Husband has installed wood flooring throughout our downstairs. The first time he installed it (in the living room, dining room, hall, and powder room) I was seven months pregnant with Wild Thing. It took forever and I remember celebrating Easter on cement and being careful where I hid eggs so Max wouldn’t get lockjaw or tetanus from stepping on an errant carpet nail. Good times.
Then, with the major Kitchen Remodel of ‘07, we decided to put the same hardwoods in the kitchen. It took a significantly shorter amount of time because we were only talking about one room this time and most of said room is taken up with the most ginormous kitchen island ever recorded in modern history.
Let me back up a minute and tell you this crucial bit of info: I hate to mop. As in, please don’t take your shoes off when you come to my house because you never know what you’ll be dust-mopping with your socks and it’s quite likely you’ll stick to something and it will be impossible to tell what. Better guests than you have lost perfectly good socks at Casa de Chili all because I hate to mop.
My excuse, of course, has been that I have no idea what to use on these nice hardwood floors because isn’t water bad for wood? And, really, I need step-by-step directions if I’m to be of any use at all. So what do you say? Do YOU know how to mop my wood floors? They are not Pergo or any type of fake wood. They’re the real deal. Now, please save me from myself. I have people coming for dinner on Saturday and it would GREAT if they didn’t have to stay glued to various spots on the floor all night.
To view more hints and tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer the original Works-for-Me Wednesday tipster!
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Murphy’s Oil Soap for Hardwood Floors. My MIL swears by it, I now use it…It works GREAT and smells wonderful!
I have had real hardwood floors- the old, old ones, and I have had the newer easier to install kind. I prefer to use vinegar and water on a weekly (or monthly) bases. The only problem is your house will smell like a big douche until it airs out. But I digress.
Murphy’s Oil Soap is great for “deep” cleaning and bringing back the shine.
Okay, here’s the deal, and it’s not fun, but I do it and it works. Special K Toni was right. Warm water and just a little vinegar. Here are the technical terms – I fill my really big kitchen sink up with about 4-5 inches of hot water and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar. I mop a small section and then dry with an old towel as I go. EW! I know! But that way, your house doesn’t stink of vinegar, and this keeps the water from spotting or soaking into the wood. And if you mop as infrenquently as I do, you really need to get down there and wipe it all up. I’ve tried not wiping up with the towel, and it leaves spots. I’ve tried everything else and keep coming back to vinegar and water.
I use the Murphy’s Oil Soap. I love how it smells and it does a great job
I love my Swiffer Wet Jet. They have some cleaner that works on wood floors, and it is NO TROUBLE to do. I hate mopping too, but the Swiffer is kind of fun. And you don’t have to toss a pad each time you use it, unless it’s seriously grimy.
I hate mopping too. My number one tip is get the husband to do it!
I have heard the vinegar and water thing and that works well. We recently switched to this thing called “Bona Swedish Mopping System” I love it because it almost looks like those swiffer things but with a cloth bottom (lays flat) that you take off and wring off as needed and can was in the washing machine. You get a spray that you just spray as you go along. You have to look on line to see where they carry it. It isn’t at all stores. I found mine at a local hardware store. I actually don’t mind mopping when I use this…although I still get my husband to do it whenever possible.
Get yourself to Home Depot and buy Zep Hardwood Floor cleaner. It was recommended to us by the guy that installed our floors.
Best of all, it comes in a spray bottle. So you spray a section of floor and mop. I bought one of those mops with the cloth head than can be taken off and washed. Works like a charm and it’s easy.
I use Bruce Floor Cleaning. I use a “mop” that I can take the cloth head off and wash it in the washing maching- like the one that big Mama is talking about. Sounds like Zep may be about the same as Bruce. It’s so easy to use and my floors look great. BTW I’m off to do that as soon as I finish scrubbing bathrooms!!!
I have no advice, but I’m totally skimming your comments because my floors need help!
I’ve tried Murphy’s Oil, but I don’t see a shine when I use it.
Hey you commenters out there: What am I doing wrong with my Murphy’s Oil?
My aunt has real hardwood floors and she says that she wouldn’t survive without a Floormate. It mops and dries I guess. She says it’s a lifesaver because she hates to mop too.
We had hardwood floors installed throughout the house this year too and just love them!!!!! I’ve tried the product from Bruce and the vinegar solution, but my favorite is the Murphy’s Oil Soap. It works great, smells good, and I just like it best!
My WFMW question is “Produce, E. Coli, Bacteria, and You.” I’d love some input!
I like Bruce’s wood floor cleaner. The absolute best mop is a paddle mop with the terry cloth cover. It’s the same as getting on your hands and knees with a towel, except not.
The Libman Wonder Mop with the removable head is also great for smaller areas and for getting your baseboards…
Hope that helps!
