i'm saying no thanks to swiffer- wood floor ??

[marvella]

I'm baffled. i need to clean the new wood floors. when i asked the builder guys, they said to get the swiffer mops for wood floors. i looked at them in the store. ha! they cost over $20 bucks for the mop part. the refill pads were almost 8. it also said to get batteries to operate the scrubbing part. seeing as they are pretty dirty, i'd say one pad MIGHT clean one room. so to clean the flors is an initial investment of $30 of stuff i'd use once then throw away. i'd have to buy more pads to throw away if i use it again.

not gonna happen. what a complete waste.

so i picked up some minwax wood floor cleaner. it worked ok, but there are still streaks in it.

am i doing something wrong? or should i try something different? i figure after they are clean, all they should require is the occasional dust mopping. is this correct? do they still make dust mops you can take the head off and wash in the machine?

i feel like such a dinosaur. :baby04:

thanks for all answers.

[Charleen]

For our hardwood floors I use Murphy's Oil soap. The original flavor. Actually, I use MOS for all of our wooden furniture, floors, railings. You can mix it in different strengths and I always found the scent to be pleasant not like a fake pine tree. I've never even looked at the swiffer stuff in the store.

[Woodroe]

Murphys oil soap all the way

[hoofinitnorth]

I use Murphy's as Charleen described for big clean-up jobs but find it is easier to keep up on the mess (no kids, just pets) with the vaccuum cleaner and then a flat, wood-floor mop that has a washable terry cloth cover. I spray a little Orange Glo and go at it. BUT the OG will stay on the floor for a while and it does have a strong smell so don't walk on it when barefoot or in socks, etc. until the sheen has subsided (or wipe it up really well to get the excess off - that's tough to do sometimes). Works for taking off the "smudged" appearance on finished hardwood floors (we have finished bamboo direct from The Hope Depot that we installed ourselves).

[bare]

Ummm, didn't you install laminate wood flooring? Not really wood at all, just a picture of wood. Can't you just sweep or mop conventionally, then maintain with a swiffer?

I'd shop around on-line for bulk refills.

[moonwolf]

Originally Posted by marvella

I'm baffled. i need to clean the new wood floors. when i asked the builder guys, they said to get the swiffer mops for wood floors. i looked at them in the store. ha! they cost over $20 bucks for the mop part. the refill pads were almost 8. it also said to get batteries to operate the scrubbing part. seeing as they are pretty dirty, i'd say one pad MIGHT clean one room. so to clean the flors is an initial investment of $30 of stuff i'd use once then throw away. i'd have to buy more pads to throw away if i use it again.

not gonna happen. what a complete waste.

so i picked up some minwax wood floor cleaner. it worked ok, but there are still streaks in it.

am i doing something wrong? or should i try something different? i figure after they are clean, all they should require is the occasional dust mopping. is this correct? do they still make dust mops you can take the head off and wash in the machine?

i feel like such a dinosaur. :baby04:

thanks for all answers.

dino,

Do you have actual wood floors, or the wood look *laminate*?
Swiffer is ideal for the laminate. I use that, but found I don't need to clean them as nearly as recommended. I vacuum, lightly mop rinsing with clear water (don't leave water or puddles on laminate floors). and then go over it with the spray. It cleans the best that way and isn't too expensive. Some people don't buy the throwaway pads and use their own made ones and wash them. I haven't tried it, but I'm pretty sure it's the microfiber cloths to reuse like that.
If you have true wood floors, I don't know what problem you are having with wax, because that's what I used in the other place that had solid wood flooring, but not laminate.

[jen74145]

We have laminate... I use a flat terry cloth mop and spray with Windex as I go. No smudgy pawprints to be found.

[Jenn]

On wood I used MOS and a fairly dry mop, after vacuuming or dustmopping. Dust mop slightly damp would work. Now on laminate I use a dust mop, wet sometimes, and spot clean (scrub) stuck on stuff or sweep copious amounts dirt/ other spillage. I got a huge dust mop with removable head at HD or Lowes and try to use it for damp mopping after I've washed it- I NEVER dry that head, it dries on its own. Need to put down a little water when damp mopping actually.

