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Best way to clean polyurethane-coated hardwood floors?

16 years ago

Please help. The second floor renovation is complete and although the contractor covered everything and used barriers, plaster dust has settled throughout the house. I have vacuumed and vacuumed, but there is still a faint white film on all the polyurethane-coated hardwood floors. What's the best way to clean them?

Thanks

Molly

Comments (4)

redbazel
16 years ago
I use a very slightly damp mop and Bona hardwood floor cleaner.

Red
reeree_natural
16 years ago
I would try vinegar and water, and a few drops of lemon juice. I use this mixture to wash my hard wood flooring. But I also have the Hoover Floor Mate..I never use the wood floor cleaner they want you to use .. I put the above mixture in it's place..if you don't have the floor mate, just use what you normally use when washing your floors..good luck! Hope it works for you.
Ree
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Anything that says "multisurface" is not good enough for wood. I can guarantee it. And these "natural cleaners" are AAAAAALLLLLL oil-based cleaners. https://www.mrsmeyers.ca/basil-multi-surface-concentrate/ Notice the ingredients list: I count 6 oils in the ingredients (a "surfactant" comes from oil). The main ingredient = coconut oil. So I'm correct in saying this is a VERY expensive version of "Murphy's Oil soap" ... it just has plenty of pretty smell. That's the only difference. Both will destroy your hardwood in the same way. The basic maintenance for hardwood floors finished in polyurethane: I recommend purchasing 2 microfibre mops; 1 for 'damp' and 1 for 'dry' cleaning: 1. Sweep or dry dust mop (or vacuum without the beater-bar) 2-3 times per week 2. Water-damp mop (slightly damp = almost dry) once per week (no cleaner) 3. pH Neutral hardwood floor cleaner used 1-2 per MONTH (in lieu of damp mop) These pH neutral cleaners are made up MOSTLY of alcohol. They will clearly state on the label "does not leave a residue". The chemicals present in these formulas are MUCH LESS than the chemicals in your current cleaner. I would speak with your flooring professional to find out the BRAND of the oil based polyurethane (which has HUGE amounts of chemicals = ++++off gassing) to find out if the brand of finish has a recommended cleaning product (some do....but not all). Companies like Armstrong and Bruce create their own pH neutral hardwood floor cleaners for their hardwoods. They are quite safe for hardwoods and for air quality in the home. If you don't like the over-the counter stuff, stick with water...you will be just fine.
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breezy_2
16 years ago
Yep! That's it...damp mop, vinegar helps a bit, rinse the mop often. That should do it.
floorman67
16 years ago
2. daily to a few times a week: dry mop or mop with a treated head dry mop for ease in picking up the dust.
weekly to a few times a month: vaccuum (make sure you dont scratch the floor doing this)
monthly to a few times a year: damp mop with a very very very dry damp mop with either a product recommended by your hardwood manufacturer or a mild solution of vinegar and water, or a very mild cleaning solution that will not leave a residue. there are a few of them out recommended for wood. They key here is very very very dry damp mopping. Enough just so it picks up the dirt your regular cleaning regimine can't.

Remember that excessive moisture is your wood floors worst enemy (next to that dropped cast iron frying pan!).

Bona - Bona X - BonaKemi has some of the very best hardwood cleaning and maitenance products under the sun, so I highly suggest in investing in them. So good that we give our customers their Hardwood Premium Kit with every hardwood installation (no i dont work for BonaKemi).

Alot of hardwood flooring care is (or should be) preventative action, instead of reactionary after an "incident".
- use of felt furniture pads
- floor mats inside and outside of each entrance
- rules for no shoes (impractical in some situations but if you can stop that running kid with the stone caught in the sole of his shoe or asphalt just once, its worth it!)
- keep area rugs and mats cleaned daily and /or vaccuumed
- use carpet runners in traffic areas where practical
  clean any spills up immediately
Cleaning Your Hardwood Flooring

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