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cleaning hardwood floors

4 years ago

Is it safe to use 1/2 cup white vinegar to gallon of water to clean solid white oak hardwood floors

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Comments (10)

PRO
G & S Floor Service
4 years ago
Yes, you can use it to deep clean once a month.
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
What's the finish on the floors? Is it a traditional poly/urethane finish? Factory finished or site finished?

Vinegar is acidic - even when watered down. If used too often (a couple/three times a year is fine) it can cause the new finishes to haze/etch. And that's very upsetting.
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I have a Hoover Floor Mate. I also have engineered oak hardwood floors. (And a side note: engineered flooring is "real" wood. It's not solid hardwood all the way through, but is composed of layers and the top layer (thickness depends on brand) is real oak with a poly finish and should be treated the same as a solid hardwood floor. As far as Floor Mate, I won't be without it! (Actually, I used the first FM version about 4 years, then a little plastic part broke and water leaked some. So I just replaced it with the purple (500 model, I belive, DH just put it together last night, so I haven't used it yet.) Anyway, I would not recommend using it on hardwood, no matter if it's engineered or solid. It does secrete enough water that it would ruin the floor if it seeped between the seams (and that is inevitable). I do, however, use Floormate religiously on: ceramic, lineoleum and commercial grade laminate. (Our laminate has a rubber backing, since it was installed below grade on top of concrete. It's actually a commercial grade laminate. If I had "residential" laminate, which we are thinking of installing in our kitchen, I would not use the Floor Mate because the underside is not rubber but wood composition and if water seeped between the seams it would ruin the underside of the flooring.) Love my Floor Mate, BTW. The gunky water that is left in the dirty water tank is unreal. I can't go back to a mop and bucket, knowing I'd be spreading that stuff right back onto the floor again. And a double bonus: if you have a bad back, it's a life saver! So I clean my hardwood this way: Vacuum thoroughly to get large particles picked up and to avoid scratching flooring with Swiffer or hardwood mop. When I vacuum, I use a filter queen with a hardwood floor brush attachment (no rotating beater/bristles!). Next I follow up with a Swiffer. (I got Swiffer Max, which is much wider and covers more floor space.) After that I spray Bruce Duraluster cleaner on a hardwood mop and wipe the floors. Love the Bruce cleaner, gets the floors really clean (evidence is on the hardwood mop) and leaves a nice satin sheen (but no residue build-up). Sounds like a lot to do, but it's not really. I can do an entire level of hardwood flooring (3 bedrooms, hall, living room) in under 30 minutes.
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Comments (22)
I'll suggest a) determine the manufacturer of your hardwood floors, and 2) follow their maintenance and cleaning instructions and recommendations. Some flooring manufacturers give 20, 25 and 35 year guarantees on their pre finished hardwood flooring, that tells me it would be wise to pay attention to their cleaning recommendations. Here's where one producer, Mercier, lists their instructions: http://www.mercier-wood-flooring.com/en_us/literature-and-documentation, look for the maintenance guide. I'll quote some points from their guide: Step 1 ...vacuum regularly. The vacuum cleaner removes dust and abra- sive substances from the surface. Frequency: As often as necessary Step 2 Mercier cleaner on a mop (micro fiber), swab in the same direc- tion as the floorboards. ... Never use fabric softener (sheets or liquid) when washing mop covers, these products leave a greasy film on the surface of the floor. Wash the mop cover when it is dirty .Warning Never use wax, household detergent, wood conditioner or oil-based soap on the floor. These products can tarnish, damage the finish and leave a greasy film, making the floor slippery and difficult to maintain. Mixtures of water and vinegar are not recommended for cleaning prefinished flooring, since vinegar has an oxidizing effect on the finish.
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Bona versus vinegar and water to clean hardwood floors?
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Bona may leave a film for some but on my laminate, sweaty paw prints have been impossible to remove so far until I tried Bona. I put it in the Bissell Crosswave machine (NOT a steam cleaner). Seems to work better than anything else I've read about and tried so far-- including the Bissell cleaning solution made for the machine. As for the film, I still wondered whether there was any residue from the Bona so I experimented with a little glass cleaner in one spot and compared. The same look on both. Therefore, I don't believe I am seeing any film, just the finish of the floor. Eureka! no more paw prints! Hope this helps!
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what to use to clean hardwood flooring
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Comments (20)
Nope...not weird. That's actually normal. Feet are greasy. Skin oils are shiny (or dull in comparison to the finish). Skin oils will push through socks....ick I know...but this is the nature of having skin. And cooking oils splash into the air and can land up anywhere on that same LEVEL!!! Yep. With open floor plans, cooking oils can land 400ft away. And anything oily (that is left to dry out) becomes tacky. And when it becomes TACKY it GRABS dust. And the stuck-dust becomes gritty. And then that starts to feel GUMMY. Sound familiar? So that's why we recommend a "slightly damp" mop (water only) about 1x PER WEEK. This picks up plenty of the dust and prevents it from getting gritty and gummy. See where I'm going with this? So far, your explanation is SPOT ON normal. There is nothing "wrong" with what is happening. In fact it is what I would expect to happen if a damp cleaning is occurring every 6-8 weeks. Add in the "water only" damp cleaning and see if you can get these floors to feel better in between the "cleaning" events. Adding in a different cleaner into your schedule won't do anything for the "week later" feeling. Only by adding in the slightly damp mop every week will reduce this feeling if icky-sticky floors.
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lindac92
4 years ago
As long as your finish isn't shellac. I use it on my poly finished floors. Which have shellac under the poly.
MrsD
Original Author
4 years ago
It has a polyurethane semi gloss finish. I've never used anything on it. Just use Miele vac and norwex microfiber on it. But traffic areas in kitchen are kinda dull looking and under kitchen table. Areas with no traffic can take microfiber over and they still pretty shine.
MrsD
Original Author
4 years ago
And my floors were sanded and finished on site.
MrsD
Original Author
4 years ago
Some stuff that I've read says a little dishwashing liquid in warm water. So is it a little vinegar or a little dish soap? And I know it is just damp not wet mopping. I'm thinking micro fiber cloth wring out good.
future_retiree
4 years ago
In my opinion, definitely no vinegar. Any amount whatsoever will have an oxidizing effect on the finish.

