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Even if most of your home has wall-to-wall carpeting, there are still floors that need more than just vacuuming. What are the best floor cleaners for different types for floors?
Taking care of hard surface floors is a never-ending job. Just think about what gets dropped and spilled on your floors and what comes into your home on the bottom of shoes. Sweeping or vacuuming can capture much of the loose dirt and hair, but eventually, some of the mess will stick and the floor is going to need to be cleaned with a mop and a good cleaner.
It would be great if there was just one product that could take care of every stain on every type of flooring. Some cleaners are interchangeable, but what's needed to clean the grout in ceramic tile floors isn't the same as what's needed to keep hardwoods gleaming.
I don't have any carpeting in my home except for area rugs, so I've learned to care for hardwood, ceramic tile, and stone floors to keep them looking as clean and fresh as possible, on a weekly basis. My previous home had laminate and vinyl flooring in addition to wall-to-wall carpeting, so I have tried many brands and types of floor cleaners.
Floor care doesn't have to be difficult if you have a good floor cleaner, the right type of mop, and do the task on a regular, routine schedule. Waiting until the floor is totally filthy will only make the job back-breaking; weekly care can be done in minutes.
Start by sweeping or vacuuming to remove loose soil and hair. If you don't, you'll just be swishing it around and often leaving it behind. Use a clean mop head or disposable pad to prevent soil from redepositing, and remember to allow plenty of time for the floor to dry before tracking in more dirt.
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Take a minute to read the instructions on the back of the floor cleaner bottle. Some products go directly on the floor, while some need to be mixed with water; some require rinsing, but some don't. Following the directions can help you be more successful.
With the right tools and the right cleaners, you can have clean floors easily. Why should you trust me? I've been testing floor cleaners, vacuums, brooms, and mops for many years as a home economist for companies and publications. I'm always looking for the most effective, easiest to use, and the best value in products for myself and others.
Here are the best floor cleaners you can buy in 2019:
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Wood floors are beautiful and add value to any home. With Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Spray you can protect your expensive wood floors and keep them shining for years to come.
Caring for wood floors is not difficult if you follow a regular routine. The majority of damage to the surface comes from grit that wears away the top finish and creates scratches that accumulate soil and leave floors looking dull. Using a dust mop, soft-bristled broom, or vacuum regularly is the first step. Getting the loose soil off the floor protects the finish and makes cleaning much easier and more effective.
The majority of wood floors in homes today are sealed with polyurethane or polyacrylic urethane finish. Harsh cleaning chemicals can permanently dull the finish and leave streaks. That's why when it's time to clean away spills and muddy footprints, you should choose a product formulated for sealed wood floors like Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Spray.
I have hardwood floors throughout all of the bedrooms and living spaces in my home and love them because they keep down allergens and, thanks to Bona, are easy to maintain. After getting rid of loose dirt, I do a quick spritz with this water-based formula and follow through with a clean mop, and my floors look fabulous. There is no rinsing needed and it never leaves any streaks.
Bona is Greenguard Gold Certified and produces low volatile organic compounds (VOC). The spray bottle can be refilled from the larger gallon size or you can use it to fill the built-in cleaner container of some mops.
Care for your hardwood floors by sweeping often and cleaning with Bona, and you'll enjoy their gleaming beauty for years to come.
Pros: Simple-to-use spray bottle, no rinsing, leaves no streaks, dries quickly, large bottles available for refills, low VOCs
Cons: Cannot be used on floors that have been oiled or waxed with paste wax
Laminate floors are a decorator's dream because they can look like natural, bleached, or weathered wood. Or, they can mimic ceramic tile or natural stone floors like slate, marble, or granite. Laminate is much less expensive than other flooring choices and can be easy to care for if you handle it correctly.
The most important thing to remember is that laminate floors don't like too much water. The construction of the flooring includes materials that absorb water and can swell, causing ripples and damage that cannot be repaired. My previous home had laminate flooring in the kitchen and laundry room. A leaking washer hose showed me what excessive water can do to a laminate floor.
That's why the Swiffer WetJet Wood Spray Mop and Cleaner makes cleaning them a breeze. With disposable cleaning pads and an all-in-one mop and cleaning solution, it is a cleaning system that prevents damage that a mop and bucket can cause.
As with any floor, laminate floors should be swept, vacuumed, or dry dusted before any cleaning with a mop. With Swiffer WetJet, the pads are disposable so you can begin each cleaning session with a fresh surface. The cleaning solution is loaded into the mop; with just a touch of the battery-operated micro-mist spray, you can add the solution to the floor as you mop. The spray nozzles are illuminated so you can see just how much solution is hitting the floor and prevent excessive spraying.
The Swiffer WetJet Wood Kit includes a power mop, five mopping pads, a bottle of wood floor cleaner, and four batteries. The bonus is that you can easily buy refill bottles, pads, and cleaning solutions for other types of floors that will work with the same basic mop.
With an average 4-star rating on Amazon, plenty of users found the mop convenient. "Love this for our wood laminate. It's super easy to use, relatively easy to store if you have a broom closet, and it's customizable with the type of solution/cleaner and the type of pad. The battery lasts a long time, as does the solution," one customer wrote.
