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Lisa R
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| Posted: Dec 22 2009 at 2:16pm | IP Logged
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We are loving the hardwood floors in our new house in Ohio!!! But, not ever having hardwood floors before, how do I clean them? Any ideas?
Thanks!
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God Bless!
Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy
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doris
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We use a Method mop and wood cleaner. Works a treat, and smells good too. The dc fight over whose turn it is!
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Home educating in London, UK with dd (2000) ds (2002), dd (2004), ds (2008) and dd (2011).
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JodieLyn
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It depends on the type of finish on the floors.. mine are supposed to be damp mopped with a mild soap (a couple drop of dawn dish soap works) but mostly I try and only use plain water.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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stacykay
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We have hardwood floors. Two different installers told us the same thing for cleaning. A cup of vinegar in a bucket of warm water, with mop wrung out well, and then I use a towel that I sort of "skate" on around the floors to dry, buff and shine. For areas that are hard to reach, I use a towel dipped into the above concoction, wrung out well, and do it on my hands and knees. Wear gloves if you do this, as the vinegar is hard on skin.
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Nina
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I use the same method as Stacy. We had hardwood floors in both of our homes and I have used the same kind of cleaning method.
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Mom to 3ds and 4dd.
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Patty
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Piggybacking onto this thread...we need to replace flooring in our kitchen. Those of you who have hardwood in the kitchen, do you love it? Do you worry about water standing on it, or an appliance leaking onto it?
I think hardwood would be wonderful, but want to hear others' thoughts who actually have it. Thanks.
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stacykay
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We've had hardwood in the kitchen for 13 years now, and I love it! Yes, we've had the occasional dishwasher leak or someone dropping or spilling something, but it really isn't any different, worry-wise, than other floors. We had linoleum in our old house, and had to worry about water going under the linoleum and ruining the subfloors, plus loosening the flooring. In our first home (apartment) we had ceramic tile, and keeping that grout clean was a bear. Plus, it was cold and look out if you dropped anything glass  ; it shattered like no one's business!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
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Anastasia
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Murphy's oil soap. And I love the hardwood floors, they really are much easier than carpet IMO if you have kids.
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Chris V
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We've always had hardwood floors and never really worried about water messes too much. I (like others have said), just use a mix of water and vinegar to clean the floors.
Sometimes the vinegar-ee smell gets to my husband (although you don't need a lot of vinegar mixed with the water, it does still have a mild aroma); so when he's complaining, I'll use Bono Swedish Formula Wood-floor cleaner. No odor at all with this.
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hylabrook1
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I think it depends on the finish on your floors what you use to clean them. For ours, we just use water, but not a lot of it. After vacuuming up the particles and grit, I spray the floor with plain water, one section at a time, and then mop over it with one of those mops with a microfiber cover. Not a big deal at all. In the kitchen we wipe up spots with a damp paper towel much more often than we mop (like daily instead of weekly). If there is a puddle from a spill, we just dry it up with any kind of clean rag we grab.
Peace,
Nancy
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Babs
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In our old house the wood was installed, then stained and sealed in place so water was not really a concern. It was wonderful.
In our new house the builder installed prefinished floor boards so water seeping between them is a worry. We have it in the kitchen though and I still love it. I will say that everyone in the house knows not to let a spill sit on the floor, ever. Yep, even if it isn't your spill!
Wood is nice to stand on but I still use a little mat by the sink and where I stand at the island a lot.
God Bless,
Barb
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JodieLyn
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The one problem I know of with murphy's oil soap.. is that it can leave a film on the finish depending on the finish.. and because of the oils in it.. if you have any marring to the finish the oils will soak into the wood staining it pretty well permanantly.. you may be able to sand it out if it doesn't go too deep is the only way. It was the one thing I was told to NOT use on my wood floors.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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helene
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I would wash them only rarely and as absolutely necessary. The more you keep water and moisture off them the longer the finish will last. When there are too many little hand or footprints visible in certain light I use a hot but well-wrung out rag. I get down on all fours and simply wipe in rows. I have my daughter right next to me drying immediately as we go. It has been a couple years since we installed these floors and they still look new.
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Happy Mom to five girls (20,17,13,11and 4) and five boys (19, 15, 10, 8 and 6)
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Hardwood floors
