Inside: Are you dealing with dull hardwood floors? Check out how to shine wood floors and keep them shiny! It's easy to remove scratches, remove damage from foot traffic, and polish your floors so they look like new again.
Do your hardwood floors look dull compared to when they were new?
Hardwood floors can look great when new but time can dull them.
I completely understand. We have dogs and a kiddo that really causes some wear and tear on our floors.
Last weekend I rented a carpet cleaner and today I went through and cleaned and shined my hardwood floors. It is amazing the difference polishing your hardwood floors makes.
If you are dealing with dull hardwood floors check out how to get your hardwood floors shiny again.
How To Shine Hardwood Floors
When we bought our house our floors were extremely damaged due to neglect and some water damage. Over the last 10 years, our hardwood floors have been well used by kids and dogs.
It always amazes me that they come back so shiny with just an hour of work.
Don't forget to check out my tips on caring for hardwood floors too!
To get rid of dull hardwood floors and have them look shiny and new again you will need a few things.
Items you will need
- tennis ball (to remove scuff marks)
- mop
- vacuum
- Halloway House Quick Shine (You can pick it up on Amazon)
Start by removing any area rugs, chairs, and tables on the hardwood floors.
Sweeping & Removing Dust
You will want to start by sweeping or vacuuming your hardwood floors to remove any dust, pet hair, or debris.
Note: Pay extra close attention to the corners and edges to get all of the dirt and hair gone.
Anything that is left on the floor will mix in with the wood polish and make it look dirty.
Mop The Hardwood Floor
After you have swept the floor you will want to go over the floor with a damp cloth. I just used a microfiber cloth that was wet with water and then rung out.
I have one that goes on a mop head so I can quickly clean the floors, it makes life so much easier when cleaning hardwood floors.
This helps get anything that is spilled or stuck to the hardwood floors.
Depending on how dirty your floor is you may want to be using a hardwood floor cleaner first instead of just water.
Polish The Wood Floors
Once the hardwood floors are clean and dry you can now add the shine to those dull hardwood floors.
I use Holloway House Quick Shine to polish my floors. Over the last 10 years, I have used it on our hardwood floors and I love it.
I feel like it does a great job of:
- getting rid of micro scratches and small imperfections
- makes the floors shine
- doesn't cause air bubbles
- leaves a great surface finish
Note: I have tried Bona, Orange Glo, and other products and none come even close to Holloway House.
However, use whatever you feel most comfortable with.
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To apply the hardwood floor polish you will want to open the squirt top and remove the seal. Then, leave the squirt top open to apply.
Step 1: Gently spray a small amount of the Quick Shine out onto the floor in a small area. I recommend keeping to a 3 feet by 3 feet area.
Tip: Make sure you are going with the grain of your hardwood floor. You will get a more even application this way.
Step 2: Use a mop that has been dampened with water to spread it evenly over the 3 x3 area.
Note: I just use an inexpensive foam mop to spread it around.
Step 3: Slowly work your way across the hardwood floors spraying and spreading the Quick Shine as you go in small areas.
Step 4: When you have finished all of the hardwood floors wait for it to dry before you add another coat.
Note: Each time you add a coat wait until the previous coat has dried.
Step 5: Continue to add liquid floor shing to add as many coats as needed until you get the desired shine.
The first time I used it years ago I added 5 coats. Now I add about 2 coats twice a year.
Let The Hardwood Floor Dry
When you are finished wait for the last coat to dry and then you can walk on it.
You can move your furniture back into the rooms as soon as the revitalizer is dry, however, I recommend waiting 24 hours before moving rugs and mats back into the room.
I am amazed at how shiny my floors look for months after applying the Quick Shine.
If you are having a hard time finding Quick Shine you can buy bottles here and have them sent to your house. It used to be harder to find, but more stores are starting to carry it.
I love the way my floors look after I follow these easy steps. They stay shiny even after muddy paws and snow-covered boots walk all over them. Check out the amazing before and after.
Areas To Avoid
There are some things you will want to avoid getting the hardwood floor polish on:
- baseboards
- toilets
- floor vents
- furniture
It will leave a shiny coat on just about anything it gets on, so just make sure to avoid any areas you don't want shiny.
