# Cleaning products on hard wood floors..



## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

I am in the process of moving... and the new home has hard wood floors on the first floor. I am curious what everyone uses on their hard wood floors to clean them and make it chemically safe for your maltese too?
I used to use Vingar and water to clean floors my littles ones would be walking on... but does this same mixure apply to hard wood floors? 

I like the way Bruces hard wood floor cleaner works on the floors but what should i do... use the bruces cleaner and then use the vingar and water mixure to make it dog safe?


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Besides the vinegar I use Dr. Bronner's unscented soap and I have some natural cleaner I got at a natural foods store. Those stores always have good options you won't find other places.
PS Hope K&K are well! Miss seeing them!


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## jerricks (Dec 24, 2007)

I use vinegar and water or just plain water, but I get on my hands and knees, (yes, to do the whole house, about 2500 sq feet of hardwood) but I clean and shine at the same time, I used Aqua Shine, but it left a dull film, I was trying the easy way, but it was more work in the end to get my shiny floors back...I did just buy one of thos mops that you can make your own cleaner and squirt on the floor, I'll see how that goes.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I use vinegar and water on my hard wood floors. So what are soft wood floors? :HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

What about wood laminate floors? I was also thinking of getting one of the O'Cedar mops like the Swiffer Wet Jet that you can put your own cleaner in and using vinegar and water...or maybe Murphy's Oil Soap. Any thoughts? Can you use vinegar & water on wood laminates? 

At my old store I always used Murphy's Oil Soap. Totally safe. :thumbsup:


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

Murphy's is safe. We use Bruce's and just make sure that it is 100% dry before Hunter walks on it. There is very little comparison to Bruce's - I haven't found a product that I like better and as floors are very expensive to replace I want to ensure that I treat them well.

Soft wood floors like pine need to be treated differently as they can, and sometimes do, discolor if not properly taken care of and dent much more easily. But, I don't think those floors are as common as they were once.

One thing to stay away from is steam mops. They claim that they are safe for wood floors but my neighbor, who owns a flooring shop, says they really shouldn't be used on any type of wood floor as you are forcing hot steam into the wood and you can cause it to unnaturally expand and contrast as well as dampen the padding under the floor.


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

I have very dented soft wood floors (pine) that were last properly sealed about 20 years ago. (I believe they're the original floors from the late 40's!) I clean them with vinegar and water and it hasn't harmed them.

I use a cheap spongemop, run it under hot water and squeeze as much water off as I can, then spray it with white vinegar over the sink (I keep it in a Windex bottle for pee accidents and vomit cleanup). I clean a small patch of the floor, then return to the sink to rinse. (I hand pick large dirt off like hair and if there's a lot of grit on the floor near a door or something, I clean it first with paper towels so I don't rinse so much dirt down the drain.) Usually I don't need to dry it (as long as I used hot water and didn't get it too wet), but if it looks like it will leave water marks, I will sometimes "skate" over it with some old clothing rags. They don't shine like new, but then they're far from new, so I can't expect that!

There's a lot of back and forth to the sink so it's a bit slowgoing, but I think it's worth it. The hands and knees method gives better results since I dry it as I go when I do that so there's never a single water mark, but it's gruelling on my knees!


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

You will probably get a million different answers on what is safe to use on hardwoods & what can ruin them (even without considering whether the products are pet-safe or not!). If your hardwoods are pre-finished such as a polyeurethane finish (most are), you have more products to choose from. If the hardwoods are the old waxed floors, you'll need to use something different.

I have hardwoods in the entire lower level of our house and I use Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner. It is environmentally responsible, non-toxic, and made to be safe for floors, families, and the environment. It doesn't dull the floor nor does it leave a residue like some hardwood cleaners (such as OrangeGlo, Pledge, etc...those are HORRIBLE for your floors!).

I have heard good and bad things about using diluted vinegar -- it is acidic, so I believe it does eat away at the floor finish over time.

For laminate wood floors, I have heard to use apple cider vinegar & water (not regular distilled vinegar), but I don't have laminate, so I haven't done much research on it.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Crystal&Zoe said:


> What about wood laminate floors? I was also thinking of getting one of the O'Cedar mops like the Swiffer Wet Jet that you can put your own cleaner in and using vinegar and water...or maybe Murphy's Oil Soap. Any thoughts? Can you use vinegar & water on wood laminates?
> 
> At my old store I always used Murphy's Oil Soap. Totally safe. :thumbsup:


I have the O'Cedar mop & washable microfiber pads and I love it! My mop/duster is long and yellow, I'm not sure if they make different styles. The microfiber pads are awesome and come clean when washed (no fabric softener, remember). They also actually stay on the mop unlike other brands because you actually slip the mop head inside the pad and it velcros shut.


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## Toby Cooper (May 30, 2008)

Hi,

I would suggest wearing some kind of knee pads to protect your knees, I used to scrub my floors on my hands and knees and they would kill me when I got up. I've always wondered if that was why I started having knee problems. So protect your knees as total knee surgery is no fun, now I can't get on my knees at all.

Linda and Toby


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

For our wood floors (they're real wood, not laminate), I mainly use Lemongrass essential oil (a few drops but enough to smell) and some bleach (not too much of the bleach) and hot water. 

I also use vinegar too sometimes but prefer the lemongrass oil and bleach. Every now and then, my cleaner will wax/polish them. I've seen her use the vinegar plus a little of the wax cleaner together.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Just wanted to report that I used the Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop today along with Murphy's Oil Soap, the Squirt & Mop formula. We don't have Bruce's around here that I can find. I have to say I'm really pleased! I chose the Rubbermaid Reveal because it had a really large head and I liked the feel of the washable pads. At the old store, which had real hardwood floors, I always had streaks. The new store has a wood laminate floor and I don't know if it's a difference in the flooring or if it's the mop since I always used Murphy's Oil Soap, but it did a fantastic job with no streaks! And soooo much easier than the old sponge mop I had been using. :thumbsup:


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## ledege6 (11 mo ago)

kodie said:


> I am in the process of moving... and the new home has hardwood floors on the first floor. I am curious what everyone uses on their hardwood floors to clean them and make them chemically safe for your Maltese too?
> I used to use Best Spray Mop Vinegar and water to clean floors my little ones would be walking on... but does this same mixture apply to hardwood floors?
> 
> I like the way Bruces hardwood floor cleaner works on the floors but what should I do... use the bruces cleaner and then use the vinegar and water mixture to make it dog safe?


Just wanted to know what you guys use to clean/mop/sweep your hardwood floors. I don't know if I should buy a small vacuum, dry mop, etc. for the best way to clean it. Thanks.


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