The above is good advice. Another thing to consider is how clean the mop pads are. Is it washed in fabric softener? I generally mist mine with Simple Green and let them soak. Then I'll scrub quickly, rinse and throw it in the wash with a load of towels. We don't use fabric softener.

Other things I've seen used are mineral spirits and denatured alcohol. Beware because both are flammable. We have cleaned floors with mineral spirits but usually go over it after with Bona because the min. spts. can leave streaks. I just noticed that Bona has a heavy duty cleaner also.

https://us.bona.com/products/Bona-PowerPlus--Hardwood-Floor-Deep-Cleaner.html

i like both comments already made, just want to second cancorks suggestion that bona be used sparingly. it is NOT an everyday cleaner.

I personally think wood floors are filthy. If I rub any part of my wood floors with a paper towel, it will be black. Better to handle it the best you can, because you can't douse this thing with hot, soapy water and a mop like my old vinyl sheet floor I feel a bit nostalgic over.

Sweep, every day, maybe twice a day. Getting the debris off the floor is vital.

I spot clean with Swiffer Wet Jet for wood floors or a spray and paper towel.

Every month or so (maybe a wee bit longer between cleanings), I fill a bucket with HOT water, the hottest I can get it, and use a string mop. I drain that mop until it is no longer dripping and on the damp side and run it over the floor. Repeat. It takes forever, and several buckets (the water goes black quickly), but my wood floors look amazing after I do this. I was shocked I didn't need a cleaner, but the hotter the water the better. No residue, and you'd be surprised what that HOT water and mop gets off your floor.

I recommend a good quality microfiber damp mop where you can remove/change the pads, easily, both while you are damp mopping and afterwards. When I damp mop my hardwood floors, I remove and thoroughly rinse (with warm water and then squeeze as dry as I can reasonably get it) the mop pad at least once per room (once for small rooms that are very clean, more times for larger rooms, more times if there's an area that's dirty). I usually use two mop pads each time I damp mop--one upstairs and one downstairs, but sometimes use more. If a mop pad isn't rinsing clean easily, I'll change it out. They all go in the washing machine afterwards. My floors would definitely pass the above-mentioned paper towel test.

You've got to have a clean, relatively dry, mop pad in order for it to pick up dirt, otherwise, it just pushes the dirt around. It's true that no cleaner will actually pick up anything from your floor; cleaners just loosen the stuck-on dirt and the water from the cleaner evaporates, but the dirt remains unless you use something to get it up. If your mop pad is dirty or too damp, or the wrong mop pad, it will push dirt around without picking it up.

Where is the filth coming from?

Shoes...And human skin. Air particles settling, dust being blown in...etc, etc, etc.

I was kind of wondering that too...where the dirt is coming from. I thought maybe it was building up because the sponge mop wasn't picking the dirt up. Another thing is that good walk off mats (inside and outside) are very helpful to not track dirt in, if you wear shoes in the house (we do wear shoes). Speaking of shoes, a carpet installer once told me to never walk around barefoot on the carpet because oils from your feet get on the carpet. I asked if socks were good...he said to wear slippers or shoes.

You know, we all need a bit of dirt to challenge our immune systems so they will work. We all need to quit obsessing about how clean a wood floor is. We sweep it, occasionally mop it (if we have dogs and mud that gets tracked into the house), and we live with it. We do not eat off our floors. And as for babies crawling...well, I go back to the fact that children who live in too clean an environment (mothers who are obsessed with Purileing everything), are far more likely to develop allergies than those who live with typical amounts of dirt that are part of our world.

We like to recommend using ammonia-free windex on your newly finished hardwood floors. Harsh chemicals just wear the finish away, so things like vinegar are definitely something you should stay away from. Here's a link to some more useful floor care tips.

Hardwood Floor Care

Fabuloso does great on my hardwood, cappuccino, so you know it shows everything. And it is no rinse. Make sure you do not use ANYTHING that leaves a residue, it think that is the problem. Just think of all the stuff you get ground into carpet, carpet is evil!!! We have four dogs and ME who drag everything inside. There is no substitute for a good string mop wrung out thoroughly, damp mopping with no free water will not hurt a poly floor, that is why they put it down so much, it's tough. Rinse often and wring out and have clean floor. Bona is good for touch ups but it is just water with surfactants, a floor needs water to get thoroughly clean.

I always thought that you should give your floors a good vacuum first before any mopping or any wet cleaners?

You definitely should vacuum first, I always do that.

I agree about Bona and especially the microfiber cloths. They just do not clean. The best way I have found is get down on my hands and knees with a Terry rag or towel. So much cleaner and you can get the corners and under your cabinets well.

I had been using Swiffer products and could see dirt on the changeable pads, but the hardwood floors felt sticky and recently I changed to a Bona spray and microfiber mop. However, after use the mop does not look dirty. Did it and the spray only spread the dirt and leave it on the floor? Should I continue to use the Bona products or return them to the store?

I wet my Bona mop head down, wring it out, then spray bona on it.I clean a small area, remove the pad, rinse it, wring it and repeat for the entire floor. Leaves the floor clean and full of luster. I am able to see the dirt I remove when I rinse the pad.

Many cultures can’t imagine bringing indoors and wearing indoors ones’s outdoor shoes. If your water or cloth turns black, no surprise!