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Look, if you want to be able to "sanitize" your floors, you need to do what hospitals do: industrial linoleum tiles, heavily waxed.
But why would you WANT to "sanitize" the floors in your HOUSE unless you're running a health care faciliity or have someone seriously immunocompromised in which case see above: what hospitals do.
Germaphobes do weird things. Can't say I've ever been overly worried about bacteria lurking on my floors, hardwood or otherwise. No matter what you clean a floor with you won't get rid of every single bacterial organism. Not worth ruining the floor trying. Even if you did manage it the benefit would be very short lived. As soon as anyone walks across it they'll be back. FWIW, someone gave me a steam cleaner with all sorts of little attachments. There were enough surfaces in my house that didn't lend themselves to steam cleaning that I only used it a couple of times. It ended up sitting in a closet until the moving sale years later.
I have engineered Brazilian cherry flooring from Lumber Liquidators. I used to use the cleaning product they recommended but didn't think it got the floors very clean, so I started using and have stayed with Swiffer - the pads or clothes (one use) whatever they are called. That gets the dirt up!! May check out the mop Swiffer that has a cleaner spray cannister, but the pads are so easy, use and toss, no water to pour or toss, and the mop and container of wet pads are easy to store. YMMV
You steam your wood floors if you enjoy warped wood.
I expect if you used an old-timey, heavy duty first generation steam mop on an ancient wood floor that had an age appropriate finish you might eventually cause the floors to warp... but big-name manufacturers are selling some now that they simply wouldn't be selling if they were going to destroy a modern wood floor. That factory finish is pretty tough.
As a lifelong woodworker, it goes against everything we used to be taught... but as a realist with a houseful of oak flooring, it didn't bother me even a little when the cleaning lady used one the other day (Bissel, I think).
so I started using and have stayed with Swiffer - the pads or clothes (one use) whatever they are called. That gets the dirt up!! May check out the mop Swiffer that has a cleaner spray cannister, but the pads are so easy, use and toss, no water to pour or toss, and the mop and container of wet pads are easy to store. YMMV
I refuse to buy chemically-laden, out-of-sight-out-of-mind disposable convenience products like Swiffer. Some care about their after lives clogging and leaching out of landfills. I bought an actual re-usable fabric dust/mop pad + handle to clean my hardwood flooring. It might not get rid of every microbe (not that I really care) but it did handle all but stickiest mud off the dog's feet. A few seconds of hand rubbing with a sponge/cleaner did the rest. The thing's still functional years later. Considering how often I cleaned that floor who knows how many Swiffers were never even purchased let alone dumped.
I refuse to buy chemically-laden, out-of-sight-out-of-mind disposable convenience products like Swiffer. Some care about their after lives clogging and leaching out of landfills. I bought an actual re-usable fabric dust/mop pad + handle to clean my hardwood flooring. It might not get rid of every microbe (not that I really care) but it did handle all but stickiest mud off the dog's feet. A few seconds of hand rubbing with a sponge/cleaner did the rest. The thing's still functional years later. Considering how often I cleaned that floor who knows how many Swiffers were never even purchased let alone dumped.
Fair enough and to each their own. I originally had the re-usable dust mop/pad and a soy-based product to clean the floors, but besides not feeling like it got the floors as clean as I'd like, I didn't like throwing the dirty pads in my washing machine.
but besides not feeling like it got the floors as clean as I'd like, I didn't like throwing the dirty pads in my washing machine.
Then don't. I toss mine into a bucket of soapy water (add a little bleach or vinegar if it seems necessary) for a while, give them a quick scrub/rinse/wring, then toss them in the dryer with the next load of laundry to re-fluff the fibers. Easy peasy!
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