Cleaning Oil Finished Floors FAQs

5-7 days after the final coat of oil.

Natural Soap is designed to clean and protect oil finished surfaces from dirt, stains, wear and tear. It cleans and leaves behind an invisible layer of plant fats, which strengthens and protects the finish.

Oil Refreshing Soap is used to clean the floor as periodic maintenance and add more oil to the finish. It does not leave behind any residue.

Natural Soap and Oil Refreshing Soap are both a part of the WOCA Residential Care plan for cleaning an oiled floor. Use Natural Soap twice a month and Oil Refreshing Soap quarterly to clean and protect your oiled wood surface.

You do not have to use 2 buckets when using Natural Soap. When the instructions to mop with Natural Soap and use 2 buckets were written with the best intentions many years ago, it confused almost everyone. The idea behind the 2nd bucket was to rinse the dirty mop so dirty mop water would not be reintroduced to the freshly cleaned floor.

Mop however you prefer with 1 bucket, 2 buckets, a spray bottle and mop, or the WOCA Spray Mop.

Natural Soap does not require rinsing after applying a properly diluted solution. Rinsing would remove the conditioning benefits of the Natural Soap.

See the recommended WOCA Residential Cleaning and Care Guide

No! A steam is the worst thing for wood floors. Cleaning with a steam cleaner will eventually break down the finish and warp the wood.

Yes, the WOCA Spray Mop head is a cotton microfiber blend that is safe for cleaning natural oil, hardwax oil and UV oil finished surfaces.

View the recommended WOCA Residential Cleaning and Care guides for UV Oiled pre-finished floors.

The concentrated formula for Natural Soap and Oil Refreshing Soap both do look the same. Once diluted, they will look different once applied.

Success removing pet stains varies depending on many factors. Try cleaning the affected area with Natural Soap first. Repeated cleaning with the Natural Soap may help to fade the stain with time.

WOCA Spot Remover could be successful, depending on the severity of the stain. Be sure to follow it with touch up oil to restore the oil finish.

If there is a mild black stain from pet urine, some customers have had success with treating it with Tannin Spot Neutralizer.

There are no guarantees with completely removing pet stains. The last resort would be to replace the soiled floor boards.

For stains that cannot be removed by using Natural Soap, try WOCA Stain Remover or Tannin Spot Remover. Just remember to touch up after the stain has been removed with more oil to add protection.

Intensive Wood Cleaner is prep cleaner for oil finishing and re-oiling maintenance. It deep cleans, opens the wood pores, neutralizes surface tannin, and prevents water stains. Using it enhances the color, performance, and durability. It is too strong to be used for regular cleaning, it will eventually pull oil and break down the finish. Instead, use WOCA Natural Soap.

Both Soaps serve their purpose. One is not better than the other because they are to be used as a system.

Natural Soap is designed to clean and protect oil finished surfaces from dirt, stains, wear and tear. It cleans and leaves behind an invisible layer of plant fats, which strengthens and protects the finish.

Oil Refreshing Soap is used to clean the floor as periodic maintenance and add more oil to the finish. It does not leave behind any residue.

Natural Soap and Oil Refreshing Soap are both a part of the WOCA Residential Care System for cleaning an oiled floor. Use Natural Soap twice a month and Oil Refreshing Soap quarterly to clean and protect your oiled wood surface.

Natural Soap and Oil Refreshing Soap are safe for pets and children. Both wood floor cleaning products are rated EN 71-3.

Natural Soap and Oil Refreshing Soap is available in a ready-mixed convenient spray bottle or in a concentrated version.

You can make your own spray bottle by adding 1–2 capfuls of the soap to a standard size spray bottle and fill the remainder of the bottle with water. Mix well and shake often while using.

No. Vinegar and water may be what your grandma recommends, but it's too harsh to use on oil finished floors, and it will eventually strip the finish.

For frequent or daily cleaning, use Commercial Soap. It does not leave a protective residue.

Frequent cleaning with the Natural Soap could leave an unwanted build up on the floor.

Cleaning your floors too often or not using the proper dilution of Natural Soap can lead to seeing footprints on the floor. If you are seeing footprints after cleaning and the floor is dry, damp mop again with plain water only and it will remove the footprints.

If your floors are sticky after mopping with Natural Soap, you are mopping too frequently or the soap dilution is not enough.

Damp mop with plain water to remove the sticky feeling from the floor.

Damp mop with plain water and rinse the mop clean with every pass on the floor until the floor is clean again.