Hardwood Floor Owners -

I have a really really stupid question.

How do I clean them? I mean I have a dust mop for the big stuff, but I've had mine for a year now and have never mopped them or polished them or anything. My question...do I buy an actual mop and that janitorial tub thingie to squeeze the mop out in, or will a Swiffer do it? And what kind of solution do I buy? I've heard Swedish X is good, but seriously I have no clue.

I'm having a SB party and want to get my shyte together. Thx in advance, knowledgable DUers.

:toast:

and it works like a charm. It has a setting for carpets as well, so you can clean your rugs. When I need to mop, I just use one of those Libman replaceable mops & some Murphy's Oil Soap in hot water.

Anyone else?

And a dry swiffer to round up the dust every other day.

After sweeping, I mop them with Murphy's wood soap diluted in water and then wipe dry because water is not good for wood floors.
However, the floors are not as shiny as I'd like them to be.

they build up . use a neutral ph cleaner.

I just don't know what's a neutral ph cleaner

much better for your floors. also you need to keep an eye on the humidity in your house. 40%-50% is recommended. if the floors dry up, then it's easier for dirt to get trapped, and scratch up your floor. too much humidity and you will have warpped boards. furniture polish is great for scratches if you can find one that is a good match to your finish.
http://www.safehomeproducts.com/SHP/ES/Bona_Kemi.asp

I'm talking about WOOD!

Are they solid wood? How are they sealed? Are they laminate?

All of these things will effect how they need to be cleaned.

Oak, I think. Glued down. 3/8" thick

JD

Are you sure there are no nails? If glue is what's them them, I would be afraid of water affecting the glue.

No nails.

Could it be laminate? A new product came out within the last ten years that looks like wood but isn't.
I hope someone who knows construction jumps in. I thought all hardwood had nails. Could it be tongue and groove? (I hope this doesn't sound too dumb -- it's just that wood is too good for just glue.)

The reason it's glue is cause it's thinner than most...3/8" They went through 4 tubs of it. It's a great floor trust me...I'd just like to treat it well.

RL

From Target works great.

I'm interested in this, too. My wife is a wonderful woman, but always seems to forget to wipe up the splashes on the wood floor. so, I always get a lot of spots that I have trouble cleaning up...

Plain water...wrung out as much as you can ((a plain cotton mop..no industrial wringer required..hand wring as hard as possible(hot,as hot as you can stand cause it drys quickly))...vinegar stinks! Plain water will remove the dust particles that seem to gather .. if your floors are well sealed. If not, there are wood floor cleaners...very dangerous, make sure you have it well ventilated and DO NOT SMOKE or if you have pilot lights make sure they are OUT..this is a very flamible product. Then you can wax with a bowling alley type wax (Johnson & Johnson makes both products) but you have to buff the floors with either a buffer or ALOT of elbow grease. I LOVE wood floors and they are well worth the effort!

i grew up with hardwood floors, and my parents were rather anal about them.

You have to know what the finish is before you clean them. Restoration Hardware sells a great hardwood floor cleaner..I've been using it for 2 years and love it.