Can You Put Bleach on a Wood Floor? The Dangers of Bleach & Other Harsh Cleaners on Wood

Bleach is a powerful cleaning agent for removing stains from laundry and hard surfaces like ceramic tile. But can you put bleach on hardwood surfaces like wood floors?

It may sound tempting. Household bleach can remove tough stains because it is a highly caustic agent that breaks down chemical bonds. Unfortunately, these same chemical bonds are present in all types of wood.

In other words, if bleach is applied to hardwood flooring, decks, or furniture, it typically deteriorates the structure of the wood at a chemical level. This causes changes in the color of wood floors and weakens the material, making it more porous and more prone to staining and damage, as well as significantly lightening with bleaching.

Even treated floors aren't safe—bleach can break down finishes, exposing the wood beneath the finish to staining from spills, damage from other chemicals, and water damage.

Hardwood Flooring, Harsh Cleaning Chemicals, & Your Health

Care should always be taken when cleaning your hardwood floors, from the type of cleaner you use to the kind of mop that's best for hardwood floors. It's essential to make informed choices to protect the beauty and durability of your wooden flooring.

On top of preserving your hardwood, perhaps an even more important consideration is preserving your personal health.

Bleach certainly isn't the only harsh chemical cleaner people use on their floors. Other commercial products pose different risks—even those that say they are specially formulated for cleaning floors.

Most of these cleaners contain other caustic chemicals that are highly solvent, which is often evident by their strong odor. This strong odor means the chemicals in these cleaners are entering your airways and may irritate the sensitive tissues in your respiratory system. This can lead to headaches, nausea, or more severe breathing problems.

Alternatives to Bleaching Your Wooden Floors

There are many reasons to avoid bleach-based and commercial chemical cleaners. Not only are they generally harmful to your flooring, but most are also bad for your health. DIY alternatives may sound attractive, but even "all-natural" lemon juice or vinegar cleaners can leave wood flooring stripped, stained, and susceptible to further damage. It's also important to wear goggles and masks when using commercial chemical cleaners.

Making the right products part of your regular cleaning and maintenance schedule is important, but it's also easier than you might think. WOCA offers an array of cleaning products for hardwood flooring to give your floors some TLC without posing risks to your health.

WOCA's Natural Soap is an effective, safe solution made from all-natural products like coconut and soy oils. It's suitable for use on either oiled hardwood flooring or pre-finished floors. The plant-based fats perform double duty by both cleaning and conditioning your wood floors.

For more demanding cleaning jobs, WOCA Commercial Soap is the perfect option. Like all WOCA products, this is a gentle, plant-based cleaner with no VOCs—volatile organic compounds that can cause irritation or pose serious risks to your health.

Good For Your Floors & Your Health

WOCA's cleaning and finishing products are specially formulated to be easy to apply, effective, and safe for your hardwood flooring, wooden furniture, wooden decks, and other cleaning and finishing needs. They're made with the health of your family and pets in mind, using only non-toxic ingredients in compositions that are as safe as they are practical.

When cleaning your hardwood floors, avoid chlorine bleach and other harsh chemicals to make sure you're safe (and not sorry). Safeguard your family's health while protecting and beautifying the interior spaces of your home. 

Browse WOCA's collection of Cleaning & Maintenance products specifically designed for your hardwood floors here.