Advice on Cleaning Hardwood Floors

I use vinegar and water than I apply Bruce Hardwood Cleaner. My floors always look clean even with three children and a dog.

Bona, which is available at Bed Bath and Beyond or Bruces, which is available at Home Depot work great.. Either should be used with a terry cloth swiffer like mop.. They do not over saturate the wood, which makes it less likely to become dull.

We use Murphy's Oil Soap on ours. I also have a Floormate floor cleaner. Murphy's Oil Soap sells a cleaner for these machines for hardwood floors. I've not had any problems with it and love the way it cleans the floors.

I recently found Orange Glo. It is a spray and they also sell a nice mop that works great with the spray. The mop can be used dry as well for quick dust mopping. They sell it in grocery stores and Target etc...
Our floors look great, I am so glad we found it!

I have mostly hardwood floors also and use the Swiffer wet mop. It's the one with the built-in cleaner that you spray. The wipes that you attach are disposable. They are so scrubby and get the floor so clean!! They are textured so they really get the dirt off. I have 4 kids and so I go through a lot of the wipes.

D.,
I know of a product called tough and tender. It is an all natural product. I've never tried it because I have carpets but I've heard it works wonders. The products by this company are so potent because of the citrus and vinigar agents in them. You can find these products and many more at melaleuca.com. It can be a little expensive if you're not a perfered customer. However I can help you become one. Check out the site and see what you like then respond to this email if you want to learn more. The products are great but the best part is how healthy it is for you, your family and your pets!
N.

I also use Orange Glo. I have had hardwood floors for over a year & love them.

i had a spin scrub 500 in my old house (that was all hardwood) and loved it- until a piece broke. i would recommend splurging on the spin scrub 800- it gets much better reviews. just remember to read the instructions about the filter - i went through a lot of them- but spin scrubs really do a nice job on the floors!

Along with a good cleaner, I use a Floor Mate. It is a hard surface cleaner by Hoover. I love it! It sprays the solution, scrubs the floor and then sucks up the excess liquid. It works great for your basic cleaning and then from time to time I fo the job by hand to "deep" clean and put more of a protective coating on the floor. I am sure there are other brands out there, but the FloorMate is the one I have.

A.

I use to clean houses in Cape May and other areas and the houses with hard wood floors we used Murphy's Oil. It gives them a nice shine and a good smell and of course cleans. You have to be carefull how much you use because it can become soapy if you put too much in a bucket/sink. Hope this helps!

Hi D.,
I also had my own cleaning business and I was actually told by a hardwood floor installer that it would extend the beauty and life of your floors if you actually only swept everyday( swiffer dry is the softest) and used ONLY hot hot water to clean when needed (about every three months) Be sure to dry it as well.If you have a heavily soiled area clean with Lestoil and rinse thoroughly. Most cleaners will dull your floor and to some degree eat the finish. I would also reccomend having little toe socks available for guests and making them take their shoes off before entering. It saves scratches on the floor from shoes as well as dirt.
Happy cleaning!
A.

I also use Orange Glo and am pleased with the results. We just purchased our house several months ago. It had been vacant for over a year. The hardwood floors needed a good cleaning and the Orange Glo cleaned them up and added a nice lustre.