Q&A for How to Polish Wood Floors

You can buff and polish your hardwood floors with household ingredients and microfiber cloths. All you need is dish soap to clean the floor and olive oil and vinegar to create an all-natural polish.

The best thing to use on your wood floors is a mild dish soap mixed with water. Make sure to do a thorough sweep and vacuum before mopping and always use as little moisture as needed. Also, make sure to thoroughly dry the floors after mopping to prevent streaking and pooling water.

For an all natural wood floor polish, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water. Squirt the solution onto the floor and wipe the floors with a microfiber cloth. You can do this by hand or attach the cloth to your mop.

You can make a DIY cleaner by mixing 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of olive oil, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white vinegar, and 2 cups (470 mL) of warm water.

Assuming you've already removed the carpet adhesive, you'll have to sand your floors, use wood paste or plugs to plug any holes left from nails, and vacuum the floor before proceeding with regular cleaning or polishing.

Yes. You can also use other similar window cleaners; cross-reference the ingredients lists to ensure that they are the same, or at least very similar.

You will need to sand the floor after you remove the carpet. This will get rid of any leftover paint, glue or other leftover "gunk" from the old carpeting.