How to Disinfect Hardwood Floors

Learn how to clean and sanitize hardwood floors. With the right floor cleaner and our floor disinfectant process you'll have your wood floors looking brand new.

Disinfecting floors

Hardwood floors are beautiful and easy to maintain through regular cleaning. However, it’s also important to know how to disinfect wood floors in addition to cleaning alone.

Messes get tracked into our homes on the bottoms of our shoes and by kids and pets all the time. It’s important to remember that these messes we track in may contain germs — viruses and bacteria — that can linger on our floors. Cleaning alone won’t get rid of these potentially dangerous microorganisms; germs call for disinfection.

Disinfect hardwood floors as part of your regular routine to keep your floors looking great and to maintain a clean and safe environment for you and your loved ones. Keep reading to learn how to disinfect hardwood floors, including the products and steps involved.

For a quick and convenient solution, use Clorox^® Scentiva^® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths¹ to disinfect hardwood floors. They kill 99.9% of germs² and are bleach-free and safe to use on sealed or finished hardwood floors. They are pre-saturated with cleaning solution and fit Swiffer^® Sweeper³ and other standard mop heads. These mopping cloths can disinfect your floors and make mopping a floor easier.

Mopping cloths are simple to use and make killing the germs hiding out on floors throughout your home quick and easy. Clorox^® Scentiva^® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths eliminate 99.9% of viruses and bacteria — we’re talking the serious stuff: staph, strep, salmonella, E. coli and more.⁴

These floor wipes will also freshen your room with uplifting long-lasting scents without harsh chemical smells. Clorox^® Scentiva^® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths come in three elevated scents:

- - Lavender & Jasmine: Lavish yet delicate balance of lavender and blossomed jasmine petals
  - Coconut & Waterlily: Vibrant, enticing scent of freshly shaved coconut carried on a warm ocean breeze
  - Grapefruit & Orange Blossom: Cheerful blend of citrus paired with floral notes of lime blossoms and white lavender

For information on indulging your home beyond your floors, check out additional Clorox^® Scentiva^® products here.

Tools for disinfecting hardwood floors

The job of disinfecting hardwood floors is easier when you get all your cleaning supplies together first.

For a convenient way to clean and disinfect hardwood floors, you’ll need:

- Broom or vacuum
- Clorox^® Scentiva^® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths in your favorite scent
- Swiffer^® Sweeper³ or another standard mopping tool

Read on for the step-by-step breakdown on how to disinfect hardwood floors.

Steps for disinfecting hardwood floors

Before disinfecting hardwood floors, use a soft broom to sweep up dust, pet hair and loose debris such as dirt and gravel. Or you can use a vacuum to clean hardwood floors before you disinfect them — just make sure it’s on the hardwood floor setting.

Now, it’s disinfection time! Follow these three easy (and we do mean easy!) steps to disinfect hardwood floors:

One

Attach

wet mopping cloth to sweeper head.

Two

Mop floor.

Use enough cloths to ensure the floor remains visibly wet for 10 seconds to sanitize and 4 minutes to disinfect.

Three

Let floors air dry.

There is no rinsing required.

Disinfecting hardwood floors: Best practices

Disinfect hardwood floors daily or weekly after a quick sweep to make sure your unwanted house guests — bacteria, germs and fungus — take their leave. You can also help keep germs and messes from being tracked into your home by placing mats in front of doors and removing shoes as soon as you come into the house.

When disinfecting hardwood floors, try working in small sections to be sure you can rinse quickly and efficiently. And be sure the room is well-ventilated while you work.

If you’re unsure if a disinfecting product is safe for your hardwood floors, test a small, less visible section of the floor before mopping the entire area. And always read the cleaning product’s label before using to know how to disinfect properly and follow the usage directions.

Take steps to avoid slips and falls on wet floors, and clean floors when there is less traffic in your home to prevent injuries. Make sure you allow plenty of time for floors to dry after you clean and disinfect them.

In addition to disinfecting hardwood floors, discover floor cleaning tips for your home and why deep cleaning your floors can help.

Make disinfecting your hardwood floors part of your cleaning routine

The more you are in the habit of doing something, the easier it is, so start integrating disinfecting hardwood floors into your regular cleaning routine today.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use bleach to clean a hardwood floor?
Generally, bleach should only be used on hard, non-porous surfaces in good condition. Learn more here.

^{1. Clorox^® Scentiva^® Disinfecting Wet Mopping Cloths are not for use on unpainted wood and unfinished, unsealed, unpainted, waxed, oiled or worn surfaces. Test a small area first.

2. When used as directed on hard, nonporous surfaces.

3. Swiffer^® is a registered trademark of The Procter & Gamble Company.

4. Use as directed on hard, nonporous surfaces.}