cleaning hardwood floors

[soccer32]

Does anyone know the best/easy way to clean hardwood floors?

 

[tommya60]

Do you mean everyday cleaning? If so, we use Bona, works great and can be found at all kinds of places--Bed, Bath & Beyond, Ace Hardware, Kohls (great when they have extra coupons).

 

[cbmstephanie]

Murphy's Oil Soap and hot water.

 

[eyor44]

I use Bona also. Didn't know they had it at Bed Bath and Beyond. Thanks for the tip.

 

[4Seasons]

I just use vinegar and water and it works great!

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

We have what is known as engineered hardwood
And we clean with just warm water. Spot cleaning if nessecary, but just water for the most part.

So you can't get much cheaper than just water!

 

[DebMcDonald]

I use Halloway House Quick shine floor cleaner. Love this stuff and it smells nice too.

 

[bamor]

Another fan of Bona here.
Have been using this for years!

 

[minnie1928]

Another fan of Bona here.
Have been using this for years!

Me too! When we built our last house, all the neighbor's commented on how great my hardwood floors kept the shine but their floor's didn't. Turns out we were the only ones using Bona!

 

[dex08]

Bona!

Costco has a big kit and you can get smaller bottles at BB&B.

 

[blanq]

Murphy's Oil Soap and hot water.

This is what I use, and I clean the old fashioned way...on my hands and knees.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Steam Mop with vinegar and water solution sprayed onto the floors right before steaming.

 

[luvdisney14]

Are you using white vinegar?

 

[maedelken]

I'm curious about the hands and knees thing. What do use to scrub them with a sponge or rag? Also the people who lived here before us put in our hardwood. The installation is crappy and there are a lot of wide gaps. We have 4 kids so you can only imagine the problem we have. Crumbs in the cracks which are hard to get out with a broom. Should I use a bristle brush to scrub the floors to loosen the dirt up? I feel like just ripping them all out but can't afford it.

 

[kritter]

I use Halloway House Quick shine floor cleaner. Love this stuff and it smells nice too.

This stuff is GREAT!!

 

[tommya60]

Gaps sound like a pain. Our floors have a small groove outlining each plank (previous owners) and stuff gets caught in them all the time. I use a hand held vac or the nozzle on the big vacum cleaner. Of course, my DD is a teenager, so fewer crumbs. But the standard poodle thnks she is a toddler and creates a fair share of mess!

 

[distherapy]

My hardwood floor installer made me promise never to use anything but vinegar and water - he said everything else leaves a residue. Now I am sure he hasn't tried everything out there, but I'm too chicken to test it. He was hard core!

 

[dawson5]

My hardwood floor installer made me promise never to use anything but vinegar and water - he said everything else leaves a residue. Now I am sure he hasn't tried everything out there, but I'm too chicken to test it. He was hard core!

friends of ours own a flooring company, he freaks when people say they use stuff like murphy's.

I'm old school also, hands & knees (with knee-pads), bucket of hot water and vinegar and a terry towel. It definitely makes me appreciate my rubber gloves.

For the gaps, can you fill them in with wood fill? It might take a while but it might be worth it in the long run.

 

[mrodgers]

When you use a cleaner on floors, what happens to that cleaner when the water evaporates? It stays on the floors in a film.

I bought my wife a steam mop (Shark) for Christmas. Actually, my 6 year old wanted to get it because "It's the best! I watched a TV show on it!" LOL. So, we let her mop the living room floors with it for it's first use.

Our floor has never felt as clean as it did after using the steam mop. We had a 5x7 rug in the middle of the floor that was held down with double sided tape for quite a few years. We removed the rug a few years ago and there has been adhesive stuck on our floor ever since. My wife has used Murphy's Oil soap, Mr. Clean, GooGone, I even tried WD-40. The adhesive was still stuck on there. My 6 year old had all the adhesive gone with the steam mop in less than 2 minutes.

 

[left210]

What ratio of vinegar and water do you use? Also do you use white vinegar?