You must be aware of a number of cleaning agents available in the market for cleaning of your hardwood floor, but are you aware that one such cleaning agent may already be there in your kitchen and that is economical while being effective. And, it’s vinegar and water!

Apart from convenience of availability, using vinegar and water has other advantages like:

- It evaporates quickly without leaving any spots.
- As it has no strong chemicals, it can safely be used when you have pets and children at home
- It is mild, and does not damage the wood or cause its stripping.
- Unlike some of the cleaners that need to be stripped off later, this won’t build up.

Before applying this mixture of water and vinegar clean the floor thoroughly by sweeping, preferably vacuum it. Add a cup of vinegar to two gallons of water and mop the entire floor with this mixture. Let it dry.

If you are keen to have a shining floor, you have to use one of the commercial products formulated for polishing floors. But, mind you, they tend to build up layers that you’ll have to remove ultimately.

Another way of achieving similar results is to bluff your floor with olive oil, which again is readily available at home. No doubt it is cumbersome. Pour a drop or two of the oil on a rag and rub it on the wood by hand. Just that much of oil generally suffices for about ten square feet of floor area. Olive oil, being stronger, moisturizes hardwood and leaves a shine on that. That way it’s better than a mixture of vinegar and water. However, make sure to rub the oil so that wood absorbs it, else it may leave a slick coating on wood. Like vinegar, it is equally safe, as it has no chemicals that could harm anybody in the family nor it is injurious to your hands.

Once you have a clean floor, measures should be taken to keep it that way. Make use of area rugs and don’t forget to keep large mats near the main entrance to the house to prevent entry of dust and dirt. Using adhesive felt pads at the bottom of furniture helps preventing the scratching of floors as you shift any piece of furniture.