[chicamarun]

I like my swiffer - and I use cloth diapers instead of the pad when I use it. But I like the cleaner - it does well on our hard wood. I also have a Hoover Wet/Vac and I like that too as it vacs up the wet stuff (it stinks as a dry vac though).

[ldc]

By the way, the swiffer "juice" has been poisonous to pets. I go for Murphy's Oil wood soap at my house. No streaks. ldc

[suzyhomemaker09]

seek a "cuban mop"...great for terrazzo or wood floors may be hard to find..it's basicly a stick on a stick..you use a cloth to wrap around the end then push as it were a dust mop.

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by ldc

By the way, the swiffer "juice" has been poisonous to pets. ldc

That my friend is a Urban Legend and Internet Hoax~!

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp

[Cabin Fever]

We use Milsek Furniture Polish and Cleaner on our wood floors.

http://www.milsek.com/

[marvella]

to clarify... it's bamboo, natural color, vertical grain. it's really beautiful and i'm glad i used it. afraid all i can do is to promise pics soon. wildly busy tying up loose ends.

i'll give the murphys a try. so they do still sell dustmops eh? i'll have to look closer.

thanks all!! i'm so glad to be getting rid of carpet.

[COSunflower]

I got my big dust mop with industrial type head at Home Depoe. The two foot head works the best as it is easier to manuever. I use the wet swiffer pads when I want to clean dirty spots. I have the Home Depoe laminate floors - sure made a difference with my asthma!!! I have to lay down area rugs though for the dogs. 2 of them are large OLD dogs with bad hips so they slip easily. Doesn't bother the little one at all.

[Cabin Fever]

Marvella, send one of us a PM and we'll send you a bottle of Milsek. That Murphy's stuff may clean, but it leaves a scum on the floor. I'm positive once you've tried Milsek that you'll know that it's superior to Murphys.

[OK Yankee]

Cabin Fever, where do you buy the Milsek? We bought the whole little cleaning kit when we got our bamboo flooring from Lumber Liquidators. Never do that again! DH's idea. I also use the old fashion dust mop, just throw the head in the washer when it needs it.

Yankee

[wyld thang]

You can get a Shmop--it's a pole with a rectangle head that you put a terry cloth cover on(which you can wash in the washer). I think you can get them at Lowes', but you can google. Much beefier and reusable than swiffer. We use them in our cleaning biz. We also use a diluted orange cleaner, or vinegar and water on the wood floors.

I use a shmop at home, and we get really dirty floors between the dogs and children and adults combined combined with country dirt. I vac or sweep first.

[marvella]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Marvella, send one of us a PM and we'll send you a bottle of Milsek. That Murphy's stuff may clean, but it leaves a scum on the floor. I'm positive once you've tried Milsek that you'll know that it's superior to Murphys.

thanks very kind of y'all. CF! do you know where i can get it locally? i'd hate to learn to love the stuff, then have to depend on a package from MN to get it again.

hopefully, once this initial dirt is cleaned up, it won't ever get this bad again. screened back porch will do double duty as a mud room, even got a big sink plumbed in. i expect the dirt to be the usual that needs sweeping and dusting, and only washing if something gets spilled.

the builders left a lot of mud/ dirt inside. their idea of a clean floor is not the same as mine.

[MelissaW]

CF, Milsek makes a cleaner? I use the polish on the wood funiture, but I've never seen the cleaner before. I'm going to have to look it up, and find out where I can get it around here.

I use a vacuum on hard floor setting to pick up the dog hair, and then wash with Murphey's with a soft rag on hands and knees. Doing it with a wrung out rag and my hands keeps it from streaking because there is no excess water. On the laminate floor, I use the vacuum and vinegar and water, again on hands and knees. On the porceline tile, I use a broom and neutral ph cleaner with a scrub brush (to keep grout sparkely clean), followed by a dry towel.