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Last updated: 17 Jan 2023

The Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner for a Spotless Surface

Best Overall
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Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner
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Most Natural Ingredients
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Aunt Fannie's Hardwood Floor Cleaner
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Easiest to Use
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Rejuvenate Hardwood Floor Cleaner
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Best Floor Protection
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Weiman Hardwood Floor Cleaner
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By Old House Journal Review Team
Published 9:05 am
Show contents
The Greatest Hardwood Floor Cleaners
  • 1 Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 2 Aunt Fannie’s Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 3 Rejuvenate Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 4 Weiman Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 5 Method Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 6 Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  • 7 Pledge Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Hardwood varieties like oak, sheesham, teak, rosewood, and others have been used for many purposes for a long time. Be it for manufacturing furniture units or designing a wooden house, hardwood has proven to be quite versatile and highly durable. That’s why nowadays, you can find many houses decorated with this type of flooring. Even though hardwood floors are strong and long-lasting, their beauty significantly depends on your aftercare methods. You cannot use the normal floor cleaning solutions that are generally applicable to other wooden or tile floors. Special cleaners are available in the market. They work without causing any harm to the texture of the wood fibers or the floor’s durability and strength.

Clean floors can absolutely transform your home, making it a space you want to spend time in. For this reason, we have presented you with a well-formulated list of the highest-rated hardwood floor cleaners in 2023. It will give you a basic idea about which cleaner will be the right fit for the health of your hardwood floors.

The Greatest Hardwood Floor Cleaners

1

Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Best Overall
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If you have kids and pets in your home, you need to ensure that the floor cleaners being used are safe and non-toxic. This is where the Bruce Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner comes into play. It’s made from organic ingredients with no trace of inorganic chemicals or paraffin. That’s why it is safe for everyone in the house. Besides cleaning a hardwood floor, you can also use it on laminated floors with ease. Though it comes in a liquid form, you don’t have to rinse the mopper ropes or fibers every time you dip the mop in the liquid. 

Another major feature of the cleaner is its residue-free nature, which makes the product completely safe for domestic purposes. Apart from keeping the floors clean and hygienic, the Bruce Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner will also help maintain the shine and beauty of your wood floor. This safe, tried-and-true option is the best overall on our list.

2

Aunt Fannie’s Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Most Natural Ingredients
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Whenever a house has floors made from hardwood, you will feel much closer to nature, all thanks to the natural vibes those floorboards emanate. To help you make the floor look cleaner and shinier, we have listed Aunt Fannie’s hardwood floor cleaner on our list. It contains lemon peel oil, orange peel oil, and spearmint oil, which gives off a sweet and tangy aroma of citrus fruit that will refresh the air inside your home. Thus, you can consider this hardwood floor cleaner to be completely organic, which won’t cause any harm to your pets or children. One of the best things about this solution is that you can use it on different types of hardwood floors like solid wood floors, bamboo floors, laminate floors, and so on. 

3

Rejuvenate Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Easiest to Use
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If you are tired of using normal hardwood floor cleaners after mixing liquid in a bucket full of water, you must use the Rejuvenate High-Performance cleaner solution. It comes in a spray bottle that you can directly use on the hardwood floor. It eliminates the involvement of water and the regular mop you have in your home, which makes cleaning the floors much easier. 

All you need to do is spray the solution over the surface and let it rest for a couple of minutes. After that, you can clean the surface using a small wiper and notice the floors shining like never before. In addition, this hardwood floor cleaner comes with a pH-balanced formula that will never harm the wooden fibers of the floorboards. 

4

Weiman Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Best Floor Protection
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Over time, the wooden surfaces lose their luster and shine, no matter whether or not you are using organic floor cleaners. That’s why you need a polish along with the usual hardwood floor cleaner. Understanding the need to maintain the beauty and shine of your wood floor, Weiman introduced both the cleaner and polish. It can help you to bring out the best look of the wooden floors in your home. 

Both of these solutions are made from organic compounds with no petroleum by-products or harmful inorganic chemicals. That’s why the wood surfaces will remain smooth even after regular cleaning and polishing. Besides, the polish comes with a micro-filling technology that will cast an anti-scratch coating over the floorboards for better durability. As it’s a ready-to-use solution, you don’t have to mix it with water or dilute it with something else to get the most of it.

5

Method Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Best Scent
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Out of the several aromatic hardwood floor cleaners, the Method Squirt has become one of the most popular ones, thanks to the nutty almond aroma that will linger in the air after cleaning the floor with this solution. It’s made from organic compounds, which is why it won’t harm pets or babies crawling on the floor. 

Also, the cleaner wouldn’t release any form of toxic compounds into the air, thereby ensuring the proper health of your respiratory system. Its antimicrobial properties will help in killing most of the microscopic organisms on hardwood floors. Thus, you can maintain both the cleanliness and hygiene of your wood floor using this hardwood cleaner solution. 

6

Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Best Water-Based Cleaner
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For a water-based floor cleaning solution, no other product will be as amazing as the Bona refill hardwood floor cleaner. It’s specifically made for those floors where the wooden boards are sealed together to eliminate the grout present between the board surfaces. You don’t need to dilute the cleaner with water as it’s a ready-to-use product. All you have to do is pour the liquid into a spray bottle. 

