As far as I'm concerned the BONA Floor Cleaning kit is the only way to go. Cleaned my floors beautifully and left no film or scum. The new BONA mop and cleaner works great - much easier than the flat mop and spray.

Do *not*use the Shark steam mop on your hardwood floors. It streaks and left a white film. If I had a previous film on it, the steam made it worse. The vinegar and windex seemed to do the trick. I did both methods and they seemed like the result was the same.

to simply dust floors on a daily basis I have the Roomba Robot vacuum and it works, works, works! I am undecided on how to clean my hardwoods. I want a simple method. Has anyone tried the Scooba robot?

I have a steam mop that i do love, but it makes my hardwood floors look very dull. so i tried the orange glo, which looked very nice at first, but now terrible! i'm going to try windex to see if it helps; it seems to be the one solution on here that a lot of people have agreed on.

Our whole middle floor is hardwood. We've tried everything such as Swiffer, Pine Sol, etc. What I found works very well is Mr. Clean all purpose cleaner. It gets diluted into spray bottles for our home cleaning and diluted into the bucket for mopping. After our hardwood floor has been mopped and has that lemony fresh smell and it's dried, we go over it with Mop and Glow and it gives a great shine but be sure and rinse your mop between using the Mr. Clean all purpose and Mop and Glow otherwise you will have a film. Mop and Glow works great on our linoleum laundry room floor too!

I use murphy oil, always, because that's the only one product that i see gives out a shiny glow after mopping. I love it.

i had pre-finished hardwoods for four years. now how the heck do i clean the dirt out of the micro beveled edge? is there a tool? a special cleaning agent? anything? help me!

has anyone used the Bona Floor Cleaning Kit? I am most interested in getting the floors clean. We wear socks only in the house, and no matter how I clean the floors, our socks are dirty from the floors.

The best way to keep harwood floors looking great is to use water and a vinegar solution *only* to clean. Use a damp mop and wipe with a soft cloth to create a shine. No matter what you do, the finish will have to be redone eventually. Never use orange glo or any other hardwood floor product because it will build up and you will have to either add wax or refinish the floors.

I did everything that everyone else did. The Orange Glo, Pledge and Swiffer for hardwood floors. The miracle fix - Windex! I sprayed it on a rag and cleaned plank by plank one at a time until the wax build up came off and a clean rag would glide across the floor. Thank you Windex!

Solid hardwood floors are among the easiest to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple, everyday cleaning techniques. It’s important to know how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors.

Dirt and Grit: - Dirt, grit and sand are your hardwood floors' worst enemies. They act like sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt and prevent damage.

Water and Other Spills: Standing water can warp a poorly finished hardwood floor and can damage the finish. Simply wipe up all spills as they happen.

Hard Cleaners: Avoid oil soaps. They can build up and create problems when it’s time to put a maintenance coat on the floor. Instead, neutral pH cleaners made specifically for wood floors are recommended.

Furniture: Lift the furniture to move it — avoid dragging. Felt contacts under the legs will help prevent scratches.

Dents: Vacuum with a brush attachment – don’t use vacuums with beater bars.

Sun: Direct sun can discolor your hardwood floor. Close curtains and blinds or add sheer drapes to protect from the sun’s intense UV rays.

Use windex. i tried and it looks pretty good. use a mop with windex and before it dries use a dried mop to polish. Do it like 3 times and you will see the shine of your finished floors.

Does anyone use the HAAN steamer on their poly sealed hardwookd floor (it is a Bruce Floor) I have tried bruce, orange glo, murphys soap. Floor looks horrible.

I am now confused. I used to use swiffer and it worked pretty good, then I used bruce but didn't like it too much. Someone suggested to use the steam mop and now my floor looks like unfinished wood. Orange glo (what the maid used) before I used the steam mop made it look good initially but had a residue behind. Now my wood floor is only a year old and looks as if it's years and years old. Please help with suggestions as to what I should do.

I sweep or use a dry Swiffer on my hardwood regularly, and to really clean the floor and make it shine I use Allura spray cleaner (I get it at Walmart) with a dry cloth mop pad (the kind you can remove and throw in the laundry). It leaves a beautiful shine, and I have never had a problem with streaks or residue.

