How do you clean your wood floors? I feel like all I do is push dirt around and my floors always look dull.We have 2 dogs and tons of foot traffic so I need to clean them often. Thanks for the advice!
Don't wear shoes in the house and hand wash from time to time. Nothing gets a floor clean like a good old fashion vinegar and water hand wash.
I usually just Swiffer a couple times a week and then do a good cleaning with vinegar water once every week or 2. Just be careful using any other chemicals. I had a friend who tried the Swiffer wet and said her floor got some weird coating on it. I've read in many places to just use vinegar water.
I would do a lot of work to them then wax them. The wax will seal them and it will make them shiny. You do have to clean them and rewax every month or so. I buy mine at Lowes and it's a good brand and easy.
I mop with a steam mop then I use an old swiffer mop with a cloth cover I made out of lamb's wool and an old tee shirt. I poke the corners into the swiffer mop holes. I squirt the wax onto the floor and use the "mop" to spread it out evenly. I let it dry for at least 30 minutes then put another coat on it at first. To help it build up.
What ever you do - never use a steam cleaner/mop on your floor.
People do it (and commercials show it) but they are ruining their floors.
The manufacturers all say not to do it - follow manufacturer advice on best cleaning methods.
Vacuum up the dirt and then use Bona wood floor cleaner on your regular mopping days. But at least once every other month - Murphey's oil soap.
That stuff is amazing. But this is the hands and knees kind of cleaning, don't try to stick it in a mop bucket with a sponge - well I guess you could, but it works so much better when you get down and reall clean it:)
There is a mop and glo for wood floors and it gives a great shine and gets it good and clean.
I dry dust mop (swiffer) as well as vacuum...I only mop them once a week and I have 2 boys and a dog....right now 3 boys and 2 dogs!! (my nephew is here with his dog).
We take our shoes off.
When it's raining or snowing - we wipe the dogs feet off before they come in.
if they look dull? Use Murphy's Oil or Pledge Orange Wood Floor Cleaner...
I have used this:
http://www.forlifeproducts.com/Rejuvenate-Professional-WO...
When our dog was alive (very furry) I vacuumed my wood floors every. Single. Day. A pain, but it helped with the fur, etc.
Then ( like once a week ) I use Bruce's Hardwood Floor cleaner.
We use vinegar water. First vacuum. Then use a dry swiffer. That gets a lot of it up. Then go to it with the vinegar water. The vinegar water will cut through the build up on your floor, unless you have used harsh stuff on your floor, or WAX.
Dawn
I vacuum mine once every couple of weeks. In between, use the dustbuster to pick up cat hair and crumbs in the kitchen. "Wet mop" with damp towels on my hands and knees once a year, maybe, ok, maybe once every 2 years. Except for guests, no shoes in the house to keep the dirt down.
Always take time out to vacuum. Make sure your floors have 3-4 layers of high gloss polyurethane on them. It's the only way to get old wood floors to keep their shine. Once they have the polyurethane on them, they are very easy to care for. Spills need to be wiped up right away, especially animal urine. (Male dog urine is very strong.) I know its probably not the best idea, but I use Windex as a quick spot clean up. You don't want to use anything too strong on the floors. Every so often I like to use a floor finish to add to the shine. Home Depot sells one that lasts pretty long, but it's a little pricey. Mop and Glo does a really good job, but doesn't last as long and won't work if your floors aren't polyurethaned. You can polyurethane them yourself, but make sure you have enough time that no one will be walking on the floor until it dries.
I was always told that Murphy's oil is good for cleaning hardwood floors. I do cheat and use those wet floor pads once in a while. I can't get down on my hands and knees, because I have bad knees so I do use a mop for the mop and glo and a swifter wanna be style mop. (I'm cheap.) Wood floors last forever if they are done right in the first place and shouldn't have to be resanded unless you're really hard on them. Don't know about the wood laminent though, since that's a lot thinnner than hardwood flooring. Wetting a wood floor should not cause mold unless you actually have a flood. People used wood for years. Over wetting can cause bowing, but you still need a lot of water to do that if your floors are solid hardwood floors. Our floors are oak and pine. They are the original floors from when the house was built in 1917. No mold. Mold happens when your house is kept too cold and moisture builds up.
I have dogs, too !
I vacuum every other day. I dry swiffer when needed. I used a steam shark mop in one of the rms and it dulled the floor...so, I do them on my hands and knees!
I do not like to put moisture on the wood floors too often. The installers told me that wetting the wood often will cause mold issues or damage.
So, every few wks, I vacuum and then I clean w/ floor w/ the Method wood cleaner and towel dry them. I will only use green cleaners.
I do not let my dogs in the bedrooms.
We always take our shoes off.
Wood does wear. In a couple of years, the floors will need to be sanded and redone. That is the DOWNFALL of wood -- esp when paws are running around on them!
My floors looked great for the 1st year. Then, the wear took place.