Besides, you can either apply the liquid directly on the floorboards with the spraying container or use a spraying mop to clean the floors and remove any kind of dirt or dust from the surfaces. Another amazing property of the Bona refill hardwood floor cleaner is that no residue will be left behind after you are done with the cleaning process. Your wood floor will surely shine as a result.

7

Pledge Hardwood Floor Cleaner

– Most Antimicrobial
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Unlike other floor cleaners, no paraffin, wax-based products, or harmful petroleum by-products have been used in the Pledge hardwood floor cleaning solution. It’s completely organic and hence, gentle for both the floor surface and your skin. A subtle fragrance of lemon and citrus fruits will linger in the air due to the presence of essential oils. It will further help in refreshing the air and making the entire ambiance of your home come alive. 

Besides emanating a sweet and fresh fragrance, the lemon will help maintain hygiene as it has antimicrobial properties. It will prevent the growth of microorganisms on the floors, especially inside the grouts and in the corners. After using the cleaner, the floor surface will have a natural luster that makes the textures of the wooden fibers appealing.

Buying Guide to the Top Hardwood Floor Cleaners

Even though all the seven hardwood floor cleaners mentioned above are the most popular ones in the market, choosing one particular product can be quite intimidating. No one would ever want to risk the safety of the house and their kids by using a toxic floor cleaner. That’s why you need to know about the factors to choose the best hardwood floor cleaner and keep your wood floor healthier. 

What Are the Factors You Need To Consider for Buying the Best Hardwood Floor Cleaner?

Type of hardwood floor arrangement

Hardwood flooring is installed in two ways:

  • In tile forms, where the grout lines are visible 
  • In a continuous form, where the grout lines are sealed and made invisible

Based on what kind of floorboard arrangement you have in your home, the choice of the cleaning solution will also vary. Make sure to choose the right product depending on whether your hardwood floorboards are sealed or not. 

You may notice “cupping” in your wood floors, meaning that excessive moisture is compromising the shape of the boards. Reference this video from Cali Floors to ensure that your floors are kept in top condition:

Aromatic vs. non-aromatic

The next thing you need to consider is the aroma of the cleaning solution. From the product list, you can understand that most hardwood floor cleaners contain essential oils or organic elements. This is why they are aromatic. However, not everyone can stand the fragrance, no matter how subtle the tones are. Hence, you have to decide whether you only want a clean floor with no fragrance or refreshing air along with an immaculate surface. 

Ingredient list 

Most people ignore the ingredient list. But, to be very honest, it’s really important because unless you are certain about the compounds being used in the cleaning product, you would never know if it is safe for use or not. For example, let’s say the product you have chosen contains wax that is not safe and healthy for pets. Hence, you will be putting their well-being at risk just because you overlooked the ingredients before buying. For a safe, non-toxic, and hygienic hardwood floor cleaner, always look for products with organic elements, essential oils, and other natural substances. 

Floor cleaning product type 

You also have to be concerned about the type of floor cleaning product you need for your home. Currently, three types of hardwood floor cleaners are available in the market, i.e., ready-to-use solutions concentrated cleaning solutions, and water-based cleaning products. So, be very sure about the type of cleaning product you need before making the final choice. 

What Are the Different Types of Floor Cleaning Bottles Available in the Market?

There are three different types of hardwood floor cleaning bottles available in the market such as:

Refill bottles

The refill bottles have the highest volume of the three types. They usually come in the form of large containers where you will have to pour the cleaning solution into your everyday bottle of use. It’s a money-saving option since you won’t have to buy the cleaning product now and then. 

Spray bottles 

The next type of packaging bottle you will find in the market is the spraying one. It comes with a spray nozzle, which makes the application much easier. All you have to do is spray some liquid on the wooden floor and then use a scrub mopper or a wiper to clean the liquid. 

Squirt bottles

Lastly, you will have the squirt bottles, almost like the shampoos and sauce bottles you use almost daily. Once you squeeze the bottle, the cleaning solution will come out from the mouth, which you can apply directly to the floors. 

Hardwood floors are known for their durability and magnificent appearance. But over time, the wooden surfaces start losing their shine, smoothness, and glory. That’s why you need a safe and organic cleaner that will be the best fit for the type of hardwood flooring you have in your home. The seven cleaning products that we discussed above are the most sought-after in the market. Besides, they have gained numerous positive reviews from past users, which is why you won’t have to give a second thought to buying the cleaner of your choice.

People Also Asked

Q: What kind of cleaner should I use for easy and quick hardwood floor cleaning?

A: If you want to clean the hardwood floorboards quickly with no extra effort, you can use spray bottles. These bottles can be used either alone or along with a spray mop, which makes cleaning much faster. 

Q: Can I use the hardwood floor cleaners daily?

A: For using the hardwood floor cleaner daily, you must choose a product that is certified for regular use. However, for occasional use, you can look for hardwood cleaners that also come with a polish. 

Q: How much water should I add to the concentrated floor cleaning solution to dilute it?

A: The total amount of water you have to add to the floor cleaning solution will depend on the concentration levels and the instructions mentioned on the label. So, always make sure to read all the instructions before using hardwood floor cleaners.

Cleaning
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By Old House Journal Review Team
The Old House Journal Review Team’s product reviews and in-depth guides are here to help you restore, repair, update, and decorate your home. The content is created by The Old House Journal Review Team. The Old House Journal editorial staff is not involved. Old House Journal is reader-supported: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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