Inspired by Laminate vs. Hardwood...how to clean Hardwood???

[TerriP]

Reading the thread regarding laminate floors vs hardwood floors, I was surprised with the responses. Our home has hardwood floors in the dining room, kitchen, foyer, laundry room and the hallway that connects all of them. It was beautiful when we moved in (bought the home new), but after almost two years, it looks awful. How do I clean it???

I don't know if it has wax on it (how can I tell?), I don't know if it's sealed (how can I tell?), I don't know what to use on it and I'm afraid to try anything. I do know the wood is Oak and has Old English stain on it, but that doesn't help. All I've done to it in two years is sweep it. I tried diluted **** & Span...didn't do anything, didn't clean it or hurt it. Last week I got desperate and tried some Muprhy's Oil Soap in the "ready-to-use" squeeze bottle. All you do is squeeze it onto the floor and wipe with a damp mop. Well, I did that and now you can see exactly where I squeezed the bottle....nice little zigzag on the floor. So, apparantly, this is not to be used on my floor!

Any help on how I can figure out what, exactly, type of finish it has and what to use on it? I am having a surprise birthday party for my DH this weekend and I'm frustrated with how this floor looks. We have large sliding doors off the dining room and, when the sun sets in the evening, every water spot and dirty spot shows. Any HELP???

 

[kasar]

I'm interested in any answers, too. We were told when we moved in (new house also) to just use a damp mop. That leaves streaks and doesn't ever feel "clean". Last year before my DDs first communion I had a local cleaning firm come and polish the floors - they looked so good. Thinking of having that done more often. I think they have one of those buffer machines that really gives it a high shine. I'm such a bad housekeeper - I really need help!

 

[Bob Slydell]

Bruce makes a mop/cleaner package that works really well on hardwood. Here's what the bottle looks like:

I found the combo package (with the mop/pad/cleaner) at Home Depot.

 

[Minnie824]

For our hardwood floors I was told only vinegar and water. Now that Lysol has those vinegar & water wipes, I've gotten lazy and use those. Works great! We have so much flooring that I have to go thru about 3 at a time, but still easier than a bucket and mop.

 

[W21981Brick]

Hello- On my hardwoods I use vinegar and hot water every few months. They come out looking great.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

You can use Murphy's but it should be diluted first and then wiped off.
(Wash & Rinse)...

The "swiffer mop" does double duty for me;
I use mine to dry mop-attach a dry swiffer or old dust cloth to it to dust...
then I put the "mop" head on it & spray the solution to clean the floor.
We have a bird in the LR and it gets his mess off the wood.
(test the cleaning solution in a hidden area first, they say it can damage wood.)
I have soft-pine floors & this works for me...

I've never tried a vinegar solution-I'll have to test that one out.

 

[stinkerbelle]

I have the Hoover FloorMate. Great for "vaccuming" up everything off the hardwood (I have a dog - a swiffer doesn't last very long...need a vaccum! hehe) and then it cleans the floors with Old English Hardwood cleaner.

The floormate is pricey - around $180 I think...but I use it every week...I HATE mopping/doing floors in general...this makes it not too bad.

 

[disneygals]

I use vinegar and water, or swiffer to clean.

Try Pro-shot from QVC, it works great and you can buy it online. Some other catalogs and sites carry it, not sure where it is the cheapest. It makes your floors very shiny, but not slippery.

We recently pulled up a rug and I used it to match old matte finish to new refinished floor. It doesn't last too long in high traffic areas, but it's easy to do.

 

[lindajo]

I tried that Hoover FloorMate, and it left puddles on my floors. Even after going over it several times in the "suck" mode. I think my floors are really uneven. So if you think about buying the FM, I suggest you buy it at WalMart, where they will refund your money if you don't like the way it performs. I found that the Swiffer wetmop works great for me, they have a solution for hardwood floors. I think I may try the vinegar and water suggestion when I run out. Just squirt it on the floor with a spray bottle and use the Swiffer mop to clean. I do things the hard way, but those big cotton mops are just a pain in the neck to me. We really need to have our floors refinished, maybe that is the OP's problem, too.

 

[TerriP]

Do you think, after only two years, they need to be refinished already??? Please don't say that...how much does that cost?

I really think they just need a good cleaning. I'm going to try the hot water and vinegar solution tomorrow and see how it goes.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions!

 

[Christine]

Terri,
If your floors are unfinished, but just stained, the vinegar/water will probably not do to much but just get the dirt up. The unwaxed hardwoods need to be buffed/polished regularly and they are a pain. If you have a floor with a polyurethane coating and you have not vacuumed it routinely and cleaned it, then good chances are that your finish has worn off--this happened to me. No matter what you do, those floors will not shine. It is possible that you might need a refinishing, but 2 years is definitely too soon.

I've been told by several different floor people to use the vinegar/water solution on floors that have a polyurethane finish. It is the only solution that will not ruin it. I had a cleaning person use Murphy's on my floor once and it wa an absolute disaster.

My friend has "cheap" hardwood floors and has managed to keep them spectacular looking. She has religiously vacummed the floors each week--you have to get those little bits of grit up all the time or they will ruin the floor. Then she does the vinegar and water once a week. Both of us just take a rag and wipe, and then immediately go over it with a dry cloth to get the moisture up.

 

[kasar]

Me, again. For the vinegar: I'm assuming it's white vinegar or is it something else? Does your house smell like salad forever? (maybe I'll do it when I dye the Easter eggs - no one will notice!)

 

[TerriP]

See, Christine, that's where I'm stuck. I don't know what the finish is. You can feel the "grooves" where each piece of wood meets up, so I assume that means it is not sealed..is that right? And it has a nice shine to it, kind of glossy, you can see the cabinets reflecting off it when we have the lights on in the evening. So there must be some sort of finish on it. Or, they could have used glossy stain, right? So maybe there isn't a wax on it?

Ugh, I'm so confused. I do vacuum it twice a week (or more when the dogs are blowing their coats) so dirt/lint/etc... doesn't stay on it long. Of course, if we (or should I say, if my husband) tracks in mud or dirt, I clean it up right away. So it shouldn't be scratched or anything....it doesn't look scratched or even dull, just dirty (water spots and such).

 

[tiggerwannabe]

if it is glossy, I'm sure it has a finish.
A good vinger wash should do just fine...