Pros: Compact all-in-one mop and floor cleaner, pads and cleaning solution refills easy to find, can be used to clean other types of hard surface floors
Cons: Spray nozzles can become clogged if the mop isn't used regularly
Sticky messes, spills, and muddy footprints are gone and only shiny floors remain with Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner.
Vinyl floors are built to take lots of abuse. That's why they end up in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and mudrooms. And Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner is the best cleaner for removing the mess and leaving vinyl clean and streak-free with no rinsing.
A friend recently bought a starter home and asked for help setting up her kitchen, pointing to the dingy vinyl floor and said, "I'm going to replace this awful floor as soon as I can." I suggested we try Rejuvenate and see if the floor could be saved.
After sweeping, I sprayed Rejuvenate on the floor and used a microfiber mop. Because the formula is pH-balanced to neutralize contaminates and contains ingredients that will remove old wax build-up and strip away grime, it left the floor looking great. I didn't have to rinse or repeat the mopping. The formula is nontoxic, fragrance-free, and Greenguard Gold Certified with low chemical emissions.
My friend was thrilled with how clean the floor looked but wished it didn't have so many scratches. On my next visit, I brought over Rejuvenate All Floors Restorer and told her to give it a try. The Rejuvenate Restorer fills in scratches, helps prevent sun-fading, and improves traction. She now likes the floor enough that she has decided to keep it and save her money for other projects.
On Amazon, 61% gave Rejuvenate five stars. Rejuvenate All Floor Cleaner is available in a spray bottle, all-in-one mopping kit, and one-gallon size for refills.
Pros: Cleans floors with no rinsing needed, restores shine, nontoxic and fragrance-free, the spray bottle is reusable.
Cons: Not readily available in all mass-market stores.
Taking care of ceramic tile floors should be a breeze. The tile is resistant to stains, it doesn't scratch easily, and lasts for decades. But then there is the grout, that porous mixture of sand and cement that binds the tiles together. If grout is left unsealed, it absorbs stains, attracts dirt, and can be damaged by any strong cleaners. Grout was the bane of my floor-cleaning chores until I found Hoover Grout and Tile Plus Hard Floor Cleaner.
If you have light-colored grout as I do, don't ever look under the door or bath mats. You'll be shocked at how much difference there is in the color of the grout that is protected from daily use and the rest of the floor grout. I was prepared to spend a couple of days on my hands and knees scrubbing until I tried Hoover Grout and Tile Plus.
After reading the directions and discovering it is highly concentrated, I knew just how much to mix with water. Using too much won't make cleaning any easier. You'll actually have to do some extra rinsing if you overdose. The cleaner can be used in both an electric floor cleaner or with a good mop. The key to successfully getting the grout back to its natural color is using hot water with the cleaner to help cut through the grime.
I was thrilled with how easily it cleaned the floor. Only a couple of tough spots needed a bit of extra scrubbing with a brush. The scent is clean and not overpowering. With regular use, the tile and grout have stayed looking great.
Approximately 80% of Amazon customers rated it 4 or 5 stars. Hoover Grout and Tile Plus Floor Cleaner works in all brands of electric floor cleaners and comes in both a 32-ounce and 64-ounce bottle.
Pros: Concentrated so you use less, biodegradable, septic-safe, can be used with electric floor cleaner or with a mop, performs well, lightly scented.
Cons: Not readily available in mass-market stores.
If you have expensive slate, granite, or marble floors, you want your investment to last and look great. StoneTech RTU Revitalizer will help make it happen.
I once attended a party at a home that has gleaming marble floors in the vast entrance, large enough to welcome 20-to-30 guests. Because it's my job, I had to ask the homeowners how they kept the floor looking so grand. The answer was StoneTech RTU Revitalizer, Cleaner & Protector for Tile & Stone.
While stone floors may seem indestructible, they are very sensitive to products, stains, and spills that contain acids. Any spills that contain wine, citrus juice, or vinegar should be cleaned up immediately because they can etch even sealed stone floors. Just think what harsh chemicals like chlorine bleach or ammonia could do to an expanse of flooring.
I don't have the luxury of stone floors but I do have stone countertops. And once I learned about StoneTech products, they have been my go-to cleaners. The liquid not only cleans but revitalizes the stone and protects it. Because no sealant lasts forever, just normal foot traffic eventually removes the finish. StoneTech helps the sealant last longer and maintains the natural beauty of the stone flooring.
StoneTech Revitalizer comes in two scents, citrus or cucumber. You can purchase it ready-to-use or in a concentrated formula to add to water. The ready-to-use formula is available in a spray bottle as well as a gallon jug for refills. To clean your floors, simply spray a small area and clean with a microfiber mop. No rinsing or drying is necessary. The cleaner is nontoxic and biodegradable.
More than 700 buyers have left reviews on Amazon, with 70% giving it 5 stars.
Pros: Gentle on stone floors but tough on dirt and grime, nontoxic, two light scents available, refillable container.
Cons: Not readily available in mass-market stores.