Polished timber floors gone dull and hazy? Cleaning them takes minutes, and on most modern floors restoring the shine is a DIY job. This guide covers polyurethane-coated timber: "polished floors" here, "hardwood" in America. More floor guides live in the Cleaning 101 library.
Quick Answer: To clean timber (hardwood) floors, vacuum or dust-mop the grit, damp-mop with a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner (never a wet mop). Then wipe with a dry microfibre pad. To buff back the shine, apply a thin coat of a polish made for polyurethane floors once it is clean, dry and dull-looking. Never use vinegar, steam mops, detergents or wax: the Australasian Timber Flooring Association warns they can damage the finish.
Why you should trust us
Simply Maid cleans homes across seven Australian cities; polished timber floors are routine work for our cleaners. Anything labelled "in our cleaners' experience" is what they see on the job. We do not sand, recoat or sell floor products. Polish and recoat advice comes from the Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA), the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and product labels.
How to Tell What Finish Your Timber Floors Have
The wrong product on the wrong finish causes damage only sanding fixes, so check the boards first. In Australia a "polished floor" usually means polyurethane-coated timber, a clear film over the wood; engineered boards with a polyurethane wear layer count too. Some floors have a penetrating oil, wax or shellac instead, with no hard film.
The water test
The ATFA's check for an intact film (ATFA floor care sheet) uses a few drops of water. Put them on a traffic lane and on a protected spot under furniture. Wait a few minutes. Beading water means the film is intact and the floor only needs cleaning. Water that soaks in and darkens the timber means the coating has worn through; polish will not fix it. To tell wax from a worn film, rub a coin edge over a hidden spot: wax builds up on the coin (Hunker).
What You'll Need
Most of it is at Bunnings (prices checked 4 September 2026).
Flat microfibre dust mop, or a vacuum with a bare-floor setting (spinning brush heads scratch)
pH-neutral timber floor cleaner: Bona Wood Floor Cleaner 1 L trigger (about $20; "Timber Floor Cleaner" on Bona's own site) or Long Life Timber Floor Cleaner 1 L (about $13), both labelled for sealed timber
Two microfibre mop pads, one damp, one kept dry, plus a soft cloth for spills
Polish or refresher: Bona Timber Floor Refresher (Bona stockists and online, not Bunnings), which Bona specifies for polyurethane floors only, or the Bunnings-stocked Bona Wood Floor Polish (matt or gloss, about $36); check its label for the finishes it suits
Tip: Skip the bucket and string mop; it holds far more water than a coated floor tolerates.
Step-by-Step: How to Clean Timber Floors
Step 1: Clear and dust
Move rugs and pet bowls, then vacuum or dust-mop the whole floor on the bare-floor setting. Grit acts like sandpaper under every footstep.
Step 2: Spot-clean sticky patches and scuffs
Dampen a soft cloth with floor cleaner and rub sticky spots gently. For rubber scuffs, our cleaners start dry: a tennis ball or dry microfibre cloth usually lifts the mark. Do not scrape with metal. A plastic spatula is fine; anything harder gouges the polyurethane.
Step 3: Damp-mop with a pH-neutral cleaner
Spray cleaner onto a 1–2 square metre section and mop with a barely damp microfibre pad, working with the grain.
Is it okay to wet-mop hardwood floors? No. The ATFA's rule is "never, ever wet-mop a floor": damp-mop fortnightly to monthly with the mop "wrung out until it is moist". Wet mopping "puts too much water on wood floors, which can penetrate through seams into deeper layers, causing moisture damage" (Arianna Castro on the NWFA site, 2025).
Bona's instructions have no rinse step and says the cleaner leaves no dulling residue; if you see streaks, follow with a mop wrung out dry. This is cleaning, not disinfecting; a coated floor does not need disinfecting, and bleach and ammonia would strip the finish.
Step 4: Dry the floor
Go over the floor immediately with a dry microfibre pad. Our cleaners work in two passes, damp pad in front and dry pad right behind, so no water sits on the joins.
Common Mistakes: What NOT to Use on Timber Floors
Many popular floor-cleaning tips, including on major retailer sites, are on the ATFA's do-not-use list. It names ammonia-based cleaners, wax-based products, detergents, bleach, polishes, abrasive soaps, steel wool, turps and kerosene. It also warns that domestic detergent, vinegar and methylated spirits "may damage your floor". Supermarket sprays and dishwashing liquid are detergents too. In our cleaners' experience they leave a film that builds up wash after wash, the haze often mistaken for a worn finish.
Safety Never mix cleaning products. NSW Health: "Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner." Ventilate the room during and after use. Wear gloves and eye protection. Follow the label's dilution and contact time. In an emergency call 000. For poisoning advice call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 — 24 hours, anywhere in Australia.
Vinegar
The myth: vinegar and water is the natural, safe floor cleaner. The correction comes from floor-care scientist Arianna Castro, writing on the NWFA's website in 2025. Vinegar's "acidic nature can damage the wood floor and finishes over time. It also can leave a sticky residue that attracts more dirt." Vinegar earns its place elsewhere: see our natural cleaning products guide.
Steam mops
⚠️ Safety note: Do not use a steam mop on a coated timber floor unless the flooring or coating manufacturer says in writing that it is safe. The ATFA warns that "steam mops can cause peeling of finish, whitening of the finish and a cloudy finish".
The ATFA and NWFA say no. CHOICE's December 2025 guide says sealed timber generally tolerates steam, but warns of delamination and cupping and tells you to check your flooring warranty (CHOICE).
Furniture polish, silicone sprays and oil soaps
⚠️ Safety note: Never use furniture polish, silicone spray or oil soap on a coated floor. The ATFA says not to use polishes or wax-based products on a film finish. A 2025 article on the NWFA's website warns that waxes and oils "may not allow for future maintenance coats to adhere".
