Comments on: How to Clean Hardwood Floors

By: chrissy

chrissy — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:56:49 +0000

I cleaned someone’s house and switched floor cleaner products because I thought something looked better, and I left a film on their floor. Everyone seems to have different results in this forum so I guess it really does depend on the floor finish, but I don’t know what to do. I am so embarrassed and feel so awful. I have never seen this issue with my own hardwood. I seriously hope I did not ruin their floor. And I have been using a magic eraser mop and I read that is NOT recommended. Ugh.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:43:54 +0000

We just moved into a new house and have hardwoods in the breakfast nook. I have a two-and-a-half year old that can not keep his food on the table. When he does spill his food we clean it up right away. Unfortunately, right under his chair the floor has a film and has become sticky when we step there. What can I do to get rid of this film and stickiness? It is driving me crazy.

By: Charity

Charity — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:14:18 +0000

I use a Haan steam cleaner on my hardwood floors, which was recommended to me by the man who sold me the hardwood. But I don’t like that it doesn’t “smell” clean when I’m finished, so I have been spraying the floors with Mr Clean before I go over them with the steamer. It seems as if it leaves a residue, because there are footprints everywhere (dark oak prefinished hardwood). I’m going to try the vinegar and water solution, but will the whole house smell like vinegar when I’m done?

By: EV

EV — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:31:08 +0000

Solution – Pledge spray from the can that is being used for cleaning granite counter-tops, wood furniture, etc. But be careful, the floor becomes EXTREMELY slippery. I have dark Brazilian cherry and have tried many cleaners. Even though all my friends have been using and recommending Murphy’s oil and soap it has been a nightmare for me- everything leaves a white film residue. The only thing that helps to bring the floor back to brand new shine look is the Pledge. I keep trying new products and end up on my knees with paper towels and the spray-can of Pledge to fix the problem. It stays beautiful for weeks; no footprints, nothing. Just so, so slippery.

By: Penny

Penny — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:15:51 +0000

My hardwood is driving me crazy! We have mopped with ammonia water. It is new construction, but it just always looks hazy or cloudy, like a film is over it. If you walk across the floor it shows feet prints like the print lifted the film! Help!

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:08:37 +0000

We put a tung oil finish on the floors that liquids just bead up on; that helps. The vinegar and water solution is an old and trusted recipe for everything from floors to counters, windows, etc. Combining vinegar with baking soda will remove dirt like magic; just rinse it afterwards with clean water. A dust mop is gentler and more effective than a broom. We also bought an Oreck random orbital buffer to replace the vacuum when we finally got rid of the carpet and laid the wood floors. It’s a home-sized version of the professional tool. Polishing floors on your hands and knees takes too darn long. It works on tile and stone too, and you change the wheel to suit your purpose. As someone said earlier, first you need to know what your floor is finished with! If you don’t, be sure to test on a small patch in a closet or somewhere out of sight until you figure out what you are working with. What ever made me think I’d like carpet?

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:50:17 +0000

My wood floor is very slippery in spots. How can I safely rought the spots up?

By: elitza

elitza — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:03:56 +0000

Hard wood in comparison to tile: When I clean hardwood floors with water and “floor-friendly, all purpose” cleaner like pine sol, and then I wipe the floor with a paper towel, the towel is black, like I haven’t even mopped the floor, and my socks turn black. It didn’t do that with tile floors, so I know it won’t work to just keep scrubbing. I will try vinegar and stuff but can you ever get rid of that? Does anyone else have that problem? Funny, once it dries it gets better, but do hardwood floors always need to dry first to be clean?

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:24:02 +0000

I used to use Swiffer my hardwood floor until I recently found this amazing mop, called DynaMop. It is the original design of a spin mop; there are 300+ copies of cheap spin mops, made in China and they break all the time, but after some research online I found the original one. I was surprised that they didn’t sell it on Amazon, but only the fake ones are sold on Amazon, and the reviews are bad. People complained about the weak handle, so I didn’t buy it from there. The real spin mop has a spinning mechanism so the mop is not damp at all when you mop. In fact, it could be really close to dry. And the spin head also cleans the mop, getting rid of all dirt on the mop very well. I use it to clean my kitchen almost everyday. I love it. I’m going to add some white vinegar to my moping water and maybe some baking soda like you guys suggested. I want my floor to shine!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:55:43 +0000

Most will probably cringe, but we had floors installed and put down wax. Now there is a horrible film and it always looks dusty. We tried orange glow re-finisher and Murphy’s. The only thing to take it up that I have found is a green scrubby and a half and half mix of warm water and vinegar. I scrub a section and immediately wipe it up with a rag. Any wax buildup left will get in the cracks and start it all over again. It is painstaking, but it has worked.