How To Remove Footprints From Hardwood Floors?

Walking barefoot on your hardwood floors can leave marks on them which can be difficult to clean.

If you also face this problem, we have the right solution for which you will surely like to make your floors spotless.

To remove footprints from hardwood floors, add 1 cup vinegar with warm water (1 gallon) in a bucket. Dampen a mop or cloth in the mixture, wring out excess water, and wipe the surface. Rinse the mop/cloth often. Let the hardwood floor air dry.

Let’s dive into the other detailed methods to remove footprints from hardwood floors.

What Are Footprints On Hardwood Floors?

As evident by the term itself, footprints are marks left by your feet or your shoes when you walk on the floors.

Dirt, grime, or debris are not the only things that can make your floors look; footprints are another type of temporary stain which can degrade the appearance of your floors and make them appear cloudy and hazy.

Besides, excessive footprints on the floors might even cover the grain of the wood and make the floors appear much older and worn out, a lot more than they are.

How To Remove Footprints From Hardwood Floors?

Now that we’ve discussed the problem, let us move on to the cure; using a vinegar solution is the most suitable way to remove footprints from your hardwood floors.

The detailed process is mentioned below, along with other suitable methods.

Use A Vinegar Solution

One of the most common ways of clearing any footprints from the surface of your hardwood floors is to use the vinegar solution on the floors.

This is an easy yet effective way of maintaining and cleaning the hardwood floors.

Not only does it counter the footprint or other types of imprinting on the floors, but it can also remove any stickiness on the floor.

Vinegar is a very effective product in cleaning and can handle almost all types of stains and discoloration on hardwood floors.

Besides, even if there were spillages on the surface earlier, cleaning it with a vinegar solution can help eliminate them almost immediately.

Moreover, it is very easy to use and often readily available in the house’s pantry, eliminating the necessity of buying different cleaning products for your hardwood floors.

The first step you need to take before starting this process is to dry-mop the surface.

Removing any dirt or debris from the surface, which might get puddled later during the cleaning process, is necessary. You can also use a vacuum cleaner if you can access it easily.

Once done, the solid residue has been removed from the wooden floors, you can now proceed towards removing footprints from hardwood floors using the vinegar solution.

However, you would still have to make the solution first to be able to do that.

Mix 1 cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of warm water well. This will prepare the cleaning solution for you; however, you will still need some extra towels, a bucket of clean water, and a mop to carry out the process.

After reading all the necessary items, gently mopping the floors from the farthest end to the door, ensure not to use any other cleaning agent in the solution, as it can leave residues on the floors, which can be hard to remove afterward.

Using warm water is recommended as it can not only remove the footprints but will also take care of any stickiness on the surface of your wooden floors.

While you are cleaning the floors, it is possible that dirt and mud stick between the grooves of the floors comes out and makes the mop dirty.

Therefore, when you start to see the water’s color change, you should dip the mop in the bucket of clean water and wring it out thoroughly.

After this:

• Dip it again into the vinegar solution.
• Wring it out.
• Continue mopping to remove the footprints from the hardwood floors.

Once you are done with it, dry the floors too. As you move towards the door, you won’t have to walk on the cleaned surface and leave footprints again on the floors.

As far as drying is concerned, you can use a microfiber cloth to keep the floors dry and prevent the solution from drying on the surface.

Furthermore, it is best to divide the floor into segments, clean each segment, and dry it completely before moving to the next one.

This can allow you not to leave footprints again when you attempt to dry the floors from the farthest end of the room or vice versa.

White vinegar is easy to use and access and affordable compared to other cleaning solutions.

Commercial products can cost you quite a few dollars while using the vinegar solution will hardly cost you a few cents, and your hardwood floors will be crystal clear again.

Use Dishwasher Liquid

Just like vinegar, dishwashing liquid also has countless benefits and usages you might know now.

Luckily, removing footprints from your hardwood floors is one of them, and surely you would be surprised after hearing that.

Although it must be diluted in water and made into a solution, it is still a highly effective way of ensuring that the hardwood floors remain spotless.

Moreover, not only does it take care of footprints and other stains, but it can also degrease the floors and take care of other types of stickiness, so you don’t have to worry about the health of the wood or something greasy sticking to your feet while walking.

You must repeat the same procedure as for the vinegar solution, where you have to ensure that there is no solid stain on the surface of the floors, which can become problematic afterward.

Once done, you can proceed to the next step.

Dishwashing liquid is very dense and concentrated, and using it in such a form will only leave residues on the floors and make them even stickier than before.

Hence, you need to dilute it in water in a ratio of 1:5 to create a dilute solution. This would mean mixing 1 tbsp of liquid in 5 liters of water.

An additional tip here would be to use a few drops of citric acid for an extra fragrance and to improve the strength of the solution.

If you don’t have citric acid, you can also alternate it with lemon juice. After the solution is ready, mop the floors carefully and do not go too overboard.

The same pieces of equipment will be required, just as in the previous remedy.

However, ensure not to use too much solution or wet the floors, as extra moisture and excessive solution can damage the wood and the varnish on your floors.

Therefore, it is always recommended to wring out the mop before rubbing it on the wooden surface.

If mopping and using buckets is not your cup of tea, put the solution in a spray bottle and apply the liquid to a limited area on the floors.

This can make the cleaning much easier and will automatically allow segmenting of the floors, enabling you to dry them as soon as you’ve cleaned the area.

Conclusion

If you are also worried of footprints on your hardwood floors making them look dirty, try any of the remedies mentioned above and you will see spectacular results!