How to Clean Matte Finish Hardwood Floors

Cleaning matte finish (10% and 20% luster) hardwood floors is the same process as cleaning a satin (20% to 30% luster) or semi-gloss (50% to 60% luster) finished hardwood floor.

Low-luster matte finish floor sealant is the last, top coat applied to your floor and creates a more dull, natural-wood finish but doesn’t generally change the method of cleaning it.

While the low-luster finish does a pretty good job of hiding light scratches and dirt, you still have to clean it. 

In this guide you’ll learn: 

  • The simple steps needed to clean matte-finish hardwood floors
  • When to seek professional help with cleaning your matte finish hardwood floors
  • Common benefits and issues you might run into with a matte finish hardwood floor

(Some of the below links are affiliate links which means I get paid a bit if you click through and buy something — it doesn’t add anything to your cost! Just helps keep the lights on.)

How Do You Clean Matte Finish Hardwood Floors? 

Step 1: Gather Supplies and Cleaner

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A Soft-Bristled Broom
  • A Vacuum Cleaner with a hardwood floor setting (which turns off the beater bar)
  • A Spray Bottle
  • Clean terry cloth or microfiber cloth which you can either wrap around your flat mop to push it around or just use your hands to apply
  • A flat sweeper or mop (something like Swiffer Sweepers or Mops). Don’t use a string or sponge mop.
  • Either water or a hardwood-appropriate cleaning solution

How to Choose the Right Cleaning Product

Okay, first off: don’t use oil soap, dish soap, paste wax, ammonia, or vinegar – as detailed in How to Remove Murphy’s Oil Soap from Hardwood Floors

Want to see why you shouldn’t use vinegar? Love this demonstration: 

If your floor isn’t too dirty or just needs a light clean, you can do just fine with water, no cleaner needed.

If you do get a cleaner, you’ll want a low-pH cleaning solution. I’d recommend:

Things you DON’T need: Hardwood floor cleaning machines or steam cleaners.

Step 2: Prep the Area for Cleaning Hardwood Floor with Matte Finish

  • Clear the area of rugs and any furniture you can safely move that will get in the way. It’s a good idea because then you won’t get any cleaner on your furniture, you’ll more easily clean the whole floor. Follow our guidelines for safely moving furniture without any damage to your floors in our article (it’s about vinyl planks but you can use the same recommendations for furniture moving): How to Protect Vinyl Plank Flooring from Heavy Furniture
  • Sweep with your soft-bristled brush to remove dust, pet hair, and debris
  • Use a vacuum with a hardwood floor setting or attachment or turn off the beater bar. Make sure you pay special attention to corners and baseboards

Step 3: Damp Cleaning

Now to the good part. The key to all of this is not to get your floor too wet and dry it off immediately. You need to get your floor totally dry as soon as possible after cleaning it with either water or a cleaning solution. You particularly do not want to leave any drops or standing water — that’s a recipe for disaster for a floor.

Grab your cleaning solution. If you’ve got a concentrate, you’ll have to dilute it per the manufacturer’s instructions.

You can approach this one of two ways:

  • Add your cleaner or water to a spray bottle or spray mop and spray a small section of the floor directly before wiping it up immediately
  • Add cleaner to a spray bottle, spray your cloth or mop first then use that to clean off a section

Clean in small sections so you don’t leave any moisture on any area for too long.

Dry up each section using a clean/dry micro-fiber cloth or terrycloth rag.

How to Maintain a Matte Finish Floor and Keep it Clean

  • Set up a regular schedule to clean your floors with the above steps. Once a week is generally a good rule of thumb but adjust that up or down depending on how busy your floors are. A retiree living by themselves can go a lot longer without cleaning when compared to a family of 6 with a dog and cat.
  • Clean up spills immediately. The sooner you get to it and clean it up the better.
  • Keep your floor dry
  • Keep humidity between 35% and 55% and temperatures consistent
  • For more, check out our tips on keeping wood floors clean and removing footprints.

FAQs:

What are the Benefits and Features of a Matte Finish Hardwood Floor?

Since matte finish floors are lower luster (10% and 20%) and less reflective they can hide imperfections, dust, and minor scratches better than satin or glossy floors. The low-sheen, low-luster finish brings out a more natural appearance to your wood.
Matte finish floors are a great choice for high-traffic areas.
As an added benefit, the floors are less slippery when wet.

What are the Common Problems Associated With Matte Hardwood Floors?

On the downside, matte-finish floors may require refinishing a bit more often than satin or high-gloss floors.
As with just about any wood floor, it will also be susceptible to water damage.

Picture of Tom Powell

Tom Powell

Over the last 7 years, I’ve done a bit of everything when it comes to maintaining and repairing my 110-year-old house. Installed vinyl plank and vinyl peel and stick flooring, resurfaced and stained wooden porch, leveled and installed tiling on a concrete floor, resurfaced our kitchen cabinets… It never ends, but it feels great when you finish a project yourself and end up with a beautiful new (or repaired) floor.

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Picture of Tom Powell

Tom Powell

Over the last 7 years, I’ve done a bit of everything when it comes to maintaining and repairing my 110-year-old house. Installed vinyl plank and vinyl peel and stick flooring, resurfaced and stained wooden porch, leveled and installed tiling on a concrete floor, resurfaced our kitchen cabinets… It never ends, but it feels great when you finish a project yourself and end up with a beautiful new (or repaired) floor.

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