell whether a floor uses a surface finish by pouring a very small amount of paint thinner in an obscured part of your floor, such as underneath your couch. If it bubbles up, you likely have a surface finish.

Cleaning your hardwood floors can seem like a daunting task, but it’s important to do it regularly. If people walk on your hardwood floors frequently, you probably want to clean them around once a week to remove dirt and dust, but you only need to do a deep clean four to six times a year. 

When doing your weekly hardwood floor cleaning, you should use a dry mop as well as a broom or vacuum, and you can do this regardless of whether your floor uses a surface or penetrating finish. 

In addition to standard dirt and dust, you can take on your floor’s minor scuff marks by gently applying a soft rag to the lightly marked areas. You can take on more serious marks by using baking soda and a damp cloth.

Once you’re ready to perform a deep clean, you’ll follow different steps depending on your floor’s finish. 

When doing a deep cleaning of your floor with a penetrating finish, it’s helpful to remove the old layer of wax and apply a new layer. To apply the new wax, follow these steps:

• Dampen a clean cloth with mineral spirits
• Rub the cloth over the floor in two-foot sections
• Allow the mineral spirits to remain on the wood for five minutes on each two-foot section 
• Dampen a new cloth in water and rub away the mineral spirits
• Dry the floor with a new cloth
• Apply a solvent-based hardwood floor wax on a soft cloth
• Follow the instructions on the wax packaging
• Apply the cloth to your floor in a circular motion
• Polish your floor in two-foot sections

If you’re deep cleaning a surface finish wood floor, follow these instructions:



• Use a pH-neutral cleaner that doesn’t contain wax or petroleum 
• Dampen a sponge mop with the cleaner
• Mop three-foot sections of the floor by using circular motions
• Rinse out your mop
• Use your mop over the floor again to remove any remaining cleaner
• Dry your floor with a soft cloth

After you’re done cleaning your hardwood floors, it’s critical to avoid common mistakes that may permanently damage your flooring. Avoid these mistakes that may cause major damage to your floor:



• Don’t use heavy equipment to clean your floors, such as a floor-cleaning machine
• Always ensure that you’re using the correct kind of cleaner for your floor’s finish
• Never use steam cleaning on wood
• Never ignore sticky or wet spills, which can permanently damage your floor when left untreated 
• Don’t use overly damp mops that may damage your wood 
• Always use furniture pads to avoid chair and furniture scrapes
• Consider removing your shoes before walking on your hardwood floors

If you’re looking for expert hardwood floor cleaners in Albany, Oakland, San Francisco, and surrounding areas, look no further than Super Clean 360! We provide numerous cleaning services for our customers, including Airbnb cleaning services, deep cleaning services, new construction cleaning services, and more!