What do i use to clean hardwood floors?

Question

My family and I just installed hardwood floors. I was wondering how do i clean my house? Whats the best simple way to clean hardwood floors?

Answer 1

http://www.goclean.com/hardwoodfloors.ht...

Answer 2

I think the trick with real wooden floors is maintenance.  Vacuum or sweep regularly and attend to a spill with a just damp cloth, then wipe with a dry one.

For cleaning, plain water is the best choice.  However, too much water can be quite bad even on finished wood - especially weekly wet mopping.  The typical soaps tend to leave a film that attracts dust.

There are a few products (found at the grocery store or a home store) that rely on barely damp terry or microfiber mop-heads to clean larger areas that I've used with great success.  

Edit:  I just saw the comment about Mrs Meyers and indeed their AP cleaner is terrific, though I dilute it more for my wood floor than I do for general cleaning.  I ring the mop head so it's barely damp.

Answer 3

Use murphys oil soap. It's designed for wood. There are also other cleaners available in grocery stores or home improvement stores.

Answer 4

Wood floors are not meant to be washed down. Murphy's oil soap is the worst thing you can use on your floor. If ever the floors need to be refinished there is where you will see the problem. Once the sealer is applied it will separate like oil and vinegar. Solution for this? Floors will have to be re-sanded. So save yourself the trouble in the future! What i recommend to all my clients with very expensive wood floors is a product called Bona X  http://www.bonakemi.com/shop/products.as...

It is the only thing that you should use on your floors. Never use vinegar or anything that has a ammonia base. Your floors will bleach and ruin the sealant

Answer 5

You don't want to use an oil soap product if they are shinny floors because they leave residue.  Mrs. Meyers all purpose cleaner works really well, it's around $8 but a bottle lasts for a long time.  Whole Foods sells it and so do some other grocery stores and health food stores.  You can buy it online from the Mrs. Meyers website or drugstore.com, both places have it on sale now too.

Answer 6

clean with water, polish with clear polish

Answer 7

Murphys oil soap cleans just about every surface, especially wood. It's very economical because you just mix a little with water, depending on what your cleaning.  I really like the smell it leaves in the house also.

Answer 8

I use vinegar water.  about a cup to a gallon of water.  it leaves the floor shiny with no residue, it's acidic enough to clean, but it won't strip the wood.  and the smell is gone when it dries.