Wood Floors - McKinney,TX

Updated on October 29, 2014
M.H. asks from McKinney, TX
15 answers

We are getting wood floors put in this weekend! I'm really excited. But I don't know how to clean them beyond sweeping (we have tile and carpet now). I use vinegar and water on the tile, and that works just fine (occasionally I steam clean them too).

They are real wood floors but have "8 coats of sealer" on top, I don't know if that makes a difference. I'd like to not use commercial cleaner if I can help it. Is there anything similarly homemade/natural I can use on hardwood?

TIA!

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*.*.

answers from New London on

I use wood cleaner --Method brand because it does not have harsh chemicals.

Bona is the other cleaner that is relatively safe.

I NEVER use my steam cleaner on the wood. Wood needs to dry thoroughly to avoid mold, etc...

I lighty spread Method cleaner on the wood floor ( after it has been dry swiffered)....Then, I get on my hands and knees with a slightly damp rag and wipe down....Then, I move my small fan into each room for 10 minutes to dry it thoroughly ---so, I don't have to towel dry.

3 moms found this helpful

More Answers

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Ask the installer and/or read the manufacturer instructions.
Never ever EVER use any steam cleaner on a wooden floor - it'll void your warranty.

5 moms found this helpful

V.S.

answers from Reading on

Our floor refinisher told us never to use anything but vinegar and water on our floors. He said commercial products would ruin the finish he was putting on. Ask your installer what they recommend.

4 moms found this helpful
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K.H.

answers from Detroit on

Vinegar and water is fine, Bona cleaner is good also. Never use steam.

4 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

We have nailed down hardwoods (the good stuff) in our formal dining and living area and I LOVE them. It sounds like you are getting the good woods as well.

My only complaint is that it is hard to keep them spotless because of the dust. We live on a wooded lot and have a lot of dust from all these trees.

That said, I would never go back to carpet or tile in that area. I love them. I use a dust mop to clean up dust and I use Bona cleaner (find it at Home Depot) and a large polish type pad to polish them.

It is not as hard as it sounds and like I said.. I love them. The contractor who put ours in told us to use Bona. My daughter's condo has new wood floors (good ones but not like mine) and the installer (Nadine Floors) also recommended Bona.

When I had a housekeeping service come in a couple of times, they used my Bona.

I am sure you will love your wood floors!

4 moms found this helpful

W.W.

answers from Washington DC on

When we had our floors installed, they gave us the "special mop" and cleaner.

I use products that are safe for wood floors - Bona is a great one. But really? Sweeping and damp mop works well on them. Funny as it sounds - Pledge has one out as well that I use.

I have steam cleaned them as well - usually once every 3 months. You don't want to break down the sealant with over cleaning.

3 moms found this helpful
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D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Our hardwood guy recommended Bona cleaner to us. It's commercial, but it works great. But, a few other things he mentioned.
1) the biggest contributor to scratches on hardwood floors is dust, so the best thing you can do for your floor is to use something like the dry swiffer dust mop frequently.
2) if you spot clean with just a damp cloth to get up sticky spots when they happen, and you dust mop frequently, full out cleaning with any type of cleaner (commercial or not) doesn't have to be done often
3) don't use anything with oil, wax, or polish in it. They look great on hardwood the first time you use them, but over time they get cloudy and it's really really difficult to remove that cloudy old oil/polish/wax. The hardwood has enough coats of shiny sealant.

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K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

We use Bona...you can get it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

2 moms found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

My sister swears by Bona, I need to get that.

But in the meantime, we just spot clean when needed, but use a steam mop every 1-2 weeks.

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I have used the shark steam mop and it works great!

2 moms found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i just spot clean with a damp cloth, and overall with bona.
:) khairete
S.

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F.B.

answers from New York on

We use a scooba with nothing more than water.
If I have a cleaning person come through I get them to mop using murphy's wood oil soap, and then buff with a microfiber pad mop.

Ask the installer/ manufacturer for their recommendations.

Best,
F. B.

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D.D.

answers from New York on

Whatever you do don't put wood wax over the sealer. My friend did that and everyone in her household was slipping and falling (including down the stairs several times) because of it.

1 mom found this helpful

C.C.

answers from San Francisco on

We have wood floors. I use a steam cleaner all the time - the finish is fine. Obviously you wouldn't want to use the tile cleaning setting ("scrub"), because that is too hot. Use the dust or mop setting. Twice per month I mop with hot water, Pine Sol, and bleach to disinfect. Again, no issues with the finish. Really, anything you use, as long as it is well-diluted, will probably be okay. You just need to make sure you're not too far off from a neutral pH (which is 7.0). Water is 7.0, and so if you have diluted cleaner in water, your pH is going to be pretty close to 7.0. Vinegar and Pine Sol are both very basic at 2-3 pH, bleach is acidic at 11 pH - but by volume if you mix these things at a 1:10 ratio with water, your pH is neutral, which is what you want.

You don't want to use anything with oil in it (like Murphy's Oil Soap, or anything with orange oil in it), because that will make your floors a nightmare to refinish if they ever need it.

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H.G.

answers from San Francisco on

vinegar and water, and sometimes my steam mop.

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