Cleaning and Removing Scuff Marks From Hardwood Floor
To start you will want to get up any scuff marks shoes or other things have left on your floor.
I like to use a tennis ball and rub it over the scuff marks. The tennis ball quickly takes the scuffs away.
If you don't have a tennis ball then you can get this scuff mark remover tool for not much more than a can of tennis balls.
Looking for some more easy cleaning tips?
Over time wear and tear on your hardwood floors can remove the top layer of shine and lead to dull, dingy hardwood floors. By using a shine treatment you can help add back that top layer of shine to your wood floors.
The more layers of quick shine that you add to your floor will bring a higher gloss shine to your floors. You can add plenty of layers. I did 5 the first time I redid my hardwood floors.
Cindy Markham says
I use this on my Engineered Wood floors and they look amazing afterwards. I buy the hardwood floor bottle and I use a Terry cloth floor pad on my swiffer style mop. Just squirt out small amounts of the wax as you mop along and you can see if you need to squirt more. Unreal shine and they dry quickly too.
Julie says
Yay! Thanks for sharing.
Richard Leclerc says
Can I use Holloway House Quick Shine on LVT flooring?
Julie says
I would either test in a small area or check with your floor manufacturer.
Debbie says
My wood floors are parquet, so going with the grain would be impossible, unless I did each tile individually. Will this polish still work?
Julie says
I would test in a small area first and see how that works.
Kate says
Does this polish build up over time so that you have to strip it eventually?
Julie says
Yes, it can depending on how much you use and how often you do it. I have been using it for about 15 years on our floors and just recently decided to strip it. The same company sells a product that you mop on to remove the layers. I stripped it and then reapplied a fresh coat afterwards without any problems.
Annr says
12/15/24
That stuff is horrible. I bought the whole kit based on this article. Followed all directions. Many places on the floor developed lots of white residue and the floors looked smeared and there is residue in the crevices between each 2 pieces of wood.
I now have spent the next day trying to reverse the polish. So far have done the worst floor areas with warm water and vinegar . Exhausting. I threw the bottle and what was left in the trash. I’ll use the cloths and mop handle that came with the kit for something else.
Use this stuff at your own risk.
Julie says
I'm sorry you didn't like it.
Renae says
I want to try this. I have been searching high and low for something that gives the shine and is long lasting. What type of mop do you use? I have a microfiber mop on one side and the other is considered the mop. I'm curious if you are using what I consider to be a regular string type mop or sponge mop or what. TIA
Julie says
My mop is a regular sponge mop. I hope that helps.
Renae says
I will give that a try then. Thank you!!
Ashley says
A week after using polish I took my bona to mop floors and the polish started coming off. Then I had this sticky polish going everywhere. Any seggestions?
Julie says
I have never had this problem before. I have used Bona after using the Holloway House without any problems. Did you use the Holloway House brand polish? You can always try contacting the company for help.
C Vines says
Bona built up on my floors and it took me forever to get it off.
Julie says
Thanks for sharing!
Johanna says
Is it Holland or Holloway House? Can't find Holland. Your floor looks GREAT!!!
Julie says
Sorry, you are correct. It is Holloway House.
Chantel says
Should the mop be wet or dry to start?
Julie says
Your mop can be dry or slightly wet before you apply it. You don't want much water on the mop or else it will dilute the product too much.
Heather says
When we bought our house in 2011 the floors weren't even finished! We had that done and after a few years and 6 pomeranians (I know, I'm a crazy person...lol) Anyway I tried everything. Then I found this. I love it! I use their floor cleaner too.
Jobie Medina says
I actually just bought this the other day. I was in the store trying to decide which to purchase between this and Bona. A lady walking by says she loves this one and uses it on her 100 year old floors. I was sold. I can't wait to try it! Glad so many people love it. I'm sure I will too.
Diane says
Thank you so much for this! I've been searching the internet for years to find a product that will work on my old (1921) wooden floors that are in pretty good shape but dull. Lots of people swear by Murphy's Oil Soap, but that left a residue when I used it on the floors. I tried Bona, like you said, but it didn't leave a shine. I will be trying this for sure! I also really love your mop in the 3rd photo...I have the same one, I think! Is it a Flylady mop?
Julie says
It is! I love how well it has held up.