Cleaning Wood floors

[Dakota731]

I am so excited that I'm finally getting new floors in my house but I have no idea how to take care of them. A friend said she uses a Shark steamer but I didn't think you were allowed to get them wet? Any suggestions?

 

[havaneselover]

Bona.

Here's another recent thread.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3249256

 

[tvguy]

We just put laminate in.
Bona is supposed to be great. We're using Swiffer's wood floor cleaner.
My wife bought a steamer to cleaner the floors before they were put in, but THEN we checked the floor makers websites, and everyone we went to said NEVER use a steamer on wood or laminate flooring.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I have hardwood. I use a damp mop and vinegar/water.

 

[DZNEE4US]

We have hardwood floors, and I use a bucket of water with Murphy's oil soap. I had a shark steamer, and it left major streaks. I gave it to my sister in law with title floors.

 

[TLuvsD]

Bona

You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon or Ace Hardware with a coupon.

 

[disneyfreakk]

I use Bona on my hardwood floors. They sell everything you need at Lowes, so if you have a Chase Freedom credit card they are offering 5% back for the next few months.

 

[havaneselover]

Bona You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon or Ace Hardware with a coupon.

I got a huge refill at Costco for $20 last year. I think it was on sale. It will last 3-5 years. My mop just broke so I replaced it at bed bath and beyond using the $5 off coupon.

 

[kymom99]

Kroger sells Bona. I haven't tried it yet, but they do have it.

 

[mdsd8700]

I have hardwood. I use a damp mop and vinegar/water.

Same here.

 

[tvguy]

Bona

You can get it at Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon or Ace Hardware with a coupon.

Walmart carries Bona too.

 

[puffkin]

I don't have wood floors but my parents do and my mom only uses Bona. Her floors look brand new 10 years in. She swears by it. She buys the big bottle at Bed Bath and Beyond with a coupon and it lasts her about a year.

 

[JandJ]

Bona! Bona! Bona!

About Five years ago we had our existing floors (60+ years old) refinished and new hardwoods installed throughout the rest of our house to match. Our floor guys said vacuum often and Swiffer is fine for the hard to reach spots, like under the couch. Once a month use Bona. I've followed that routine and our floors look just as good as the day they were done!

Oh, and put pads on the bottom of your furniture that you move, like chairs, side tables, or ottomans. That will help prevent scratches.

 

[3boysNagirl]

Wife of a dedicated floor covering installation expert here lol We own a installation & cleaning business. If you are installing Laminate you can not mop it as you would other materials as water is the #1 way to ruin it. It only requires a light mist spray (vinegar&water is great) with a mop designed like Swiffers tho the "cloth" is wash & reuse. If you are installing true hardwood (glue or nail down) you can use any type of mop. Bona is great yet I would suggest only using it periodically as a pp suggested. Vinegar&water on a regular basis with spcl cleaning every now & then will keep them gleaming! The "store" you purchased your material will most likely push a stocked brand of cleaning products so ask your installer what they recommend once they have your floor in. Remember most take pride in their work so they will recommend what's truly best. Congrats on the renovating!!

 

[wiigirl]

Bona.

Here's another recent thread.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3249256

 

[Ariel484]

I have hardwood. I use a damp mop and vinegar/water.

Wife of a dedicated floor covering installation expert here lol We own a installation & cleaning business. If you are installing Laminate you can not mop it as you would other materials as water is the #1 way to ruin it. It only requires a light mist spray (vinegar&water is great) with a mop designed like Swiffers tho the "cloth" is wash & reuse. If you are installing true hardwood (glue or nail down) you can use any type of mop. Bona is great yet I would suggest only using it periodically as a pp suggested. Vinegar&water on a regular basis with spcl cleaning every now & then will keep them gleaming! The "store" you purchased your material will most likely push a stocked brand of cleaning products so ask your installer what they recommend once they have your floor in. Remember most take pride in their work so they will recommend what's truly best. Congrats on the renovating!!

Just got new, solid hardwoods installed last year and this is what our installer recommended - vinegar and water. I forget exactly what the ratio was (shows you how much I actually DO mop the floors ) - something like 15 parts water to 1 part vinegar??

 

[sherry7]

We had about 1400 sq ft of solid oak flooring installed last year. Never, never, never use a steam cleaner. It will actually void your warranty for all of the major brands of flooring. Murphy's Oil soap is also bad, because it leaves an oily buildup over the years. I use a Rubbermaid Reveal mop (similar to the Bona mop) with the Bona hardwood floor cleaner in the tank. You can get a gallon of it for less than $20 at Home Depot. I just finished my first gallon, and it took me just a little over a year to use it up. So, it's really not expensive at all.

The installers told me not to use vinegar, because of the acidity. It's important to keep the humidity level in your house to a moderate amount in both winter and summer. Be sure to install felt pads on the legs of all of your furniture too.

 

[Dakota731]

I have hardwood. I use a damp mop and vinegar/water

Do you dry it right away then? The installer said not to get the floor wet. I will have to look for Bona - do you rinse it and dry it off as well?

 

[wishesuponastar]

I am not sure if I should use vinegar anymore because of a pp saying there is to much acid in that. The floor dries pretty quickly because the mop is not too wet.

I may switch to the Bona cleaner.

 

[eliza61]

I am so excited that I'm finally getting new floors in my house but I have no idea how to take care of them. A friend said she uses a Shark steamer but I didn't think you were allowed to get them wet? Any suggestions?

also ask the store where you purchased them. My flooring company gave me a warranty on my hardwood but only if I used Bona. LOL now I'm sure they are getting a good "kickback" from Bona but it's what I use to keep the warranty in effect.