Stick to a dedicated timber floor cleaner.
How to Polish and Buff Timber Floors to Restore the Shine
"Buffing" means two things. A DIYer restores sheen by mopping on a thin maintenance polish, also sold as a refresher. A floor finisher "buffs back" a floor by abrading the old coating with a machine before recoating.
Polish, refresher or recoat: which one do you need?
Option | What it is | When | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
Polish or refresher | Thin maintenance film mopped onto a clean floor | Floor is clean but dull; water still beads | You |
Recoat | Old finish abraded ("buffed back"), then one or two new coats | Water darkens traffic lanes; scratches through the coating | Floor finisher |
Sand and refinish | Boards sanded to bare timber and recoated | Coating gone, deep gouges, grey or water-stained timber | Floor finisher |
The NWFA suggests refinishing every three to five years depending on lifestyle (NWFA). Bona Australia puts sanding and recoating at five to eight years under heavy wear (Bona FAQ). The water test decides.
When to polish
Polish when the floor is clean and still looks dull: traffic paths that no longer match the boards under furniture. Bona says to reapply its refresher "when the floor starts to appear dull" and gives no interval. If water darkens the worst traffic lane, that floor needs a recoat, not polish.
DIY polishing: step by step
Labels vary, so read yours. These steps follow Bona's Timber Floor Refresher instructions; for the Bunnings-stocked Bona Wood Floor Polish, follow its own label.
Clean thoroughly (Steps 1–4) and let the floor dry completely; any grit gets sealed in.
Match the sheen. Bunnings lists Bona's Wood Floor Polish in matt and gloss, both about $36 (search listing checked 5 September 2026). Match the existing finish; if you are not sure which you have, ask a Bona stockist before you buy.
Apply a thin coat to a 1–2 square metre section with a flat applicator pad, with the grain. Bona quotes about 50 square metres per litre for its refresher; check your product's label for coverage.
Let it dry about two hours before light foot traffic (Bona's figure for its refresher). Check the label for when rugs and furniture can go back, and keep children and pets off until it is fully dry.
Apply a second coat if the first looks uneven; Bona allows one or two. Its instructions have no buffing step, so put the buffer away.
Do you need a floor polisher machine?
For a maintenance polish, no: Bona's instructions call for a mop and applicator pad, not a machine. Machines belong to the recoat, where a finisher abrades the old film. The ATFA describes film coatings being "buffed back and the floor re-coated" (ATFA floor care sheet).
When This Doesn't Work: Floors You Should Not Polish
Oiled or waxed floors. Bona specifies its refresher for "polyurethane finished and pre-finished timber floors"; do not put it on an oiled or waxed floor.
Worn-through finishes, deep gouges, grey boards and water stains. Polish cannot fill or hide them; that is a recoat or sand-and-refinish job for a finisher.
Laminate, hybrid and oiled engineered boards. Laminate and hybrid have a printed layer, not timber. Engineered boards with a factory polyurethane wear layer are polished like solid boards; oiled engineered boards are not.
Rentals, without written consent. Ask the agent first: a polish film changes the surface, and a coating that reacts to it becomes an end-of-lease dispute. An end of lease clean leaves floors clean and streak-free; polish is not part of a bond clean.
Prevention: A Quick Routine for Busy Weeks
The ATFA's baseline is to sweep or vacuum as often as you can and damp-mop fortnightly to monthly. Fit doormats at every entry and protectors under furniture.
Frequency | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
Daily or every second day | Dust mop or vacuum high-traffic areas | 5 minutes |
Fortnightly to monthly (we'd suggest weekly in a busy home) | Damp-mop with a neutral cleaner, dry pass behind | 15–20 minutes |
Monthly | Check traffic lanes for scratches; run the water test | 10 minutes |
When the floor looks dull | Clean, dry, then apply polish or refresher | 1–2 hours plus drying |
What This Costs in Time and Product
A litre of neutral cleaner ($13 to $20) lasts months. A litre of Bona polish is about $36, so a DIY kit is under $60. Allow 15 to 20 minutes per damp-mop, and an afternoon plus two hours of drying to polish. A house cleaner damp-mops timber floors in a standard clean. A recoat is a trade job we do not do, so get two written finisher quotes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use vinegar to clean timber floors?
No. A 2025 article on the NWFA's website, by floor-care scientist Arianna Castro, says vinegar's acidity can damage the wood and finish over time. It also leaves a sticky residue that attracts dirt. Use a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner instead; Bona and Long Life both sell one at Bunnings for roughly $13 to $20.
Q: Will a steam mop damage polished timber floors?
It can. The ATFA says steam mops can cause peeling, whitening and a cloudy finish. CHOICE warns of delamination and cupping on sealed timber and tells you to read your flooring warranty. Unless the manufacturer allows steam in writing, use a damp microfibre mop.
Q: How often should I polish or buff timber floors?
Polish when the floor is clean but looks dull; Bona gives no fixed interval. A professional recoat or refinish is typically needed every three to eight years depending on wear. If water darkens traffic lanes, you need a recoat, not polish.
Q: What is the best cleaner for timber floors in Australia?
A pH-neutral cleaner made for sealed timber, used sparingly with a flat microfibre mop. Never a wet one. Bona Wood Floor Cleaner (about $20 a litre) and Long Life Timber Floor Cleaner (about $13) are both stocked at Bunnings.
Q: Can you buff or polish engineered timber floors?
Yes, if the boards have a factory polyurethane wear layer; the manufacturer's care sheet will say. Clean and polish them as you would solid boards, with a thin coat. Do not polish oiled engineered boards, and never use timber polish on laminate or hybrid flooring, which has a printed surface rather than real timber. Test inside a wardrobe first.
