Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips

What is the best cleaner for hardwood floors? This is an important question, as using the wrong cleaner could damage flooring and cost an awful lot of money to put right.

We don't want to damage them but we do want a good shine and a nice smell?

We have researched the internet and we have found the following replies as tips for you to consider.

One lady uses the Swifter for everyday touch upon her wood floors. But for weekly cleaning she uses a floor cleaner that she bought in Home Depot for laminates and woods. She pours it into a spray bottle, sprays the floor and goes over it with a damp mop. She says that the floor shines and smells great. If you ask in Home Depot they will know what you are talking about.

Another suggestion is to use Murphy's Oil to clean it and then use Minwax to re-surface it when you're finished cleaning it. There are all different kinds of Minwax to chose from, depending on what kind of shine you want, etc.

This is not the only recommendation we found for Murphy's Oil Soap. Another responder said; “My husband swears by it. It cleans great!!!” You can mop linoleum with it also, it really gets the dirt up.

Bona Pacific has been been recommended but is now discontinued and is replaced by Bona Commercial Hardwood Cleaner.

Concentrated Bona Pacific Floor Cleaner is claimed to be an economical way to clean hardwood floors. Bona hardwood floor cleaners are safe enough for daily cleaning of your no wax hardwood.

One person says that Murphy Oil soap works well, but for them the smell was too strong so they use 2 oz of lemon oil in a hot bucket of water. They say that they at least do this monthly.

Another tip we saw is to get a gallon of "Natures Miracle" from a pet store. I have found that if you pour a bit on the area and wait a couple of days before re-applying, if needed, it works great. So far I... This seems rather doubtful to us. Not recommended.

The method will vary with the type of hardwood.

The Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner is said to be a water borne, environmentally responsible cleaner formulated to clean all polyurethane finished wood floors and factory pre-finished wood floors. They say that Bona's best selling cleaner will not dull wood surfaces or leave any residue.

Homeandbeyond.com recommends that you order this product in increments of 4 (case pack). Apparently each Bona X gallon is shipped to your door with additional packing at no extra cost.

Consistent with other floor surfaces, dirt and debris can cause harm to wood flooring. If not properly and regularly removed, the beauty and good looks of a wood floor will diminish faster than if they receive good ongoing care.

Cleaning your floors properly is the single most important thing you can do to protect your investment. General maintenance on your hardwood floor other than normal day to day cleaning is called a Buff & Coat or re-coat.

If you do not clean your floors properly it will cause a problem when you try to recoat. Simply put, the new coat will not adhere to your existing floor.

If in doubt use water or just carry out a small area as a test before using the cleaner on a larger area. Always just use a damp cloth or mop and never get the floor really wet.

The above is provided for general guidance and entertainment purposes only. You remain responsible for ensuring that any actions you take are suitable for your flooring, and we can accept no liability whatsoever.

by Steve Evans - February 2009

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