Caring for Wood Floors with Matte, Water-Based Finish
Hi All. I’m looking for any tips on how to care for my newly refinished hardwood floors. They’ve been finished with a matte water-based natural finish. I know to broom or vacuum them regularly and to clean with a damp mop. But what type of cleaning agent should be used in the mop bucket? Is…
Hi All. I’m looking for any tips on how to care for my newly refinished hardwood floors. They’ve been finished with a matte water-based natural finish. I know to broom or vacuum them regularly and to clean with a damp mop. But what type of cleaning agent should be used in the mop bucket? Is Murphy’s Oil Soap okay or is their a more gentle (and/or greener) alternative? Thank you!
Balsamic, eh? Very funny.
This is my main dilemma about not mopping or doing some sort of wet-clean of wood floors:
When one opens the windows in NYC, no matter where you live, quiet tree-lined street, or on an avenue with a bus route, there is a black film that collects on surfaces due to the exhaust and pollution in the air. We have a no shoes policy in our home, and yet, within a week (we’re in a high traffic area and we don’t use A/C so our windows are always open) the bottoms of our feet and/or socks will begin to reflect the build-up of the outdoor pollution.
Other than just deciding to not open the windows ever, how do New Yorkers manage to keep their floors relatively free of this black film?
I’d be happy to avoid using water on my floors if I lived somewhere where there is less pollution, but that’s not my reality right now.
Any thoughts?
White vinegar!!!!!
don’t use water on wood floors, especially water based. just sweep it or use a swiffer or something. only use water in specific cases where something bad has spilled that you really need special attention on.
Try balsamic
What type of vingar is recommended? Sorry if this is a silly questions, but just want to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.
Yes, the vinegar and water works great. And it also makes a wonderful douche!
I second the suggestion to use vinegar and water. It’s what my flooring guy recommended. Other things may leave a residue behind. Plus it’s pretty green, I assume.
Donatella is right, don’t use murphy’s oil soap.
My mother used to clean houses as a living and one of the owners used to provide her with the swivel mops and a product made by amstrong (and others) to clean poly and pre-finished floors. They sell the products in HomeDepot, under amstrong, bruce, and minwax brandnames.
Don’t use Murphy’s oil soap. The oils actually stick to the floor and attracts dust and dirt. The best way to clean the floors is to sweep them, then get one of those microfiber swivel mops (mop head has velcro which sticks to a mocrofiber pad) and clean floor with water and vinegar (1/3 vinegar). Don’t use too much liquid. You could add a very little bit of dish detergent. This will clean your floors with a minimum amount of wear on the finish and remove dirt and grime. It will look great; it is also easy and very cheap. I was surprised to learn from some floor guys some time ago about Murphy’s. I am sure it has some value on some wood but is not so good for polyurethened floors.