Wood floors have a number of benefits that give them an edge over other flooring options, but they do have one significant drawback: they tend to get scratched by everyday objects and general wear and tear.

If you have a grandchild who enjoys playing with toys on the floor, you fully understand this problem! Even something as harmless as a pet on the move can cause tiny scratches that make your floors look worn over time. Polishing and resealing them every once in a while helps to protect the flooring, but only up to a point.

And as much as some people love the 'distressed' rustic look, scratches on wood floorboards undoubtedly tell their own story about how the people who live in the house treat it.

While you can't bring back the time when the floors were still untouched and pristine, there are some tricks that can help you get the floors looking shiny and new again.

Just take a look at this affordable tip that one mum shared on social media recently!

Mum-of-two Belinda from Victoria was looking for tips on how to remove all the damage her floor had suffered from years of wear and tear when she came across someone's unusual advice.

The tip involves rubbing the hard and rough shell of a pecan into the scratch until it eventually disappears.

The mum admitted that she was highly doubtful the trick would work, but she decided to give it a go anyway. And to her surprise, she was shocked that it worked amazingly well!

Before and after photos of Belinda's wooden floor after she performed the trick. Credit: Facebook.

'I was very surprised when I saw it disappear before my eyes! I had about four scratches - they were deep enough for me to scratch it with my nail but I wouldn't say they were super deep,' she said.

When Belinda decided to post her polishing hack on the Mums Who Clean Facebook group, she never expected it would be such a hit among members.

The mum added: 'I was so surprised by the reaction I got; I wrote it as a light-hearted joke and it went viral!'

It turns out that the seemingly random trick comes from a rather 'old wives’ cleaning tip.

You may also use walnuts for this purpose, but the mum said that pecans work just as well for the task.

'Just one pecan did the trick,' said Belinda.

'Others have said it lasts, but I'm not sure.'

Many users praised Belinda for her 'game-changing' trick, with one user writing: 'That's magic!'

'This is so handy!' another exclaimed.

However, not everyone was as thrilled by the simple but effective cleaning hack.

Some users said that they had already tried the tip before, but the results were far from impressive. One user shared that the nut just crumbled once it was used, and it had 'zero effect'.

Key Takeaways

• A recent Facebook tip made the rounds online after a mum used a pecan to remove scratches from her floorboards.
• The hack works by simply scrubbing the nut into the scratch.
• This will save you money from fixing scratched floors

So, if you're thinking of trying it, make sure to test it out on a small but visible area of your floor first!

There you have it, folks. We’d love to know if you give this tip a go. Also, if you know other floor cleaning tips, please share them with us in the comments below! We would love to hear them.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I have polished floor boards which look different to hers.
Mine are the original floorboards , I have a federation house and I feel if I rubbed any nut shell on my floors it would scratch them

This ladies floor boards I think are the floating floor boards which are not 100% wood.

I've added a photo of mine

I wouldn't rush out to do this , you may end up with a worst scratch

 

[RTS]

I was always told to use walnut kernal, not the shell.

 

[Cheezil]

Hhmn isn't it ironic...I have a shipload of almonds, no other nut in my house except me lol of course!

 

[JayKay]

Why does it matter if the nut crumbles after you've done this?
What else was it going to be used for, I wonder?
In the 1970s, I had a nearly new polished coffee table which was scratched by a small visitor.
A furniture shop told me to rub the scratch with the kernel of a freshly cracked cut walnut, and to rub with the grain of the timber. The inside of the kernel is the part which had to be used.
By golly, the scratch disappeared before my eyes.
I still have the table, no scratches.

 

[gordon1940]

I was always told to use walnut kernal, not the shell.

Yes. Mum used to use the Kernel of Walnut all the time on our Jarrah floorboards.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Why does it matter if the nut crumbles after you've done this?
What else was it going to be used for, I wonder?
In the 1970s, I had a nearly new polished coffee table which was scratched by a small visitor.
A furniture shop told me to rub the scratch with the kernel of a freshly cracked cut walnut, and to rub with the grain of the timber. The inside of the kernel is the part which had to be used.
By golly, the scratch disappeared before my eyes.
I still have the table, no scratches.

I might try this on my table

 

[JayKay]

I might try this on my table

Hope it works for you too.
Do cut or break the nut, and use the cut surface on the table.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Hope it works for you too.
Do cut or break the nut, and use the cut surface on the table.

So it's the inside part of the shell that you use , not the actual nut ,is that correct ?

 

[JayKay]

So it's the inside part of the shell that you use , not the actual nut ,is that correct ?

Crack open the shell, remove the nut (kernel) and cut or break the nut.
It's the broken surface of the nut that you rub along the grain of the timber...the inside of the nut.
As you gently move the nut over the surface, oil from the nut is released....you can see it.