Top 10 Worst Hardwood Floor Cleaners to Use on Your Floors!

BY Hunter Ross  December 28, 2018

The Best and The Worst Cleaners

One of the most commonly asked questions by our customers is what the best wood floor cleaners to use are? We will answer that question, but we will start with going about it backwards by answering what wood floor cleaners you should not use on your wood flooring.

Don’t void that warranty!

If you have a specialty finish, such as burnished oil, wax, or hard wax-oils, then there may be additional considerations in what wood floor cleaners you can or cannot use. You need to talk to us if you have one of these floors, and we will recommend products based on the actual finish that was applied taking into consideration the finish manufacturer guidelines and warranty so that the cleaning products are compatible with your specialty finish.

Here, however, we are going to focus on what not to use on regular polyurethane or factory finished floors and recommend some readily available floor cleaners to use for the longevity and maintainability of your hardwood floors.

Cleaners with the big bad R’s

Never clean your hardwood flooring with harsh products like vinegar, ammonia, steam cleaners, household dust treatments, floor waxes, liquid polishers, liquid refinishers, anything promising restorers or rejuvenating of your wood floors should be absolutely avoided, same with anything containing the words “mop and bucket.”

Refinish, Restore, Rejuvenate = Costly Residues

Vinegar, which is acidic, will ruin the finish over time, as it is dulling and breaks down the finish. Ammonia is also very harsh and can go through the finish and discolor the actual wood. Any of the liquid polishes, refinishers, restorers, or those promising to rejuvenate the wood floors all contain chemicals or waxes that leave buildup, makes the floor shine, and leave a residue contaminating the finish of the floor. This becomes a major problem when wanting to do an inexpensive screen and maintenance recoat, whereby a costly, labor-intensive, complete sand and finishing becomes necessary instead of a quick buff and maintenance coat because the surface contamination won’t let the maintenance layer of finish adhere to the previous layer.

Here is the run-down of the top 10 worst products (we listed some bonus products as well) that you will find on the common shelves at the big box stores! Starting with the big R’s…

• Rejuvenate – Floor Cleaner
• Rejuvenate – Wood Floor Professional Restorer
• Rejuvenate – Shine It Floor Polish
• ZEP – Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner (Use Daily To Restore A Brilliant Shine)
• ZEP – Hardwood & Laminate Floor Refinisher
• Liquid Gold Restore
• Murphy Oil Soap
• Orange Glo – 4-in-1 Monthly Polish
• Orange Glo – Everyday Cleaner
• Quick Shine – High Traffic Hardwood Floor Luster
• Old English – Helps Protect Wood Surfaces
• Mop & Glo – Cleans, Shines & Restores
• Quick Shine – Floor Finish

Swiffer-Away with the Top Ten Best Cleaners!

Yes, as you might have guessed, Swiffer® is one of the top ten and most widely available hardwood floor cleaners that meets the description of safe for your hardwood floors! Other products that we love and recommend for safe cleaning are listed below.

• Swiffer Wet-Jet Wood – Quick-dry Wood Formula
• Swiffer Wet-Jet Multi-Surface Cleaner
• Swiffer Sweeper Wet Multi-Surface Cleaner
• Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner
• Target Brand Up & UP Wet Cloth Sweeper Refills
• HDX Dry Sweeping Cloths
• Mr. Clean – Multi Surface Cleaner
• Bruce Hardwood Floor & Laminate Cleaner
• Mohawk Floorcare Essentials – Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner
• Armstrong Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner

Contact Us for More Information

Feel free to contact us through our phone or email, or visit our showroom at Wood Floors of Dallas anytime. Ask any questions about how to maintain your hardwood floors. We believe in consumer education, and an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. In the case of hardwood floors, the right maintenance procedures will prolong the need for complete sand and refinish for many years.