Try using tea to clean your wood floors. It works.
By pittypatty
Editor's Note: We are assuming this is non sweetened brewed black tea. Has anyone else tried this?
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Yes, unsweetened black that has been allowed to steep longer than usual. I usually add a dash of Murphy's Oil Soap, gives a nice shine and really pops up the grain. You can even add a squirt of Mop-N-Glo to use on your wooden cabinets for a clean unfingerprintable (did I just make up a new word?) shine.
Okay I'm intrigued since I have wood floors. In a typical bucket, how much brewed tea would one use? How many tea bags does one brew to how much water in the bucket? Does one just put the tea water in the bucket and use a rag to then clean the floors? Do you go over them again with plain water on a rag to rinse? I know these questions sound stupid but I have no idea how to do this.
Are we talking about real hardwood floors or laminate floors? And just how much tea - full strength in a swiffer ? diluted in a swiffer?
About a quart in normal sized bucket. It should be undiluted. I use about 20 regular teabags in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan. After it comes to a boil let it steep until it is cold. Never tried it on laminate but on hardwoods it really gives a nice shine and pops out the grain. Must be the tannic acid in the tea. No rinsing is required.
Okay, I just purchased a home with hardwood floors as well. Is the tea recommended after you clean them with another solution first, or will the tea remove stains, years of wear and wax. Someone told me to use denatured alcohol to clean the floors, but I'm concerned about stripping off the poly. I don't want to do something that will cause me more "trauma" down the road.
I just tried it and it seems to work great. The best part is that my 2 1/2 y.o. loves to "help" me clean and using tea is great b/c I don't have to worry about her using cleaning solutions.
Is this method good for prefinished hardwood? My floors are brand new. I'm thinking of putting the steeped tea in a spray bottle and using a swiffer mop. Is this ok?
Yes, I have tried it and it works beautifully. I filled the spray bottle I was going to use with water and poured it in a pan (adding a little extra to allow for loss while boiling) put the Black tea bags in the cold water, Brought it to a boil for several minutes. After boiling, let the tea cool then pour it in your spray bottle. Spray directly on the floor and clean it in sections.
I use this regularly, and it works very well. I clean the floors normally first with a mop, hot water, and a little vinegar. Then, I boil loose black tea in a kettle for about 5 minutes. Finally, I hand wash them with the tea and a soft rag.
I have used this trick for years on my very old (over 100 years) wood floors in 2 different apartments. I brew the very strong black tea and add perhaps a half cup of mop and glo, and a couple of tablespoons of murphy's oil soap. The tea stains the worn spots, the mop and glo gives shine and the Murphy's oil soap moisturizes and cleans the woods. It's the trifecta for beautiful old (worn) wood floors!
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