Best way to clean hardwood floors? (vac, refinish, living room, cleaning)

[Cattknap]

It is true that you should never use Murphy's Oil Soap on hardwood floors.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I use this cordless, bagless electric broom on our wood floors.
It really works pretty well, and has a brush on one side, and a sort of foam thing on the other, so there is no scratching.
(Our dog takes care of the scratching.)
Dirt Devil

I know a lot of people swear by Swiffer, but I am reluctant to get into that, buying those little paper doodads seems wasteful and expensive--just one more thing you have to buy. I'd like to just stick with a slightly damp mop.
I have heard good things about environmentally-friendly Method reusable cloths and cleaner, and 7th Generation, too.
Maybe Swiffer makes those as well?

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by cil

I use this cordless, bagless electric broom on our wood floors.
It really works pretty well, and has a brush on one side, and a sort of foam thing on the other, so there is no scratching.
(Our dog takes care of the scratching.)
Dirt Devil

I know a lot of people swear by Swiffer, but I am reluctant to get into that, buying those little paper doodads seems wasteful and expensive--just one more thing you have to buy. I'd like to just stick with a slightly damp mop.
I have heard good things about environmentally-friendly Method reusable cloths and cleaner, and 7th Generation, too.
Maybe Swiffer makes those as well?

I try and buy 7th generation (i think that's what it is) paper towels and on occassion have used them in my swifter instead of the cloths (especially when i run out).

[Cattknap]

Cil you can make your own swifter covers with those wonderful microfiber cloths that are available in many stores - WalMart carries them (I get the 3-M cloths in the automotive department). Then you can wash and re-use them. But then that takes water and soap.

The swifters are biodegradable and they pick up dust and debris beautifully. I have a lot of dust in my house and can't imagine using a damp mop to remove all the dust - it would take a lot of water to constantly rinse the mop clean.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Thanks guys.
I will check it out.

[Davart]

Originally Posted by Cattknap

It is true that you should never use Murphy's Oil Soap on hardwood floors.

It's true it ...

1. is mixed with water, water and wood not a good mix.
2. it streaks really bad and leave a film on it, they look dirty all you clean them than before.

[dreamofmonterey]

So basically water will warp it - Also thanks for the tip re: swiffer-

Bissell IMO is the worst vacuum- its like the vacuum my mother had in the 70's- why oh why are there so many bad/useless vacuums on the market? (they get clogged after 3 minutes!)

[EricD]

Originally Posted by sunnyhelena

So basically water will warp it - Also thanks for the tip re: swiffer-

Bissell IMO is the worst vacuum- its like the vacuum my mother had in the 70's- why oh why are there so many bad/useless vacuums on the market? (they get clogged after 3 minutes!)

We have an electrolux 2 in 1:
Vaccum Cleaners - Lightweight Vacuum Cleaner Pronto™ 2 in 1, Stylish Good Looks - Electrolux

It's perfect for our wood floors and area rugs. It's battery powered, and has a hand-held unit built in. We just leave it on the charging stand in the corner, and if we need to vacuum something, just pick it up, vacuum some, and then put it back on the charger. It's bagless, so when you fill it, just dump the stuff in the trash, and put it back, It will vacuum about 800 square feet before the battery starts to fade...

Anyways, I hope this helps.

[Baltic_Celt]

What does everyone think about this, perhaps all wood differs from species to species & floor to floor, depending upon how healthy the wood was to begin with, how it was installed & how much abuse it's taken?

I know a couple who work in maintenance for a large NC apt complex of 300+ units. When they saw my box of expensive wood cleaners I'd specially purchased to spit shine my blonde, hardwood floors prior to moving out, they laughed & told me to do nothing, as they'll come in behind me, wash the floor with water & vinegar & a barely wet mop & they'd all shine as good as new.

I have mahogony-colored hemlock floors in Boston which are 120-yrs old. After that many years of all kinds of tenant abuse including boiling hot water, soaps, harsh cleaners, etc., the floors are still in good condition. I've recently hand-sanded them slightly to re-stain & polyurethane to secure better tenants for more rent, but had it not been for tenants dragging furniture across floors, which most homeowners would never do, they wouldn't have needed to be done. From time to time, over 20-yrs, I've recoated floors with polyurethane, just for strength & protection & of course, have always been careful when moving furniture.

I've always used Murphy's Oil Soap with a slightly damp sponge mop, as the smell didn't irritate my cats or me & I've never had a problem with streaking, ruined floors, compromised finish. Can it be that I just had nice strong floors with good wood & that's the real difference?

[BlueWillowPlate]

When we added new wood floors to our remodeled house, the wood guy said don't clean with vinegar and water because it yellows the floor. He told me to look and compare our old oak flooring in the old part of the house with our new oak floor. Yup, it had a far yellower tone than the new floor. I quit using vinegar and water. (I do use it for other things though.)
I've never used Murphy's, so I dunno about it.
All I can tell you for sure is to stay away from dark engineered wood floor if you have a large dog.