When I had my wood floors installed, the owner of the store told me to never use anything on wood floors except a dustmop and when I just had to wet mop them use nothing but water.

I use Bona products. They make a cleaner for hardwood floors.

When I was shopping for a new home they all had the newer things like granite, wood floors, marble, etc. and I started asking the clerks who sold the stuff. They all said "no chemicals, soap and water only".

I edited this because can't find the preview and submit icons. What am I missing out on???

This post was edited by EmmaR on Wed, Mar 12, 14 at 14:18

Murphys oil soap, diluted

We rehabbed our home last year and installed new oak flooring. Our flooring guys told us to only use water and soap- like plain dish soap. They specifically said to stay away from Murphy's Oil.

I use plain Palmolive and water in my RubberMaid Reveal now, used a Swiffer Jet Mop before. They are great because you only put out a little water, so there is never any standing/pooling water on the floor.

Thanks all - looks like again the feedbacks run the gamut.

When you mop damp with any of the items mentioned, do you have to go over the same floor area again to dry or buff it?

Pachick,
Did your guys say why they nixed Murphy's? It seems like a fairly gentle cleaner, I'd like to know why they said that.

I used water and a rag on my oak floors... no issues. Sometimes i'll use a dish soap (grease), but for dust i use just plain water. I'm a dust nazi (i wipe them 2 or 3 days a week/hands and knees).

We installed Anderson hardwood (veneer). We were told to use Bona cleaner only.

I've used Murphys. It smells nice but it leaves an oily un-shiny finish. Now I stick with Bona products-they make both a cleaner and a shine product.

We were also told not to use Murphy's, the reason being it can cause a build up, making your floors dull.

Our flooring guy (25 years in the business) recommended polycare floor cleaner (we can get it locally, but it's on amazon too). It works well, has a pleasant scent that's not chemical or perfume. Also, I bought a spin mop, which works well for hardwood because it ends up being more of a damp mop than wet. Too much water is bad!

I read somewhere that you should not use murphy's oil on cabinets.

I was told no Murphy's or orange cleaners because they contain oil. That will affect any attempt at refinishing in the future, preventing new finish from adhering, and possible softening of the current finish. Might not be a problem if you have to sand fully to new wood (but I'm not certain of that) but if you want to rebuff and reapply another coat of finish, oil causes problems. If you look online, you will also find lots of complaints about using Bona long term, then being sold their "refresher" to try to fix the problems.

I've used a weak solution of distilled white vinegar in water to clean floors, recommended by 2 different floor folks in 2 of my homes.

Sorry if I missed it - haven't mopped in like never - but do you have to dry mop or buff after using any of these solutions mentioned above or do you just let it air dry?

Haha, I just had my red oak floors refinished and my contractor seems to be one of many who says not to use Murphy's Oil Soap or any other specialty products. Just damp mop with water mixed with a little vinegar. He told me Murphy's Oil Soap is a major sponsor of the hardwood flooring trade associations (not surprising) yet no flooring experts think customers should use it. Maybe Murphy's should revamp their formula if their product is really not doing hardwood any favors.

Wooden floors can be easily damaged so I suggest that you don't take any unnecessary steps. For me I call a cleaning service every two weeks and they clean them for me. I guess they also give free cleaning tips and advices if contacted. Maybe you should try that. It is the Sunrise Cleaning Service in Ontario who does the house cleaning for me.

Diluted water & vinegar for my flooring : Lauzon engineered wood.
The link below describes the process.

Here is a link that might be useful: Using warm water & Vinegar

Most hardwood floors have a finish on them, as do cabinets. Even if the finish is "matte," which I like, it's still a finish. So when you are cleaning, you are cleaning the finish, not the wood. We vacuum the floors to get all the dust and grit, and then spray with Bona and use one of those microfiber covered "mops" to rub it in one direction. Floors look great. We spot clean with Bona when needed, although in the kitchen we might clean a spot with soapy water and then dry it thoroughly. You won't need the buffing stage if you stick to Bona. It even says it is a finish restorer I think.

I just tried "Wood Wash" made by the makers of Liquid Gold on my very dirty kitchen factory-finished wood floors. My kitchen floor tends to get dirtier around the cooking area and getting it really clean has been a chore. I generally use a Hoover Floormate first, then Bona the floor. This "Wood Wash" did an amazing job with much less work, Got all the greasy dirt and muddy dog printss up and left a nice shine. No rinsing and no streaks. I used a quarter of a cup in a clean bucket with a gallon of hot water. Wrang the mop out very well and to just damp.
I did buy a new sponge mop with a natural sponge in it made just for hardwood floors - Libman, I think. Anyway, this stuff gets a big thumbs up from me, especially if you have hardwood in your kitchen or if you have issues with muddy footprints from kids or furkids!