I should add that I used to use the Bona when everyone was saying it was so wonderful, but after a couple of times, it dulled my floors really bad.

Water and white vinegar.

I used to tout Bona but now I'm thinking it caused my floors to become dull. What is the exact measurement of the water and vinegar?

Everywhere I read, the floor people say no vinegar and water! But I don't see why not if I dry it as soon as I put it on there.

I've never measured, but did today ... two tablespoons white vinegar to 2 quarts water. And yes, dry as you go.

Edited to correct ratio.

We use Method cleaner from Target on our hardwood and it looks and smells wonderful

We just got a new steam mop too, and that seems to be making the floor look really great!

Cindy, I just finished doing a test strip near the back door where the floor is a bit dull. Didn't work. Then I used a new bottle of Bona Professional Floor Refresher, which is supposed to bring out the shine. I can't tell any difference.

I did get low shine floors though, so maybe that's why I can't tell anything.

The man who installed my floors said to never use Bona. He advised me to always use a dustmop and occasionally a barely wet mop. That was 10 years ago and the floors are still shiny.

I agree with water and a little vinegar. I wash the floors a section at a time and towel dry (as if I was buffing) as I go. I do think kitchens take a big hit with so much traffic and are the first to start to dull.

Twice a a year I wash the wood floors with Murphy's Soap, a mop, and then go over them again with clear water. I dilute the soap just a bit more than the recommendation. The floors are decades old and still shine.

I use the spray from Bruces or Pledge for hardwood floors. Just a spritz and then go over it with the Swifter dry cloth. It hardly is wet and dries within minutes. So easy and the installer recommended that method as well.

Just a barely damp microfiber mop. You may have already created a cloudiness in the finish, the floors would need refinishing if that's the case.

After looking at my floors again, they're not dulled all that bad. Two small areas are dull. I wish I had chosen a floor with a glossier finish.

Interesting - just installed floors. Guys said to ONLY use Bona.

I use a spray bottle, wet the floor and wipe. Adding a little alcohol to the water makes the misting dry quick. I should add that I don't use vinegar all the time. Maybe it depends on the type of finish one has. I have a HUGE container of Bona and will never use it again.

Well, wouldn't it depend on the kind of finish you have?

I'm sorry Bona didn't work for you Lukki. I use it and it has worked well for me. However, I don't have (and don't want) shiny floors. I don't use Bona all the time, I also have used the barely wet microfiber mop and vinegar with water. You want the mop just barely wet. Like Lukki, I use a spray bottle, not a bucket of water. I don't get the floor wet enough that it needs to be dried. I've never had cloudy finish so I'm not sure what causes that. You've not used some kind of wax on them have you? I do know that some of those products will become cloudy and need to be stripped.

To clean I use vinegar and water (just a tiny amount of vinegar) and I make sure there's no standing water.

I haven't figured out what to do to shine. By the time I clean I'm too tired to try to shine. I have a satin finish on my floors that were refinished on site so they're not going to shine much. But the suggestions above have been helpful.

My housekeeper uses Bona but about once a month the steam mop. Our hw is matte finish & going on 16 years old so I don't expect a shiny look.

When I say shine, I mean low gloss. I have a matt finish and the parts I am talking about look very very dull in comparison to the rest of the room and other rooms.

Vinegar will clean the floor, but I guess it won't help with the shine?

No shine, ellendi. I did a three foot plank yesterday to compare to the one next to it. Nothing.

Here's a video I found today. I'm not going to use vinegar anymore.

http://www.armstrong.com/flooring/floor-care/hardwood-care-instructions.html

My problem are the horse prints, I mean dog prints...those dogs are huge!...because they track in mud all the time when it rains. Or dewy prints from the grass. It's impossible to wipe their feet dry because their pads absorb so much.

So I have to put a liquid on the wood pretty often to get the prints off. Usually it's just water and paper towels because rinsing out a sponge/cloth would take all day.

Just finished cleaning the kitchen floor (on my hands and knees). I need to correct my ratio posted above. I used a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to 2 quarts of water. Did a section at a time with a well rung cloth followed immediately by drying with a soft towel. I've been doing this for the past eight years. The floors have a satin finish, so they have a slight shine. That has not changed. There are scratches from the cats' claws (even though I keep them trimmed), but that's part of the patina.

Those of you using steam mops on wood floors might want to reconsider.

Clearing up confusion about wood floor maintenance from the National Wood Flooring Association

gosh Tina, if I could send you this 1.5 -2 gallon container of it, I would! I got it at Costco so you know it's large! Hate for it to go to waste, but it really clouded up my floors.

lukkiirish, what kind of finish do you have on your floors?

I have matt in the kitchen (or satin?) and high gloss in the living room. Both are prefinished. The Bona made both look dim...but the matt floors were much hard to get it off of.

Just asking because I also have matte and I thought my floors looked duller. Ditto with 1.5 gallons of Bona left from Costco

I also have a feeling like there's a dark residue/film ---unless it's dirt :(