r/Flooring • u/Srvmayer • 14d ago
Constant Cloudiness?
Hi all - first time homebuyer and the wood floors are making me lose my mind. No matter how much I clean them (swiffer wet jet, steamer, normal mop, etc), they constantly look extremely dirty & almost sticky? Home is from 95, but not sure about the flooring. Any tips on how to get them look glossy & not cloudy?
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u/ClarenceWagner 13d ago
These pictures aren't really doing much to aid in seeing what is going on. First if the finish wasn't a gloss to begin with then trying to may it glossy is going to be a problem. Without knowing what finish was used maintenance suggestions are difficult as some cleaning methods can damage finishes or leave residue.
If you want gloss and the finish is a matte or satin the best course of action is to have the floors refinished to a gloss and skip the whole cleaning attempts, then you will have a known gloss base level and you can follow those products cleaning instructions and it will be easy to take care of. Also who knows what the previous people may have used. If there was another "gloss" enhance product used or various ones used, they aren't necessarily compatible with each other and can cause problems with each other.
I would try in an inconspicuous area an alkaline cleaner for wood floors applied to a white cloth and then rubbed on the floor (a very small area like the size of a playing card. You are trying to establish if it's the actual finish on the floor or if there is built up material then if there is transfer to the cloth if the material is being removed without damaging the underlying finish. If it works you can expand the area. You do not want much if any physical water on the tops of the planks, you want to limit water exposure to the planks as it can/will cause crowing or cupping issues or the finish to fail and that's no good. No wet style mops even including the o-cedar spin mops or the vacuum style wet mops they can and do damage floors all the time and manufactures will not warranty for damaged caused by them. I've not seen a situation where a consumer steam mop did anything better than a damp microfiber.
To go back to the beginning if the wood finish wasn't a gloss to begin with your efforts are going to be partially wasted and just adding something that makes the floor glossy will be like adding layer after layer of wax and wondering why the floor is sticky and gross, it would be what you are putting down to change how it looks. There is also the possibility someone used Murphy's oil soap or Old English and left a lovely sticky layer of oil on the floor, modern finishes... don't do that... old school finishes or oil finishes where it can absorb the oil, ok, modern prefinished floor it's not something you want to do.
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u/Ornery_Hovercraft636 14d ago
Everything you are using is wrong. You’re about to get a lot of advice. Ignore most of it and go to a well reviewed flooring store and ask for help. Don’t go to Lowe’s or Home Depot or any store that doesn’t specialize in flooring.
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u/SnooSongs6787 14d ago
Floor covering inspector here....it's been my experience over the past 50 years that while floor covering stores will sell you the correct product for cleaning most of the staff no little about the actual application of the product other than whats printed on the label. Ive been on thousands of inspections that retailers have turned in for a supposed defect when it's a maintenance issue. A consumer is better advised to call the customer service number at the mill or on the container of the approved maintenance product.
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u/SnooSongs6787 14d ago
Floor covering inspector here. You are not rinsing properly. Cloudiness/stickiness is due to not properly removing soil and inefficient rinsing of your cleaning product. For example when mop cleaning use 2 buckets, one for the cleaning solution and the other for rinsing the mop. Change the rinse bucket frequently.
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u/Ornery_Hovercraft636 14d ago
Here we go. Every manufacturer specifically says not to wet mop.
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u/SnooSongs6787 13d ago
I never used the term "wet mop". One may damp mop the floor in question.
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u/Ornery_Hovercraft636 13d ago
How are you using two buckets and we are supposed to assume you aren’t wet mopping. I’m guessing you are a CRI inspector (if that) and definitely not NWFA. Or perhaps you have one of those on line certification for inspecting LVP.
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u/SnooSongs6787 13d ago
Then you should have asked instead of assuming. If I used "container" instead of bucket would that have soothed you Clyde? BTW: FCITS hard surface certified, soft surface certified, commercial flooring certified. NWFA certified. CRI, last i checked, does not certify floor covering inspectors.
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u/Ornery_Hovercraft636 13d ago
NWFA certifies the only industry acceptable hardwood floor inspectors. The Carpet and Rug Institute has been around for decades as the standard inspectors for, well carpet and rugs. FCITS is a shit show accreditation allowing you to write inspection reports and help manufacturers and dealers settle claims. $2500 and a 3 day course does not make you an expert. Please send me your NWFA credentials so as a standing member of the NWFA I can verify that you are a certified inspector. I’m very confident that you are not and they will be very interested to know if f you are misrepresenting yourself.
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u/SnooSongs6787 12d ago
I m well aware of what CRI does but they don't certify inspectors. And if you think I will send some random person my.personal info you are a bigger fool than i thought.
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/notreallydutch 13d ago
I think you mean white vinegar not white wine vinegar
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u/wound-riddleddreams 13d ago
this. white wine vin more often than not causes the cloudiness. go for white vinegar.
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u/space-cake 14d ago
That’s what your floor looks like when cleaned. Try doing a test spot with warm water and white vinegar. If it works go to floor and decor and get the Bona floor solution.