cleaning

Shine Wood Floors Without Refinishing

Carpet freaks me out. There. I said it.

When I see how much dirt I sweep or vacuum up from hardwood floors on a daily basis and think about that dirt settling into a carpeted area…ugh. It grosses me out. I’ve lived with carpet – old and brand new – and I survived, but it’s not my favorite.

Hardwood floors, on the other hand, are my jam. I don’t think I’ve met a wood floor that I didn’t love. Sometimes though, they can look a little sad. A little dull. Like they’ve lost their sheen and sparkle.

A friend recommended a product to me to give our wood floors new life. I was skeptical. I didn’t want to use some wax product that would be a nightmare to maintain or remove. She assured me this was not the case.

Here’s the product I picked up: Holloway House Quick Shine Floor Finish.

I found mine at Publix for $6.99, but I’ve seen it at Wal-Mart too. Here’s the link to it on Amazon, but it’s more expensive there.
Shine Wood Floors Without Refinishing floorshine3
Here are my floors before I cleaned and applied the floor finish. Confession time: this was the first time I have mopped my hardwood floors since we moved in a month ago. I know, that’s horrible. To clean them, I usually vacuum first and then rag mop with a little bit of dish soap and vinegar in a bowl of hot water.

It’s hard to tell from the picture since you are seeing some “shine” from window glare, but they really were dull.

Shine Wood Floors Without Refinishing floorshine5
Are you ready for the after?

TADA! Here you go…this is when the floors are DRY.

Shine Wood Floors Without Refinishing floorshine4
Can you see the line where I stopped using the floor finish on the photos above and below? You can also see a couple of places where I missed. Oops! Keeping it real for you!

Remember, this floor is completely dry. To me, that’s a big difference for seven bucks and 30 minutes of work!
Shine Wood Floors Without Refinishing floorshine1
I did go back and fix those missed spots. You can apply the floor finish with a rag attached to your Swiffer or just rag it on by hand like I did.

Basically, this is like lip gloss for your floors. You apply it and it’s shiny. Then it fades gradually and evenly. In our last house I applied it every 2 – 3 months. That’s it! And it only takes 15 minutes to dry. A lot of bang for my buck makes me very, very happy. Now to finish the rest of the house! Did I mention this house doesn’t have any carpet. Oy. 🙂

P.S. This is not a paid endorsement for Holloway House Floor Finish. I just like their shine. But if they want to call me…I promise not to screen that call.


I have a bunch of other hacks for keeping things looking awesome! I’d love for you to read one of these next…

Fixing Nasty Grout is Pretty Easy

Repairing Nicks and Scratches in Linoleum or Vinyl

Fixing a Rattling Window in a Door

No Sew Way to Repair A T-Shirt Hole


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