How do you clean your kitchen wood floors?

[lukenick1]

Have beautiful oak wood floors in the kitchen and heard using a steamer or vinegar will ruin the finish? What is the best method to clean and disinfect the hard wood floors?

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I use Murphy's Oil Soap mixed with some water--I can't remember how much water to use with it, but it's on the directions. I squirt it on a cotton rag and wash my wood floors that way. I usually do it on my hands and knees but I do have a mop with a terrycloth fixture on the end that I can remove and throw in the wash. I prefer to do it on my hands and knees though--I have 5 kids and sometimes that's the only way to get stubborn spots off.

 

[cstwwt]

I use vinegar and water, in a pail and scrub on my hands and knees...my floors are about 10 years old and look new....I have never used any other product. I use the same thing on my laminate floors in the bathrooms.
Wendy

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't have wood floors in the kitchen, but I clean my other wood floors with Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner.

 

[mrodgers]

We use a steam mop. 44 year old red oak hardwood original to the house.

I don't see how a steam mop that the moisture is a such slight amount and is nearly instantaneously evaporated is bad on hardwood, but slopping a soaking wet rag with chemicals that takes an hour to dry on it is not.

 

[disny_luvr]

I use vinegar and water, in a pail and scrub on my hands and knees...my floors are about 10 years old and look new....I have never used any other product. I use the same thing on my laminate floors in the bathrooms.
Wendy

I use the same thing on my hardwood and laminate floors. My floors look great too!

 

[vaDisneyGuy]

I use the steam mop on mine as well and it works great, sometimes to give them a little shine i use a wood cleaner from the Fuller Brush Co and it gives them a little shine and i like the lemon smell

 

[shortbun]

I use white vinegar. I'm in my 3rd all wood floored home. I used Murphy's once and it left a horrible residue. My BIL is a flooring salesman. He says, "use white vinegar but don't leave puddles." I do some hands and knees cleaning-maybe twice a month. Usually, we damp mop with a swiffer type mop. I spot clean anything sticky ahead of time. While I like to sterilize counter tops, sinks, sponges, cutting boards; I do not 'sterilize' my floors. Once in a while, in the winter when lots of snow, salt and grime have been tracked onto an entryway, I add a couple drops of Dawn then rinse like crazy.

 

[PudgetteD]

I use Murphy's Oil Soap mixed with some water

Same here. House is 60 years old and wood floors are original. Never had any problems and floors look great.

 

[Lucky St. Louis]

I usually wash floors on hands and knees with vinegar and water or a little Bona and water. After I do a section, I use the mop that came with my Bona to dry the section that was just washed. For touch-ups between hands and knees cleaning, I just squirt a little Bona on the floor and run the mop over it. The floors always look shiny.

 

[lukenick1]

So I bought some Bona for my wood floors and my oldest ds11 says. "mom, you going to clean the floors with your "Bona".

 

[Explodo]

We have brazilian cherry in our house and have used vinegar and water to great effect for the last 4 years. Finish is still good and the floors look great.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I have an open floorplan house, so the kitchen part is some weird marble tile (I didn't choose that!) but the rest is wood. I mop it all at once and I use floor cleaner from Sams Club, it's pink (oddly enough) comes in a gallon it's called 'commercial floor cleaner'. You only use a few ounces in a bucket of water-it never leaves residue here. The gallon has lasted over a year so far and it was like $4! In fact, I just cleaned up spilled fry oil with it today and it came up clean.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

Another vote for BONA. I work for a major homebuilder maintaining their "show homes". BONA is the only product that is ever used on the hardwoods. In fact it is the only product recommended by our Atlanta based flooring provider. No buildup ever!!

 

[buzz5985]

We use a steam mop. 44 year old red oak hardwood original to the house.

I don't see how a steam mop that the moisture is a such slight amount and is nearly instantaneously evaporated is bad on hardwood, but slopping a soaking wet rag with chemicals that takes an hour to dry on it is not.

You have a real wood floor. 44 years is a young floor. I live in a home that is close to 150 years old. I believe everyone else is talking about engineered wood floors. Not the same thing. Your floor is real wood with several coats of polyurathane that you can refinish (sand and put down more polyurathane). The engineered floor has a guaranteed finish. What people don't realize is the finish is the color of the engineered wood and not the shine. Each piece of wood is separate so mosture can get under that piece and damage the floor, usually warping. A real wood floor that has coats of poly on it - the mosture can't get under the individual planks.

You can clean a real wood floor with anything and will not damage that shine. If you do - you just scratch it up and put on another coat of poly.

Janis

 

[lukenick1]

Yes my floors are real oak wood with 3-4 coats of poly on them.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

You have a real wood floor. 44 years is a young floor. I live in a home that is close to 150 years old. I believe everyone else is talking about engineered wood floors. Not the same thing. Your floor is real wood with several coats of polyurathane that you can refinish (sand and put down more polyurathane). The engineered floor has a guaranteed finish. What people don't realize is the finish is the color of the engineered wood and not the shine. Each piece of wood is separate so mosture can get under that piece and damage the floor, usually warping. A real wood floor that has coats of poly on it - the mosture can't get under the individual planks.

You can clean a real wood floor with anything and will not damage that shine. If you do - you just scratch it up and put on another coat of poly.

Janis

I don't know anything about engineered wood floors, but I have prefinished hardwood flooring and that is what most people I know have. It is real, solid hardwood and can be sanded and refinished. But it too has boards that were individually finished, and the moisture can get in between and under the boards. We use vinegar and water. I mix it in a spray bottle that sprays only a "mist" and wipe it up with a mop/pad that is washable. Every once in a while do a hands and knees cleaning, making sure the cloth is never soaking wet.

My flooring guy told us that most people don't realize the mistake they are making in using products (such as Murphy's Oil Soap) until they go to refinish the floor years later. What happens is the "oil" whatever has been getting in between the boards and when they go to sand it down and apply a new finish, the finish doesn't go on right or they have to sand it very far down to get to undamaged wood.

He also sees a lot of the same with older, worn site-finished floors. If it is getting to the point that your floors may need refinishing soon, go back to vinegar and water and never soak it.

I've never heard of Bona. I'd try it if it specifically states it is safe for prefinished flooring.

I went out and bought a steam mop, but was afraid to use it, so I took it back. Just seems like the steam might penetrate deeper and in between the boards. The instructions say to not use on worn finishes, so I wondered if it is really good for any floor that would allow some moisture to get in. However, I have friends that use one and love it.