The best wooden floors cleaner is a gentle, pH-neutral one used on a damp mop, never a wet one. Timber and its finish react badly to harsh chemicals, standing water and steam, and a floor cleaned the wrong way dulls, cups or turns white at the seams. Whether you want advice on products, a one-off deep clean before a recoat, or regular cleaning for an office, guesthouse or hall, send one request and local floor care specialists quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation to accept.
Choosing a cleaner for wooden floors
Read the finish before you read the bottle. A floor sealed with polyurethane or water-based lacquer has a hard film on top, while an oiled floor is protected inside the wood and is more sensitive to water and soap.
- pH-neutral wood floor cleaner: the safe choice for sealed floors, diluted exactly as directed.
- Soap-based cleaner: made for oiled floors, because it tops up the finish instead of stripping it.
- Avoid: bleach, ammonia, vinegar mixes, strong degreasers, wax-based polishes on sealed floors and any steam mop.
How to clean day to day
Sweep or vacuum with a soft brush head first, because grit scratches finish like sandpaper. Then use a flat microfibre mop that is wrung out until it is barely damp. Work along the grain, dry any puddles at once and let the floor air dry. Wipe spills straight away, especially near kitchen doors, pet bowls and plants.
Put mats at the entrance, felt pads under chair and table legs, and keep dogs' nails trimmed. In coastal homes, wipe salt and sand off the floor often, as both are abrasive.
When a deep clean or recoat is needed
If the floor stays dull after cleaning, has sticky patches, or shows grey wear paths where the finish is gone, a simple mop will not fix it. Specialists can machine scrub and buff, strip old polish and apply a maintenance coat. Where the finish has worn through to bare wood, you need sealing and varnishing or a full floor sanding. For shine and protection afterwards, see wooden floor polishing.
Getting cleaning quotes you can compare
Cleaning is quoted per job, per room or per square metre after the cleaner sees the floor. Tell each one the floor type and finish, the area, how dirty it is, whether there is old polish or wax to strip, and if you want a protective coat applied. Ask which products they use, whether they use steam (they should not), how long the floor must stay clear, and if they work in offices after hours. A visit beats a phone price every time.
What to include in your request
- The floor type and finish: sealed or oiled
- The area in square metres
- Old polish, wax or stains to remove
- One-off deep clean or a regular contract
- The suburb and a suitable day for access
Wooden Floor Cleaning for different clients
- Homeowners: a gentle weekly mop routine and a yearly deep clean for sealed living areas and bedrooms
- Flats and townhouses: quiet, low-moisture cleaning that suits sectional title units and shared stairwell rules
- Builders, developers and renovators: a builder's clean that lifts dust and plaster from fresh floors before the owners move in
- Landlords and letting agents: a quick deep clean between tenants to bring tired boards back to a presentable finish
- Offices, practices and showrooms: after-hours buffing and maintenance coats for reception areas, passages and open-plan floors
- Guesthouses, lodges and restaurants: regular cleaning of lounges and dining rooms where guests and luggage wear the finish
- Shops, salons and cafés: daily damp mopping and periodic buffing of shop floors that see constant foot traffic
- Schools, halls, gyms and studios: scrub and recoat cycles for hall, gym and studio floors, timed for school holidays
Frequently asked questions
What is the best way to clean wooden floors?
Can I use a steam mop on a wooden floor?
Is vinegar and water safe for hardwood flooring cleaning?
Do you clean floors for me?
Wooden Floor Cleaning by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg