Hardwood floors cleaner after stain
by
Linda
+10
I have cherry wood hardwood floors which were scratched, so I put a coat of dark stain on the floor and it covered the scratches and looked great but as soon as someone walked on the floor it leaves footprints. What kind of cleaner can I use to make the floors look smooth and great again. I tried white vinegar which didn't work. The floors look really bad and splotchy.
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Here are some tips on cleaning them and deep cleaning tips, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlPt8KqnpYA
Hello. The ”renew” products and the Bona floor cleaner system will give a shine, but there’s nothing like refinishing your HW floors.
Refinishing your floors revitalizes them makes them look like new. We did ours in 2015 and married them up to a new HW install.
The past years we have been using the BONA mop and solution and we’re very pleased with the results on our 2015 refinished hw floors. Hope this helps..
https://us.bona.com/products/hardwood-floor-mop.html
I like Murphy's Oil Soap, but here's a list of the 10 best:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g5137/best-hardwood-floor-cleaner/
Im use Bona Hardwood Floor cleaner
Sounds like the stain is not thoroughly dry. I would first take a swiffer or microfiber cloth and go over the floor to see if it is picking up any leftover stain. I have found that both Bona and ZEP [from Home Depot] work the best.
Bona works very well on hardwood floors. But first, I would try to remove any excess stain from the boards with a microfiber cloth.
Have you considered using a floor buffer to smooth out any patterns left in the floor? You can rent 1 at diy stores if you don't already have 1.
After you stain it, you need to seal it. Then mop with 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 gallon warm water, and 1 tsp blue dawn. Wring your mop thoroughly.
Here is a comprehensive guide for that https://www.bhg.com/homekeeping/house-cleaning/surface/how-to-clean-hardwood-floors/
Hi Linda, hope this article helps you out, If you are finding footprints on your sealed hardwood, the likely culprit is an oily film on the surface. Surprisingly, most hardwood floor cleaners and waxes will add to this dulling layer, making footprints and other marks more visible.
https://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-remove-footprints-from-wooden-floors-and-furniture/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20finding%20footprints,and%20other%20marks%20more%20visible.
Unfortunately you can't put stain on a wood floor without sealing it so this is what has created the splotches. Short of refinishing the floors which is your best option, you can reach out to a hardwood floor store and get their suggestions. You could try lightly sanding where you stained, restain and carefully try to seal but in the end, none of it will match. You could also try a scratch patching pencil or marker but those will wear away.
I would make sure the floor is thoroughly dried and cured Also the sealer than I just use warm water and microfiber mop and my floors have looked outstanding for over 20 years. No cleaner but vinegar occasionally.
You might want to consider doing what I did to my floors to protect them. You can see my video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRwKQzp2PJg&t=3s
Did you put a sealer on it after staining? I would try restaining it and then sealing. A lot of stains, especially gel stains don't hold up well without sealing them. Floors get even more wear than furniture, where sealing is really important. If you can't even it out, it may need sanding. Good luck!