I have ARK Engineered hardwood floors color Brazilian dark cherry. Currently I use a damp towel and then dry with a beach towel. It only looks good until someone starts walking on it barefoot then you see foot prints all over the place. I would like to have a nice shine on my floors. Any recommendations...Thank You

I used orange glow and I ruined my poly-wood floors. After reading different sites i used windex the last weekend and my floors look wonderful like a glass. If you want to see the difference you have to work so hard. I sprayed the windex on my floors and then I wait like a 3 minutes and then i grabbed a towel and cleaned with my hands 10 times each little part, I could see the build up coming out, then I sprayed windex again until i did not see any build up and you can tell that it is working when the towel runs easy on the floor. it was amazing!! a lot of people say do not spray the windex on your floors because it can damaged the poly but in my case worked wonderful, you must repeat the proces maybe 2 or 3 times at the same area. do not get tired of the long process because you will see the shine again. I spent hours in my floors. *Use windex*! the process has to be repeated again and again until you see the shine again

I would use this hardwood line of cleaners

I have new wood floors with a polyurethane finish and I always have a dull residue after washing the floor and then walking on it. I bought Orange Glo and that was a big mistake. My floors have not looked the same since. Orange Glo stinks!!! I will now try vinegar and water and see if that will have better results. Wish me luck.

I have Armada wood floors. I use Bruce hardwood cleaner and it works great but for a very short period of time! As soon as you walk on it, especially barefoot, it shows marks all over it! Is there something I can do to prevent footmarks and such?

I recently refinished the Doug Fir floors in my 1915 Craftsman. I use water and a bit of vinegar at the recommendation of the floor guy and am always satisfied with the result...clean, nice shine, no stickiness. The trick seems to be dusting/sweeping the floors really well before using the water/vinegar mix and then using a dry towel to "polish" the streaks and whatnot away.

For scuffs, I use an old nylon sock for linoleum and hardwood. They come right up.

Do *not* use Rejuvenate!! I used it almost a year ago and the floor looked beautiful until it needed to be wet mopped again. I am *still* trying to get some of it off!! It flaked and got stuck in the cracks between the floor boards. It was like peeling skin after a sunburn! It has left streaks on my floor for over a year that I still haven't been able to completely get off! I regret using it!

Need to remove dull film on new hardwood, any suggestions. Have tried water and Bona, but the film returns.

Never, never use vinegar on hardwood floors!! I sell hardwood for a living and know this. Use a mild dishwash detergent (ivory snow) nothing with citrus in it. And use only one drop in the bucket of water.

While cleaning is easy, there are a few things to avoid:

* Don't use oil based, wax, polish, or strong ammoniated or abrasive cleaners.

* Don't use steel wool or scouring powder.

* Don't wash or wet-mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent, or any other liquid cleaning material. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.

* Don't use any type of buffing machine.

Most important: Find out who manufactured your hardwood floor. They will tell you exactly what type cleaning products you need to use. You can also contact their technical division for correcting floor issues. They are very helpful and want your floors to last a lifetime!

Lots of good answers on this site. However, does anyone have experience removing the residue left on hardwood floors by the rubberized pads that go under area rugs? Any help would be appreciated!

After having our floors refinished and sealed, the floor contractor said Windex is all I should use. It's always been beautiful and we touch up every couple years with that floor shine that has polyurethane in it.

We replaced the old carpeting in our house with hardwood gunstock oak flooring polyurethane finish. After the long hard time of installing it with just me, my husband and a quite skilled friend who does carpentry, my new floor looks great but there is some glue left and small spaces esp with those corner areas. What is the best recommended cleaner for cleaning a the floor for the first time? What is the best transparent glue-like or quick-dry liquid sealer/patch that will not ruin the natural look of the wood floor? Please help!!! Thanks...

Has anyone tried using the "Shark Steam Mop" on hardwood floors that are sealed with a water based sealant that was applied by the home builder?

We bought a 49 year old house 6 years ago that has the original hard wood floors in the living room and top floor with 3 bedrooms and hallway, that had been recently refinished and ceramic tile throughout the rest of the house. They told us to use 1/3 cup white vinegar to a gallon of warm water on both our hardwood floor and ceramic tile.

