The simplest and biggest way to protect a hardwood floor is to keep it free of dirt...in this case a simple broom or vacuum will do the trick. Dirt and sand when "stepped" on grind into the floor's finish and can damage it. To combat "dust" I use a "swiffer" type pad.
You can se some other floor care tips and the end of this article I wrote on our partner site Networx.
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Hi John, Have you looked at the Orange Glow for hard wood floors?
It's real good on & for them. Not high priced either. You can get it at lowes or home depot or even at Walmart, (that should tell you can much it might cost you.
Good luck! that is what we use & makes the floors shine & makes the floor stay nice longer then most others stuff does.
Bona X is a really good product for hardwood. I used to sell it in my flooring shop for 5 years. You can also buy it in a concentrate instead of a premixed which is cheaper.
Nathaniel is it good for engineered hardwood floors. My problem is after I clean an it dries, If I walk on the floor barefooted it leaves foot prints everywhere. Makes it look dirty when it isn't
John- I have tried lots of solutions for cleaning the hardwoods, but none work as well as good ol' Murphy's Oil. But, make sure you cut it with water as the chemicals may be a bit harsh for the wood. less is always more. However, I do like KMS' comment about 'keep dirt off of the floor'. GOOD LUCK and Happy Mopping!
John- be careful what you put on the floors to clean them. Some cleaner actually limit the types of refinishing that you can do in the future. O and S is another contributor and I would recommend getting a tip from them. If you add oil based cleaners to the floor, then you have to sand the floors to refinish them, versus a light screening which is cheaper.
We are using Trewax. It has been around for a long time and I really like the way it works to protect our floors. Here is a link if you want to check it out.
I would strongly avoid any products that contain wax or Silicone...these are the "finish killers" that will ruin any future floor refinish projects short of a "full sanding". For simple soiling I use a damp towel. In most cleaning cases this is more than enough. Oil soaps can leave residue that is highly visible in side lighting is over applied...when used they should be in the drops per cup ratio rather than cup per gallon amounts.
I recently purchased Rejuvenate cleaner and protectant from Home Depot. They said the pros love it. However, I still have not found a way to bribe my kids to help me clean the floors.
@flowerscapes...We have found that 10 and 12 years are beginning to see the benefits of cold hard CASH...we piece meal various jobs about the house. And it is beginning to work.
@flowerscapes....Rejuvinate is a single product with an acrylic emulsion (liquid plastic in a gylcol ether solvent) ...Bona has a variety of products...From basic cleaners to water and oil based finishes.
Bona makes good products, but they are pretty expensive.
The site for the Bona products is here....http://www.mybonahome.com/products.html
I like these products, but like Steve G mentioned, they are a bit more expensive. Either way, they will both clean your flooring.
You can se some other floor care tips and the end of this article I wrote on our partner site Networx. ...»
http://www.networx.com/article/exotic-wood-f...
It's real good on & for them. Not high priced either. You can get it at lowes or home depot or even at Walmart, (that should tell you can much it might cost you.
Good luck! that is what we use & makes the floors shine & makes the floor stay nice longer then most others stuff does.
http://www.trewax.com/
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/a...