Quick facts

Time	30 minutes per room
Difficulty	medium
You need	a well-wrung mop, warm water
Our price	from 46 € for a full flat clean

Water is the enemy of a wooden floor, and almost every ruined parquet was ruined slowly by a mop that was too wet. Everything else — product, technique, frequency — matters less than that one thing.

What you'll need

warm water
a product made for wooden floors, if you use one at all

a flat mop with a microfibre pad
a vacuum with a hard-floor head or a soft broom
a dry cloth for spills

Step by step

Vacuum or sweep first, always. Grit dragged around by a mop is what puts fine scratches in the lacquer. Mopping over an unswept floor is sanding it.
Wring the mop until it does not drip. Damp, not wet. If you can see a wet trail behind you that takes more than a few seconds to disappear, there is too much water on the floor.
Work along the boards, not across. It follows the grain and the joints, and any residue is far less visible.
Rinse the pad often. A dirty pad redistributes dirt instead of removing it — the reason a floor can look worse after cleaning.
Wipe spills immediately. Not after dinner. Water standing on a joint for an hour is enough to swell it.
Let it dry naturally. No heater, no hairdryer. Uneven fast drying is what lifts board edges.

Washing along the planks and across them — Wash along the planks, not across them — that way water does not get into the joints.

A dripping mop and a well-wrung one — The mop must not drip. Standing water at the joints is the most common reason a floor starts to move a year later.

What to use on a wooden floor — and what not to

Product	Good for	Do not use on
A nearly dry mop and warm water	routine care of lacquered parquet	—
Dedicated wooden floor cleaner	regular washing	—
Wood oil	oiled parquet, twice a year	not on lacquered floors — it leaves sticky patches
Vinegar, soda, all-purpose cleaner, steam	—	dull lacquer, etch oiled wood, and steam opens the joints

How often to clean parquet

Vacuum or sweep twice a week, wash once a week. Oiled parquet is re-oiled once or twice a year; lacquered parquet is sanded and re-coated every ten to fifteen years.

What to watch out for

Felt pads under furniture legs prevent more damage than any cleaning product repairs.
A doormat at the entrance stops most of the grit that scratches the floor. It is the cheapest thing on this page.
Steam mops are sold as safe for wood. They are not: steam drives moisture into the joints.
Direct sun fades unprotected wood unevenly — visible where a rug has been.

When to leave it to a professional

Routine washing is a job you can do. What is worth handing over is the clean after building work or painting, when fine dust is ground into the floor by walking on it — see post-renovation cleaning. Sanding and re-coating is a joiner's job, not a cleaner's.

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How to clean a wooden floor and parquet