For the hardwood floors (has poly/seal on them), I ring out the mop very well, wash a small area then immediately use an old beach towel to dry, then continue on. My floors still look great. I vac my floors weekly, but only wash hardwood floors about once every 3 months. 2 adults, 2 teens with friends, and no pets, they still look great! We do take our shoes off at the door, most of the time!

I used orange-glo & swiffer wet on my new bamboo floors. The orange-glo left a waxy build up on the floors. How can I remove the build up? Can I use a steam cleaner on the bamboo? Please help me.

*zep zep zep*...Worked, worked, worked!

I have had pre-finished hardwood flooring in my living room for 7 years now and all I have ever used is Avon bubblebath with warm water and a very good mop that can be wrung out quite dry. Easy and safe!

I use Zep Hardwood floor cleaner. Spray and damp mop, easy and effective.

Sounds like a broken record, yet my floors are a mess. I too used orange-glo and pledge wood cleaner. I would do just about anything to get my shine back. Has anybody ever used Mineral Spirits? If so, how much? I have a good size great room and dining room to clean.

i would like to warn everyone about any swiffer product!!! it left a nasty film on my floors. what a mess it left. also orange glo. that is another mess. thanks for all the helpful hints.

I found that Stanley Steemer has a new process of deep cleaning hardwood floors. They have a machine that removes residues that are left behind by oil soaps and other heavy duty cleaners.

I had been using an oil soap with a mop. Immediately after it was cleaned you could see a difference, but I could still see the dull, milky look on the floor a few days later. Their process removing that dull look along with other scuffs that I had.

I have had engineered wood floors for almost 6 years now in the living room, dining, kitchen, halls and family room. I find the best way to take care of them - and have not seen it mentioned here - is mineral spirits probably once a year. Soft cloth, pour small amt mineral spirits and rub. Goes pretty fast. Works great, takes off all black marks. Not great for "sugar" based spots. In between I vac and dry mop couple times a week, and use Murphy's diluted and almost wrung dry towel just on spots occasionally.

I've just installed a beautiful wood floor over most of my lower floor. I've tried a couple different cleaners that have been recommended on various sites. The vinegar/water solution is commonly mentioned, but I think it makes the look a bit dull (my finish is a natural matte look). It's not a permanent dulling and can be buffed out easy enough. It seems to be a result of various particles being left on the surface. Plain water seems best.

I tried a steam mop (SHARK). It works okay, but after the light dust/dirt was initially removed from a small area, I found that I was soon just smearing the dirt around the rest of the floor, leaving obvious streaks. I tried rinsing the pad frequently. Helped a bit, but still not as good as just a plain damp pad/towel, rinsed frequently.

Lastly, I tried several vacuum cleaners. I have the Dyson Animal, which is awesome for carpet, but a quick disaster for my wood floor. Even with the bare floor setting, the front ridge of the unit is very low, and the small plastic wheels and front edge tend to collect grit particles and it actually scratched my new floor; heartbreaking every time I walk over those scratches! Tried the Electrolux Oxygen (canister) and it had the same problem as the Dyson. The best vacuum for my wood floor - absolutely hands down - is the Bissell "Versus" (light weight and less than $80). It does not have a beater brush, just soft rubber. The V-shape of the head gets right up to the base board and under the drip-eve of my kitchen island. And, the Bissell is super powerful, to where you can actually see fibers and pet hair being sucked into it from a foot away. And, absolutely no scratching.

Good luck.- OCD Floor Guy

I have only used vinegar and water on my hardwood floors for years. The trick for a beautiful shine is to dry it with a couple of old towels. I use one under each foot.

I have tried the orange glo, bruce, murphy's as well and the only CLEANER and POLISH I have found that works at all is the Palmetto Floors Cleaner and Polish. Their cleaner is great, but the Polish is my favorite. It makes my urethane coated floors look Brand NEW! I get so many compliments and tell everyone about it. I haven't found another product like it. they only sell online right now -

I have been on various websites trying to find out how to remove the film from my woodfloors, yes I have used orange glo, DO NOT use this product it will leave film on your floors after reading different solutions I went back to my Bruce floor cleaner, I have tried the vinegar and water this did not work either I do have Bruce-Tarkett floors the only that has seemed to work was the Bruce floor cleaner in the green bottle I purchased at Home Depot and just got on my hands and knees and cleaned and am going to do this for the next few days and see if it continues to work it seems to have removed the film....I will repost in a few days I hope this helps others.