Lisa
Are your floors sealed to protect from water? We pulled the carpet off our wood floors and they’ve not been sealed since the 50s so I’m scared to do anything to them. Thanks for asking this b/c inquiring minds want to know.
We have Pergo, my parents have real wood, and we both LOVE our Hoover Floormates. You have to buy the cleaning solution after you run out, but it’s worth it.
If I don’t want to use that, I go over trouble areas with Method’s Wood for Good floor cleaner and a swiffer dry mop. Easy clean up and it’s FAST. (Unlike mopping, which I think I’m allergic to).
Good luck!
Oh yeah, to Angela… You are SO lucky! Are your floors in good enough condition right now? Or do they need refinishing?
Well…just another fan of Murphy’s Oil, weighing in with my praise of their product!
I use it on my hardwood floors, and I too love the smell..a passed-down tradition for me, too, as that’s all my grandmother used when I was growing up.
I second and twenty-third everyone who has recommended Murphy’s. Anything else will build-up over time and could ruin your floors.
I have brazillian cherry hardwood in the kitchen, living room, dining room, and our entry … Vinegar always leaves a cloudy look. We only use hot, HOT water and an old towel that we twist up and put on an old mop head. Then, we go over it with a dry towel.
I say “we” very loosely… really, it’s my husband that does it… you know … my bad back, and all … wink, wink!
Your hardwood floor has a poly finish on it. You don’t want stuff to build up on it. Water is only bad on “raw” wood if it sits on it. If you’re using it to clean the floors and then wipe it up, it’s okay. Pinky swear.
I have heard, actually, that Murphy’s can leave a buildup if you use it every time.
I assume that you’re talking about sealed wood floors. My dilemma is that we have a 1942 bungalow with original beeswax-finished floors. What in the world do I use to clean them?
I don’t like to mop either. So, my hubby does it. With Murphy’s Oil Soap.
If you don’t like to mop and your husband doesn’t want to do it either … hire a housekeeper to come every other week. It’s not that expensive and WORTH not having to do the yucky no fun stuff.
The big trick is to swiffer a couple times a week and then spot clean – you drip, you clean it with a damp cloth and dry it.
If you do this, you only really have to mop about once or twice a month, but only of you spot clean and swiffer.
We do EXACTLY what Big Mama does… Zep Hardwood floor cleaner in a big bottle from Home Depot, pour it into a large spray bottle and mop it with a cloth map that fits on a large rectangular mop… they are all located together at the Depot. The cloths come in packages of 2 and can be washed and dried in the machine. We have lived here for 7 years and my wood floors have held up better than anyone else’s on the block. They have not lost their shine.
Go… run… to Home Depot now!
I’ve heard from a few different people who install hard wood floors that the fastest way to destroy your flooring is to use an oil on it to mop with (namely Murphey’s). They all hate it with a passion.
I have the world’s BEST mop that I bought from Walmart. It even came with a bucket. It was $17, I think.
I use Proforce from Sams to clean with–but only if my floors need something more than water.
I’m actually going to blog about what I do/use. I used to hate mopping, but now I love it!
I’m with the Murphy’s Oil soap people. Smells like a dream!! Congrats on the hardwoods. I LOVE wood floors!!
Hmmm… Chili- I noticed Katie (3rd comment) said if you didn’t dry the floor right after mopping with vinegar and water it will spot.
I like that look. If anyone is going to get that close to look at my floors, they are under the age of 5, and I don’t care if they like me. Glad I have carpet and tile now. And a 13 yo that gets into enough trouble on a regular schedule, so he can do the ‘grunt’ work.
We had that Murphy’s Oil build-up problem and it was nasty. Maybe we used too much? And the vinegar and water thing left a weird film too. Could I be doing this all wrong? My current strategy is that swiffer thing, but maybe I need to sign up for remedial floor mopping lessons…
Yep, warm water and a splash of vinegar. I use a dust-mop weekly with a bit of Endust sprayed on it, too.
What a timely question. We have been scratching our head at this very thing. I will have to run through these suggestions to see what works best for our floors. (And hopefully we, too, will have fewer things / people stuck to our floor afterwards!)
We use Method hardwood floor cleaner with microfiber towels to deep clean about once or twice a week, and just swipe once or twice a day with a dry microfiber dustmop. It smells great (almond oil) and gives the floor a nice shine without building up. There is a matching spray that we use for our wood furniture.
I love using the hoover floormate. We have four kids and I need to have water to clean the dirt. The mop and bucket method makes me feel like I am cleaning with dirty water because our floors get soooo dirty. I mop every week and I am amazed at how dirty that water gets using the floormate. I love it because it squirts out clean water and sucks up the dirty water! It does take longer than regular mopping because you have to change the water container pretty often but my floors get really clean. PS -You have to be sure the floors are sealed to use the floormate.