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.
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.
Sweep or vacuum, then mop with a commercial wood floor cleaner or solution of a quarter-cup of dish soap and a gallon of warm water to lift any lingering grime. Give the floors a final pass with a clean, water-dampened mop to remove any cleaner residue. Dry completely with a soft, clean towel.
The best solution in this case is to use a combination of hot water and a hair dryer or heat gun. The heat gun/dryer is used to heat up the hazed area to loosen the glue, then hot water with a sponge or scrub brush removes the haze.
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.
Don't use straight ammonia, alkaline products or abrasive cleaners. They'll dull or scratch the finish. Don't rely on lemon juice or a vinegar-and-water solution to clean hardwood floors. "I don't recommend using vinegar or lemon juice, at least not in large quantities, as these can damage the floor's seal," said Wise.
Whether you're cleaning one area or all of your flooring, Murphy® Oil Soap is safe to use on hardwood floors.
Murphy oil soap will bring natural shine to your wooden floors. All you need to do is dilute it properly and follow cleaning tips mentioned above. It's unique blend of natural oils, mixed with a hint of pine scent will clean away your dirt and grime while leaving behind an anti-slip and shiny finish to your floors.
You can safely use Swiffer products on hardwood floors. For a quick clean, try Swiffer WetJet Wood Starter Kit. With just the right amount of solution, it breaks up tough, sticky messes, brings out the natural beauty of your floors and won't damage them.
In most homes, the best wood floor cleaner is plain old soap and water, and the only tools you need are a broom, vacuum, and mop. The best mop for wood floors is a microfiber flat-head or string mop you can easily wring out.
Olive oil naturally hydrates and polishes wood floors without leaving behind the dirt-attracting film common with store-bought products. It can clean and polish your floor at the same time or allow you to quickly buff dull areas back to a stunning sheen.
Laminate wood floors are made of manufactured wood, so they're unbelievably durable. You can use either a natural multi-surface cleaner or mop with a bucket full of dish soap-infused water.
Pine-Sol is safe on hardwood floors and can be used to clean and disinfect them. What is essential is to use the right concentration and correctly follow the instructions: Sweep or vacuum the floor to remove loose dirt and debris. Take ¼ cup of Pine-Sol and mix with a gallon of water in a bucket.
Neutral pH
Vinegar is an acidic substance and over time, can eat away or deteriorate the finish on a hardwood floor. The process may be hastened if vinegar is used in conjunction with very hot water. The result will be cloudy, dull or white patches on your floor.
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators. That's true whether you have solid or engineered wood floors, and for bamboo, too.
On average, a hardwood flooring finish lasts approximately ten years. But with proper care and maintenance, it can last much longer.
We do not recommend using Mop & Glo or any other acrylic cleaning polishes on your sealed hardwood floors. The result will only be a mess. It will be more work to clean up the residue than it was to apply the Mop & Glo!
For removing scuff marks from hardwood floors, the best tool is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Extra Durable.
Clean wood floors with vinegar by adding 1/2 cup white vinegar to a gallon of lukewarm water. Follow the tips for how to clean hardwood floors with a mop, above, to prevent water damage. Then use vinegar to naturally clean the rest of your home!
Mix a half-cup full white vinegar into two-gallons of water in a mop bucket. Dip your mop into the cleaning solution and wring it up to avoid applying the excess solution onto the floor. Thoroughly clean the floor using the solution while moving your mop in forth-backward motions to ensure that you remove all the dirt.
The best way to clean hardwood floors is to adopt a regular routine. Use a broom or hardwood floor mop for cleaning wood floors daily. A microfiber dust mop pre-treated with a dusting agent will pick up dust and dirt and prevent scratches. Vacuum your hardwood floor once a week.
Any vacuum can clean hardwood floors—this is the simplest possible task for a vacuum cleaner. You don't need anything special to get dust, hair, crumbs, or anything else off your wood, tile, or laminate floors. But some vacuums do it a little better than others.
Once a week, wood floors should be cleaned in high traffic areas with a damp mop. Low traffic areas can be done less frequently, like once a month or once a quarter. Unsealed wood floors are more susceptible to water, so make sure that the mop is just slightly damp.
Do NOT clean your floors with Murphy's Oil Soap, Mop and Glo, Orange Glo, Swiffer Wet Mop, furniture polish such as Pledge, vinegar, ammonia, or any pine cleaners! All of these cleaners, over time, will dull and damage the finish.