I have used orange glo, pledge and oil soap and now have a residue on my wood floors how can I remove it so I can use the bruce spray for wood floors???

I recently bought Rejuvenate (Linens & Thngs or Home Depot) after seeing my neighbors floors. It made them look shiny and new. It is very easy to apply, dries quick, and not expensive. I would recommend it for anyone with hardwood floors that need a little pick me up.

It makes a difference whether your floors are new (polyurethane finished) or old (not refinished)! Water is dangerous to use on old floors because they are not sealed and the water will dull the floor and warp the boards. I have both types. One my poly floor I use 1 c. Simple Green in a gallon or so of water with a Libman mop- the kind you twist to wring. Works like a charm, environmentally responsible and easy- can't beat it. For the old, I use a squirt of lemon oil on a dust mop. Wear socks and watch your step in case you get a concentration of oil in a spot and it is slick until it absorbs.

I have hardwood floors and I have tried Murphy's Oil, Orange Glo, swiffer wet jet and Method (from Target). I have not had any luck with any of these products. They leave my floors looking dull and filmy. Just to let everyone know, do NOT use these products on your floors! I'm going to try Bruce's. Hardwood floor-companies recommend this product.

I have black stains on my wood floor in kitchen. May have something to do with water spilling. what can I do?

I recently bought a 50 year old house with beautiful, recently refinished hardwood floors in the hallway and "great room". This room is in the center of the house and includes the kitchen. Naturally, it's hard to keep the floors clean, especially in the kitchen. (I have 2 kids and cook a lot.) Today I discovered a great way to get them back to their nice satin glow. I dry-swiffered first (and got up an amazing amount of dust that I didn't even know was there). Then I soaked an old washcloth in white vinegar and water (about 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water, (but I did not really measure)) and wrung the washcloth out _really_ well. I fitted the washcloth into the swiffer mop and "mopped" the floor. Because it's low humidity today and I wrung the washcloth our really well the floors dried almost immediately. The whole thing took less than 10 minutes and my floors look and feel great. No need to buy expensive products, this really works!

I use a regular old sponge mop for kitchen floors and a lavender scented product called fabuloso. Works for me!

I have very old hardwood floors, they have no shine left and definitely need to be refinished. I use "Bona" Swedish Formula and have been pleased with the results.

I totally agree that Orange Glo is disastrous on hard wood floors. But how do you get it off and get the shine back?

i went out and bought the method wood floor cleaner and omop at Target that anon 15644 recommended. i have a polyurethane sealed wood floor with a satin finish (which i don't recommend by the way--looks great, but i have issues with scratching). it works like a charm! my floors look like they've been buffed, the microfiber cloth got up stuck on spots, and there's no film residue. it smells great and is environmentally friendly. it's also non-toxic, and packaged in a box made from bamboo! the sweeping pads that it comes with are made from corn-- cool!

I also used Orange Glo and it was disastrous. My beautiful high gloss Bruce wood floors are dull and I am ashamed for people to see them. I am working harder to keep them clean than I did with vinyl. I need help getting my "shine" back.

Floor type: Oak finished with polyurethane

Cleaner: Method Wood for Good floor cleaner (I have almond scent)

Mop: omop and microfiber mop pad - GREAT at getting out scuffs and dirt

Benefit: Biodegradable, non-toxic, great clean and soft shine - it's awesome.

Buy at: Got mine at Target

I use water a splash of vinegar and a little squirt of the stuff you use in your dishwasher to prevent spots on your dishes. Seems to work good.

I damp mopped my hardwood floors and now they have a film on them. I am sick!!! How do I fix this problem and what do I do to prevent this from happening in the future?

We recently moved into a house with hard wood floors. I have no idea if there is a poly finish. How would I find this out so I can properly clean them?

I, too, used Orange Glo and it is horrible. Has anyone ever tried using the wet swifter? My mother in law uses it, but I am afraid.

