Can you use a steam cleaner on hardwood floors

I have lots of experience with green cleaning, and I'm here to share my tips with you.

Steam mopping hardwood floors has pros and cons—read on to learn how to use a steam mop on wood flooring.

By Kocisz, CC, via Wikipedia

Can You Steam Mop Wood Floors?

You can clean many types of wood floors with a steam mop and get good results, but you could also damage them if you're not careful.

In this article, I'll let you know some of the potential problems as well as advantages that come with steam mopping wood floors. I'll also offer some advice on choosing the right steam-cleaning option for wood floors and how to use it properly to avoid damage.

At the end of this article, you will find a short video that illustrates some of the key points in how to use a steam mop on wood floors.

Pros and Cons of Steam-Mopping Wood

Let's look at the pros and cons:

Pros

The advantages of cleaning wood floors with steam are:

Floors will dry very quickly
There will be no residue left behind by detergents
Floors will not look streaky

When used properly, a quality steam machine can actually be one of the driest methods for mopping. Residue from cleaners (even some made exclusively for wood floors) can act like a magnet for dust, making floors look dull and dirty, but steam cleaning eliminates this problem.

Cons

When used improperly, a steam mop can:

Dull or remove the finish from some types of wood floors
Cause buckling at the seams

Both of these issues can be avoided simply by avoiding common mistakes and choosing the right device. (Steam cannot be used in any way on waxed floors.)

As the owner of a wood floor, you are probably aware that water damage is one of the worst things that can happen to it. The problem with steam mops is that if you blast a cloud of hot moisture directly onto the floor, that moisture can reach places where the floor's finish is inconsistent (like between the boards).

The other problem is that overzealous scrubbing combined with super-heated moisture can actually rub away the finish.

Choosing the Right Steam Mop

When choosing a steam cleaner for your wood floors, the first thing to decide is whether you want a stick or a canister-type machine that comes with a variety of attachments. I suggest using a canister machine for a number of reasons.

Stick-Type Steam Mops

The main disadvantage to using a stick-type steam mop is that you may not be able to easily lift the steam mop away from the floor when triggering the steam (and I'll explain why that is important in just a moment).

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Features to Look For

Here are some features that may be important:

Quick and Easy Cloth Change

Regardless of whether you choose a stick-type mop or canister style, look for a machine that allows you to quickly and easily change the cleaning cloth. If your floors are particularly dirty, you may need to change the floor cloth quite often, so choosing one that makes that easy on you will give you better results.

Some steam mops are designed to accept only cloths made by the manufacturer, whereas others feature clips that will allow you to use any large cleaning cloth. Make sure to check out that feature as well as the price on replacement cloths for whatever model you are considering.

Dry Vapor

Canister-type steam machines come in two varieties, one being a lower-end "wet steam" machine with a boiler temp around 212 degrees, the other being the pricier "dry vapor" machines with a boiler temp around 320 degrees. Both types of machines are far more versatile than a simple steam mop.

I own both types of canister-type machines and have owned a couple of steam mops as well that I no longer use. I have to admit that to me, the expense of the dry-vapor machine is totally worth it.

I spend a lot of time cleaning, and having a machine with a higher boiler temp means that my cloths don't get wet nearly as quickly, which saves a few seconds and is just less of a hassle, and the machine also performs better at a lot of other tasks.

My smaller and cheaper steam cleaner works well for mopping when the floors are cleaned regularly, but I find it more difficult to get good results when the floors are covered in muddy paw prints, splotches of peanut butter, stuck raisins, and other issues I regularly encounter in homes with busy families.

Tips for Using a Steam Mop

Here are some key tips:

Keep the Floor Cloth as Clean and Dry as Possible

The trick to getting floors beautifully streak-free with a steam mop is to keep the floor cloth as clean and dry as possible. That is why it's so important to choose a model that allows you to easily change the cloths. (It's also important to mop in the direction of the grain, regardless of how you clean them.)

Lift the Mop When Triggering Steam

Regardless of what the commercials might show you, the safest way to use a steam mop on wood floors is to lift the mop off the floor when triggering the steam. Blasting steam directly onto your floor may or may not damage them, but there's no sense in finding out the hard way.

When cleaning your wood floor, you will need to lift the mop head into the air and give the trigger a few short bursts, enough to get the cloth hot and a little damp but not wet. This is easier with a machine that features adjustable steam output, but it's still possible with a cheaper machine.

When you mop with the cloth you will see a slight trail of moisture, sort of like you would expect to see if you were to clean up a spot with a well-wrung rag. When the cloth gets too cool, it will seem to be less effective.

Simply lift up the mop head again and reheat with a burst of steam. Just a very, very, tiny little burst is all you need; If you get the cloth too wet, it loses friction against the floor and will not work as well. When the cloth becomes too wet or too dirty, just change it out for a fresh one.

Don't Relentlessly Blast Sticky Spots With Steam

If you come across a sticky spot on the floor that gives you trouble, don't blast steam at it continuously in an attempt to lift it. Just use the mop to scrub at the spot (check the cloth first to make sure you don't have anything that might scratch the floor stuck to it).

Lift it up and give it a little blast if you need to, but don't blast steam on the spot. Sometimes a little squirt of mild, diluted soap from a spray bottle is what it takes. My favorite cleaner is Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds. It's very mild, rinses clean, cuts through grease and sticky stuff, and is not acidic so it won't etch your floor's finish.

