To get the best results, stand on the towel and move your feet back and forth until you've dried the entire floor. If the residue is still there after mopping with vinegar, add a drop of dishwashing soap to a non-abrasive sponge and scrub the floor. Rinse the sponge and reapply the soap as often as needed.
If you continue using dirty water when mopping, you're essentially transferring the dirt on the area you are cleaning and you end up with messier and stickier floors. Not Sweeping or Vacuuming Beforehand: Forgetting to vacuum or sweep beforehand does not eliminate dirt like hair and dust.
If your floors are sticky after mopping, there's likely leftover residue from the cleaner you've been using, and you need to rinse it off. To get rid of this build-up, add one cup of vinegar to one gallon of water and mop your floors with this solution.
Using Windex or any other glass cleaning solution can be an effective way to remove Rejuvenate from your floors.
Mix a one-to-one ratio of water and vinegar, dampen a cloth, and rub off the hazy buildups. Rinse with another cloth dampened with clear water and dry the floor immediately with a third rag. Washing coupled with wear and tear can eventually make the hardwood floor look old and cloudy.
Use an ammonia solution: An ammonia solution of about 2.5 dl (1 cup) of ammonia per 4 litres (1 gallon) of water can be used to dissolve the build-up that's causing the haziness of your floors. Remember to use this solution carefully, so that you don't further damage the floor with excess water.
While vinegar is safe to use on hardwood, it should be diluted in order to work properly. Using undiluted vinegar can lead to sticky flooring and a strong odor that takes quite a while to dissipate.
Vinegar is great for hard tile and solid surfaces. The more acidic it is, the more effective it is at being a disinfectant.
Finally, when used and applied the right way, Pine Sol doesn't leave behind any residue that will leave you with an unsightly hardwood floor surface. Wax and oil-based cleaners, on the other hand, leave behind a hazy residual substance.
If water doesn't work, try mineral spirits or paint thinner; neither will damage linoleum but may help soften the glue enough to scrape it off. You may have to resort to lacquer thinner or acetone on linoleum for some types of glue, and these require more respect.
Using Vinegar as a Mopping Solution
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant that works well as a mopping solution without leaving any chemical residue on your floors. Although some people don't like the scent, this odor is evident only as you mop and clean—it will fade away rapidly as the solution dries.
The first option you can try is an ammonia-free cleaner like Windex. Spray a two-foot section of your floor and let the cleaner sit for about two minutes. Next, use a dish-scrubbing sponge to rub the section of the floor where you sprayed the cleaner.
Because of its acidity, vinegar makes an excellent natural tile cleaner. A vinegar cleaning solution will eat away at grime caught in the cracks and prevent bacteria build up. This cleaning solution is easy to make, completely natural, and will leave your tile floor streak-free and shiny.
Combine ¼ cup white vinegar, ¼ cup baking soda, 1 tablespoon dish detergent, and 2 gallons hot water. Apply it either with a damp cloth or a wrung-out mop. After, go over it with fresh water, then allow to dry.
White vinegar has 5 percent acidity; while cleaning vinegar, on the other hand, has 6 percent. Although it's only a one percent difference in acidity, it actually results in cleaning vinegar being 20 percent stronger than white vinegar.
Using Vinegar as a Floor Cleaner
Let the floor air dry, as this vinegar solution dries clear and streak-free, leaving behind no sticky residue.
The most common causes of a hazy or cloudy film on hardwood floors after cleaning are a buildup of floor cleaner, wax buildup, trapped moisture, and bad floor cleaners. All these can make wood floors appear to have a milky, white substance on top of the surface even after cleaning.
When diluted properly, Murphy® Oil Soap Original Formula does not leave a residue. Despite the fact that it is called "oil soap," there is no "free oil" left behind. If you see a residue after applying Murphy® Oil Soap for the first time, it's likely that another cleaner was previously used.
“And the floor can end up sticky and even dirtier because their cleaning solvent tends to dry very fast, leaving a sticky residue if not cleaned fast and well.”
The good news is that vinegar won't damage your porcelain tiles as long as it's used properly. Hooray!
“Fill up the sink with hot water & a cap full of your favorite Pine Sol floor cleaner. Add 2 tbsp of vinegar & use to clean any type of floor. I use this method on my hardwood floors to get a clean, smooth & shiny surface!”
The solution can be floor stripper or acetone-based nail polish remover. Acetone chemicals help loosen the glue. Other homeowners have even used mineral spirits to assist in cleanup. Spray the floor: Put your stripping solution into a squirt water bottle, then spray a bit on the glue you want to remove.