We recently moved into our new home that has hardwood floors through out. I have a rainbow vacuum cleaner that has a hardwood floor attachment. It's a wide head with soft bristles it works GREAT! for my hardwoods. This vacuum doesn't have a bag it is a water vac and it picks up great. I've had it 6yrs and wouldn't own any other vacuum. Plus I use it on my tile floors in the kitchen and bath too. As for cleaning I was using Murphy's oil soap until my sister-in-law said she was told by a refinisher it wasn't good to use oil products on hardwoods. When the day came that we may want to have our floors refinished the oil build up would make it a nightmare. They recommended hot water and vinegar also.

Has anyone tried the Rejuvenate (they have infomercials)? I just bought it at Home Depot and want to try this weekend. Our hallways (high traffic areas) really are scuffed up.

I also tried Orange Glo cleaner and Polish and was horrified with the results. At first it looked good, but very quickly the nice sheen began to dull, and when I tried cleaning my floors a few days later, I ended up with a dull film over the entire floor. I was sick to my stomach when I saw the results. I tried many cleaners to remove the film : vinegar, murphy's oil, and finally after using Bruce Hardwood floor cleaner spray with a microfiber cloth a few times, I think the film may finally be gone. I still see a few area that I've missed. I wish we could undo all of the myths when it comes to hardwood floors. I'm still trying to find the perfect cleaning method and solution.

I have pre-finished hardwood floors, and someone told me to use Johnson's One-Step. Looks great for a day or two, but is very smelly and messy and then it gets streaked and looks dull. The floor I haven't used it on looks great. Question-how can I remove all the wax build-up from the Johnson's product and start from scratch?

What kind of vacuum should be used? I read that a regular vacuum with a beater bar will ruin the finish. I've looked at some "broom vacuums" but I am not sure another machine is the answer. Please comment.

I have ruined the hardwood flooring in my entire downstairs by using Orange Glo. If I could sue, I would. I have finally found a solution. It can be purchased at Home Depot. It's called DEP Hardwood Floor Cleaner. It takes a lot of back-breaking work, but it will restore the original shine.

I bought a steam mop and it has ruined my sealed hardwood floors. They are all warped and coming apart from each other. I thought I should warn others, so they do make the same mistake that I did.

i agree that Murphy's Oil isn't as good as you would think for cleaning hardwood floors. after mopping with the cleaner that came with my little mop/vaccuum combo, i switched to plain water after seeing how dull my floor was looking! looks better, it's cheaper, and environmentally friendly!

I just finished reading a gigantic thread on cleaning hardwood floors and it came down to this:

1. avoid Orange Glo, Murphy's oil or products such as Fuller that claim to be good on "certain" hardwood floors.

2a. use hot water and vinegar (half cup of vinegar and 1 gallon of hot water) and either use a mop or clean it by hand.

2b. or if you have polyurethane, you can use Bruce's 1 Step.

I recently saw a steam cleaning mop that was advertised to clean sealed wood floors. Anyone use steam to clean their hardwood floors?

i redently had engineered hardwood installed throughout my house. i have been very pleased with a cleaning set i got from home depot. it is bruce hardwood cleaner. i got the spray and the cloth mop and am quite pleased.

I would recommend using a cleaning product that works with the type of finish you have on the floor. The finish brand usually also has a cleaning solution you can use to clean. (thats why the stuff at the supermarket doesn't work) You can get that from companies that sell hardwood floors or ask the person you hired about that. Hope this helps.

I just had my floor refinished and I was told to try vinegar and water from a spray bottle to clean my floor. I have found it to be tacky and now my floor looks very dull. Can I get my shine back?

After sweeping, I use a hardwood floor cleaner that was purchased from a vacuum cleaner store. It should be diluted 1:32 parts; I use a spray bottle and a dry mop with removable cloth pads that can be washed and reused. Seems to work better than any expensive hardwood floor vacuum cleaner.

How to remove scuff marks from hardwood floors.

I have tried multiple wood cleaners on my floor from Orange Glo , Pledge , Murphy's Oil Soap , etc ... I think I have used every brand in the market .

I always end up with a "residue" looking film on the floor ... the only way I seem to not get this is if I do it by hand which is not realistic to do every time ...

Advice ? HELP ! My floors are beautiful but I can't seem to keep them looking fresh and clean.