Release Condensed Water Before Mopping

If you are using canister-type machine, particularly a low-end "wet" steam model, you will need to hold the wand over a sink or spare towel to release any condensed water from the hose and wand before you begin mopping.

Canister machines work a little differently than stick mops in that they send steam up through the hose and out through the mop head using steam pressure alone, whereas stick-style mops often push steam out using a pump.

If a canister-type machine is left to sit (even if it's still running), the steam will cool inside the hose and turn back into water. You need to release that water by using the steam trigger before attempting to clean, or you will end up with a big wet mess all over the floor.

The more expensive "dry vapor" machines are less prone to this problem. Dry vapor machines also give you more cleaning time between changing the cleaning cloth because they do not get soaking wet as quickly.

Use Two Cloths

When I'm using my canister steam cleaners, I like to attach two cloths to the mop head. I wrap one all the way around the mop head and attach the other cloth only at the front of the mop head. That way, when I lift up the mop head and trigger the steam, only the cloth wrapped around the mop head gets wet while the cloth that hangs free on the top stays dry.

I use the dampened cloth to moisten the floor, then I use the dry cloth to wipe it off. No streaks and instantly dry! Check out the video below to see how I do it. (I'm using a Sienna Eco steamer in the video.)

Investigate Streakiness

If you use a steam mop and are getting streaks once the floor is dry, consider changing your laundry detergent or using less of it. Another culprit is if your floor cloths are too wet. Remember, the wetter the cloth, the more friction you lose and the worse it works.

Practice Makes Perfect!

I've cleaned floors this way so many times now, I can do a fairly large area with very dirty floors and only go through two or three cloths, and the entire floor literally dries before I even get the machine unplugged.

It takes a bit of practice to learn exactly how wet to get the cloth, but once you get that down, you can clean a whole floor that's really dirty in just a few minutes.

We have a large kitchen and dining area in our house with perfectly smooth bamboo, pre-finished floors. They reflect light so smoothly that any and every little drop of water that dries on the floor, every smudge, every footprint, etc., shows up, and it's a challenge to keep them looking good.

I can clean my floors in no time this way, and they are dry almost instantly, which is great because I can not keep the other inhabitants of my home out of the kitchen for more than ten minutes.

Steam mopping can be a fast and easy way to clean your wood floors, but you have to be careful and consider the risks.

I personally feel that steam cleaners are a great way to clean wood floors in busy households with kids and pets where the floor really gets a lot of traffic, but often unnecessary in homes that tend to stay pretty clean between moppings.

They are always great on tiled kitchens, no matter what. I like using one on all types of floors because I am able to get the floors streak and spot free in very little time, but I know to be careful when dealing with wood.

I encounter every type of wood floor in my line of work and have tried just about every method possible to keep them clean. I find that in busy, dirty households, getting wood floors clean without a streaky, smeary mess can be a real challenge.

My steam-cleaning method has been working well for me for about five years, and I've yet to see a floor show any signs of buckling, cupping, or damaged finish.

If you choose to buy a steam cleaner or steam mop to clean your wood floors, make sure that you know how to use it and don't go blasting steam or hot water all over your floors. The key to keeping wood floors looking great, regardless of your method, is a light touch, so go easy!

Steam-Mop Demonstration

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: How do I clean my white birch hardwood floors that have no finish at all on them?

Answer: First, I would vacuum them with a hard floor attachment or sweep. (I like vacuuming because it get's more dust off the floor. Just make sure you don't get any tiny rocks or tough debris stuck in the floor attachment bristles that could scratch the floor and don't use a roller meant for carpets.) Then I would use a ringer mop, like this one from O Cedar -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WSWGVZQ?aaxitk=AKNH0w... I would fill the bucket with clean, warm water and fill a spray bottle with a mild solution of Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds. Then I would spot clean. Use the spray bottle for any tough, dirty spots or sticky spots and use the bucket to rinse your mop and keep it clean as you go. A ringer mop is a good choice because you can squeeze out the water really well and water is an unfinished floor's enemy. Unfinished floors can be particularly delicate, but also develop a lovely worn character over time. It depends on your style and their condition how much you want to baby them. I hesitate to recommend using a steam mop on them because if you accidentally blast steam directly on the floor, they are more likely to warp and stain. More than anything, don't clean them any more than absolutely necessary and even then, spot cleaning is best. Keeping them oiled is good idea, but it's messy and time consuming. Most advice you see will tell you to never wash them, but for a lot of people that's not very realistic. Sometimes they just get too dirty. Try to keep up with the spot cleaning so you don't feel compelled to slather water over the entire floor at once due to them just getting too gross.

Sarah on December 29, 2017:

We have a white film after the first use of our steam mop, any suggestions?

Samantha on May 29, 2017:

Thanks for this article. Can you recommend any brands or models?

What is the best thing to use to clean wood floors?

In most homes, the best wood floor cleaner is plain old soap and water, and the only tools you need are a broom, vacuum, and mop. The best mop for wood floors is a microfiber flat-head or string mop you can easily wring out.

Is it OK to use shark steam mop on hardwood floors?

The Shark Steam Mop is an excellent mop to use on floors of all types. You can even use it on hardwood floors and on laminate floors if you are careful about the setting and how you mop. Plus it will sanitize the floor so any pets and small children will stay safe and healthy.

Can hardwood floors be steamed cleaned?

A question that is commonly asked a few times per week, so here is our definitive answer : Yes, using steam on hardwood floors is an excellent way to sanitize them and it poses no problems to the wood surface, given that the operator uses the right technique.