How to Clean Hardwood Floors for a Healthier Home

After you stash the rugs and clear the floor, your first step should be to vacuum up all loose dirt, crumbs, pet hair, and other debris. Skip the broom, because brooms and brushes push grit deep into crevices and seams instead of removing it.

Lightweight, cordless stick vacuums like this one are safe for all hardwood floors and will do a thorough job of powering up any dirt that has crept between boards. A surface-sensing vacuum will even recognize when you transition from carpet to wood, automatically optimizing cleaning efficiency.

Steam clean floors every 2-3 months to keep them gleaming and dressed to impress.

Use Steam, Not Sweat: Deep Clean Hardwoods Fast

For truly yoga-ready wood floors, steam cleaning is the gold standard. It delivers fast and sanitized cleaning of sealed hardwoods with zero chemicals or residue. Use the hardwood floor setting on your steam cleaner to ensure you are not adding too much heat or moisture to your hardwood floors. Make sure the floor seal is intact before using the steam cleaner on hardwood. It is not recommended for use on unsealed wood floors.

For show-off results, use a clean microfiber pad, work with the grain of the wood, and maintain contact with the floor as much as possible to trap dirt in the pad.


Low-profile power sweepers glide under furniture and can store flat beside the fridge or in the pantry.

Simplify Everyday Hardwood Floor Cleanups

Give these tips a try, and you’ll notice a difference in how your home’s floors look, feel, and hold up over time.