Assuming your floors are prefinished, if you know the manufacturer then obtain (call their customer support dept if you have to) and follow their maintenance instructions.

If you don't know the manufacturer then go to the Bona website and read up (Wood Floors 101). Better yet go to the National Wood Flooring Association's website, look for the 'for consumers' section and read up.

If you want your hardwood floors to last 35+ years then follow the manufacturers maintenance instructions exactly. I'll bet you'll never find a manufacturer of prefinished hardwood that that says yes, it's ok to use vinegar on the finish.
MrsD
Original Author
4 years ago
My hardwood floors are not prefinished. They were raw unfinished wood, sanded and finished on site. No factory finishing.
future_retiree
4 years ago
> My hardwood floors are not prefinished.

If I were you I'd track down the finish used, get the manufacturer's maintenance specifications and follow exactly. That is the key to getting as as long a life as possible from the finish.

Still, I'm guessing no manufacturer will specify it's ok to use vinegar on a residential hardwood floor finish.
SJ McCarthy
4 years ago
MrsD you are looking for a product that states:

pH Neutral Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Armstrong, Bona, etc make great products that you can purchase either on line or in stores.

Do NOT purchase "polish" or any product that says "will renew/rejuvenate the look of your floors". Those types of products WILL damage your floors.

Do NOT purchase 'all purpose' cleaners. Do NOT purchase product that states "good for all flooring surfaces". That's the same as an all purpose cleaner.

Do NOT use oil based soaps like Murphy's Oil Soap. Murphy's absolutely WILL damage any hardwood floor on the market. To the point it cannot be refinished - ever.

I've heard 'a drop of Dawn' in a BUCKET of water is all a hardwood floor needs. This works nicely for now. And when we talk about 'damp' mopping we mean WATER ONLY once per week.

When we talk about 'damp cleaning' we mean "a drop of Dawn" once per MONTH.

For nasty oily stains (or foot prints, etc) go ahead and spot clean with a spritz of Windex. It will work just fine for basic oily clean-up.

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