Amanda Lauren is a Los Angeles–based contributor to a variety of publications, including Real Simple, Forbes, Forbes Global Properties, Reader's Digest, Simply Recipes, Bob Vila, and A Sweat Life. As an interior design expert she's appeared on Cheddar TV and Good Morning America to discuss design trends, and has had two home decor lines: creating a holiday placemat line with Elizabeth Sutton Collection, as well as designing The Hamptons Collection for ArtSugar. On top of creating design and lifestyle content, Amanda hosts the Bougie Adjacent podcast where she interviews celebrities, influencers, and entrepreneurs. She appreciates both traditional and contemporary interior designs and believes pink can be incorporated into any room of the home.

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts. She has over four decades of experience and has been writing and consulting for more than 20 years sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, stain removal methods, and textile conservation. Mary is a Master Gardener and an apple orchard owner.

If you're wondering how to clean hardwood floors so they look beautiful and retain their shine for years, the key is to clean them often and methodically. After all, floors face the greatest amount of wear and tear in our homes. Think about all the dust, dirt, grime, and debris you bring in from the outside. Allowing your wood floors to get too dirty is not only unclean, but it can also be damaging to the wood itself, which is expensive to repair, refinish, or at the very worst, replace. By cleaning hardwood floors regularly with just a few tools and natural products, you can help them keep their shine for many years. Here's how to clean hardwood floors naturally so you can avoid the harsh chemical cleaners.

Melissa Witulski, the business operations manager for Merry Maids, suggests quick regular cleanings a couple times per week to keep your floors from getting too dirty. "The best way to clean hardwood floors is to use a microfiber dust mop to remove dust, dirt, and whatever other particles were brought into your home," Witulski says. "The microfiber dust mop will not scratch your floors as some vacuums might."

Once a month (or more often if necessary), wood floors should be mopped to deep-clean the wood and make them shine. Residue from many commercial floor cleaners, however, can make wood floors look dull. To make wood floors shiny without leaving a film, the answer is vinegar.

Older wood floors and poorly installed hardwood can have cracks between the boards that trap dirt and dust. The cracks can worsen during periods of low humidity when the wood dries out. Removing the dirt and debris that becomes trapped is easy but a bit time-consuming. Clean in small sections, starting at the far corner of the room and working your way out the door, so you can come back to where you left off if you can't do the entire room at once.

Combine 2 cups warm water and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. Dip a soft-bristled toothbrush in the solution and shake until just damp. Gently scrub the cracks and then wipe away the debris with a soft cloth or vacuum it up with a handheld vac or a vacuum with a crevice tool. Dust mop and clean the floor as usual.

Steam mops are great for cleaning non-porous floors like sheet vinyl, ceramic tile, polished cement, and stone. However, the high temperature and infusion of too much moisture can cause hardwood floors to discolor, warp, and crack over time, especially if the wood is not sealed properly.

If you want to use a steam mop, be sure that your hardwood floors are well-sealed with no worn spots in the finish. Set the mop to the lowest temperature setting and do not create "steam bursts" as you work. Never leave the mop in one spot for too long.

Paint splatters and drips happen, but most can be removed from hardwood floors with a little elbow grease and the right cleaning products. Water-based paint (acrylic paint) is the easiest to remove, but it's possible to remove oil-based paint too.

Read Next: 8 No-Sweat Tricks to Clean Any Type of Floor

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