The Best 15 Wood Floor Hacks Every Homeowner Needs to Know

Wood floors are all the rage right now. They look beautiful and add a classic feel to any room. Unfortunately though, they can be difficult to maintain, especially if you have pets or kids. Spills, accidents, scratches, and scuffs are bound to happen, But before you go running to the hardware store to pick up all new flooring, allow me to out your mind at ease. There are time-saving cleaning secrets to help you keep your floors looking like new and we have pulled our favorites together for you so you don’t have to run around panicking because company is coming and you three yer old decided to use the floor as a runway for his metal airplane. So take a breath and look through this list of wood floor hacks. You may find your life-saver right here.

Must-Know Wood Floor Hacks

Fix dents with a wet cloth and an iron. It works on wood furniture, too!

Put socks on table and chair legs to prevent floor scratches when rearranging furniture.

Remove permanent marker from wood floors with a dab of toothpaste and a damp cloth.

This homemade all-purpose cleaner is great not only for the wood floors, but for tile, stainless steel appliances, and more!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup distilled water (distilled is best, but filtered tap water is fine for short term storage)
• 1/2 cup vinegar (white distilled vinegar)
• 1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or surgical spirits)
• 2-3 drops dish soap
• 25-30 drops essential oil (my recipe uses 7 drops lavender, 7 drops orange or lemon, 10 drops tea tree oil, and 5 drops peppermint)
• Fine-mist spray bottle at least 16 oz capacity

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to spray bottle and shake to combine.
2. Sweep/vacuum the floor, or remove stray crumbs from your surface.
3. Spray the cleaner on the floor (or other surface).
4. Wipe up with a microfibre cloth or microfibre mop.

Recipe Notes:

• Do not use this on granite, marble, or other natural stone surface as the acid in the vinegar can etch the surface! Use this natural granite cleaner instead.
• Visit the full FAQ section for tips, tricks, and most asked questions about this recipe.

Use a magic eraser to get rid of floor scuffs.

Fix creaky wood floors with a generous dusting of baby powder. Work it into the cracks until the floor is no longer noisy.

Fix scratches with a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts canola oil. I can’t believe the difference it made!

Make your own wood floor cleaner using common household ingredients. No harsh chemicals here!

Ingredients:

You will need to start with a 1 gallon container to mix and store your wood floor cleaner in…an old milk or orange juice jug will work great! You will also need Castile Soap, Vinegar and Lemon Essential Oils.

Instructions:

1. Fill your gallon jug up to where it starts to curve in with water. Add 1/4 Cup of Vinegar.
2. Next, add 8 Tablespoons of liquid Castile Soap.
3. To finish it off, add 30 drops of Lemon Essential Oils. You can use any citrus oil you like actually. I also love Orange and Grapefruit Essential Oils for this solution.

Notes:

Make sure to put the top on tightly and shake it really well. I shake it up before each use. Add about 1 cup to 1 gallon of hot water in a bucket or your sink, and mop away! I love how clean my floors are, and they smell amazing too! I love that the smell is natural and not as pungent as some of the super strong floor bought cleaners. And super bonus…I can let the kiddos mop since it’s all natural!

If you have pets, you need these tips for removing urine odors from wood floors. Accidents happen, you know.

While urine is still wet, immediately spread paper towels over the puddle. Blot up as much as you can, being sure to get to the outer edges. Before the floor dries, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the area and let it sit and absorb the wetness overnight. A commercial enzyme-based product also helps to clean and deodorize urine odors as the enzymes help to break down urine crystals. When using an enzyme solution, first blot the area with paper towels, then saturate with the enzyme solution. Finish the job with a gentle, organic cleaner.

If odor persists, combine a half cup each of baking soda, white vinegar and dish soap and add enough 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to increase the mixture's volume by 10 percent. Saturate the area well. Let the solution sit for at least 15 minutes, then blot with paper towels. Once dry, try the sniff test. A second treatment may be necessary. For stains, try some hydrogen peroxide on the soiled area, then cover it with a moist rag. Check back every few minutes to see if the stain is lifting.

If home remedies and commercial cleaning products don't work, the next step to removing urine odor may be sanding and refinishing the area. In the case where repeatedly soiled areas continue to have odor, more aggressive measures, such as removing or replacing the wood, may be in order. Always treat the stain before trying to refinish the wood, as the heat of sanding may bake the urine crystals into the area causing the stain to darken. Try several applications of cleaner to remove as much of the staining as possible before trying to refinish.

Steep some black tea in hot water to make a black tea floor cleaner that will have your wood floors looking AMAZING.

Not only can old wine corks stabilize wobbly chairs, but they can help protect your wood floors, too. (See more wine cork projects here.)

This technique shows you how to repair deep scratches using steel wool, sandpaper, wood filler and a few more tools. Handy to know when these other tricks won’t work!

For light scratches, try DAP Wood Blend Sticks (affiliate) and S.C. Johnson Paste Wax.

If you’re not using a microfiber floor duster, get one IMMEDIATELY! The base is bendable, and it picks up dust, pet hair and everything else easily. Get one here (affiliate).

If your old wood floors have totally lost their luster, rub Old English Lemon Oil into the wood after a good cleaning.

The key here is not to panic or become overwhelmed by your floors. Take it one thing at a time and very soon, you’ll have floors that would make the home improvement stars jealous. But even if after you tried everything and at the end of the day you don’t see a difference, just remember that right now, scratches and scuffs just add “character” to a home.