Q: We have a wood floor in my house that we have owned for 6 months. Since we moved in, the wood floors have a haze over them. We have two active boys and several dogs. We’ve tried to keep the floors as clean as possible. I tried cleaning with almost every type of cleaning product out there, even just water. They all just make it worse. With a sock I can buff it out and make them shiny again, but just a small area because it takes too long.

I have no idea whether the floors were waxed or have a polyurethane coating. How do I tell, and how do I fix this haze on wood floor? I have thought about renting a buffer but I don’t want to make matters worse.

A: Put a couple of drops of water on the floor. Wait 10 minutes. If it leaves a spot, it is probably waxed. Otherwise, it is likely polyurethane. If it is poly, you can purchase approved cleaners for polyurethane from your local hardwood dealer. Any product from Poloplaz, Bona Kemi, Mirage, Basic Coatings for this purpose should remove any residue from “bad” cleaners that have caused the haze.

Q: I have a new engineered wood floor. I cleaned it with floor cleaner. Now I have a dull look that I can’t seem to get rid of!

A: Whatever you have used has left a residue on the surface of the floor. Any of the cleaners from Bona Kemi (Bona Pacific cleaner), Poloplaz, Basic Coatings, Min Wax, Mirage etc., will do a much better job and will likely remove the haze you now see. You local hardwood flooring retailer should carry at least one of these products.

Similar Q: Two years ago we had silver maple installed in our living room. I first used the O***** G*** cleaner and then heard that wasn’t a good idea, so I switched to M******’s. My floor used to have a shiny look to it and now it’s dull and it shows every scratch. I also noticed when I was trying to get this residue off of it that it is peeling in a few areas. I loved my floor at first and now I’m starting to regret buying it. And, by the way, I bought it at an auction so I can’t talk to any manufacturer.

A: A number of floor finish and hardwood floor manufacturers have created cleaners to remove such residue from polyurethane coated floors. You can check out Poloplaz, Boa-Franc, Basic Coatings and Bona Kemi.

Another Similar Q: Hi there, I am really hoping you can help me. I looked around you site and could not find the exact answer I need so I thought I would just ask. I recently had dark hardwood floors installed. They are complete and utter nightmare. I cannot keep them clean for more than a few minutes and Bona cleaner makes them super dull. Orange g** makes then mice and shiny but makes them worse in the long run and footprints show up everywhere. I either vacuum and or clean everyday and they only look good for a few hours, no matter what. I want them to look at least somewhat shiny without any film or residue that dirt clings to. Can you please help me?

A: It is very clear to me there is a film of some contaminant on your floors surface. I recommended to one person years ago to use the Bona cleaner. They were having the same issues as you. They said the Bona cleaner caused the glo and all else to peel right off. They have likely changed the chemistry of it.

I would suggest perhaps 2 products from Poloplaz. They do have a product called tie tac which is designed to remove contaminants and not leave a residue as well as their floor cleaner. You may want to try first just some denatured alcohol on a spot to see if it removes the haze. Not everything in main line that says it is for hardwood floors is really good for a top coated floor.

Related Q: I used “original L*****”, a wood floor polish and cleaner, on my floors. Now my floors have a film coating on it that makes the floors dull looking. I’ve washed the floors many times and that film is still there. Is there a product to remove this film or do I need to sand down? The manufacturer of this product could not help me out.

A: I’ve never heard of this product and don’t know what the ingredients are. There are a number of things you can try. Numerous wood floor manufacturers and makers of floor finish also make cleaners for polyurethane finished floors. For example, Poloplaz has their version of such a cleaner and also have another type which is more intense, both designed to remove contaminants from the surface. Bona Kemi makes something that is designed to do the same as does Basic Coatings. You could also try denatured alcohol, TSP or ammonia. It might be a good idea to read the bottle carefully to make sure there isn’t anything in the product which might have a bad reaction with any of these products.

Q: My hardwood floors look very dull and dry. What should I use on them?

A: Difficult to answer without knowing what the finish would be. Wax or polyurethane?

You can browse our “Care and Maintenance of Wood Floors” articles for answers, if you know what the finish is.

Q: How do I remove cleaner residue from my hardwood floors (we were using ****** *** floor cleaner)? And, moving forward, what is the best thing to clean them with?

A: I can recommend with total confidence Bona Pacific Floor cleaner (www.bonakemi.com). Your local hardwood retailer likely sells this product.

Q: I have been using “X” wet mop for about two bottles of cleaner’s worth. This came recommended to me. There is now a streaky residue on my floors that I would like to remove. The residue is also causing other aesthetic problems. What is the best way to remove the residue? Rest assured the wet mop has swiftly left the area. I would not recommend this product to anyone, even though it seemed great for the first several applications.

A: It’s quite annoying, isn’t it? Several years ago, after reading the MSDS sheet for their wet product, I felt it was safe to suggest to my customers. Within a couple of weeks I knew that was a mistake. They claim it does not leave a residue, but obviously it does.

Here is what you do: Buy a concentrate gallon of Bona Kemi Pacific Floor Cleaner. Most hardwood retail outlets will sell this product. I would suggest the undiluted concentrate which you can then mix with water in a spray bottle at a ratio or 5:1 or 7:1 as per label instructions. This is an excellent product and will remove any contamination left by this other “cleaner”. www.bonakemi.com

Webmaster’s note: It appears to me that just about every new “doesn’t leave a residue” claim turns out to be unreliable. It is better to go with a well tested cleaner from a well known wood flooring producer, like Bona Kemi. They are more interested in making their products look good, than a big clean-all sales company would be– know what I mean?

Q: How do I remove dull spots on my hardwood floor?

A: That depends why there are dull spots. You might want to try an appropriate polyurethane cleaner first, if your floors are finished with that type of coating. You could purchase such from your local hardwood flooring retailer. Also, there is a Min Wax cleaner sold at Home Depot that is appropriate.

Q: For some reason after cleaning the floor a couple of days ago, my floor is extremely tacky and dull! I’ve never seen anything like it. I thought that maybe it was just extra dirty from a social gathering we had, therefore, I cleaned it again. Same thing. What happened?

A: What cleaner are you using? If it is not approved for polyurethane finishes (by that, I mean approved by floor and finish manufacturers) then you may get a build up of residue. Or someone may have wiped something else on your floor. Good cleaners come from Bona Kemi, Mirage, Dura Seal and Basic Coatings to name a few. Cleaners I don’t recommend are ——-, oil soaps, oils, and any furniture polishes, etc.

Follow-up Q: Do you think that fabric softener (when washing the cloth) could have caused this?

A: Fabric softener? Quite possibly. If the cleaner doesn’t remove it (better use a different cover for your mop) perhaps you could try denatured alcohol.

Similar Q: We have Bruce Hardwood Floors, a very dark espresso color with a gloss finish. Over the past 3 years now, the finish is very dull.. streaks, spotting, scuffs, etc. They look a mess. I only use BONA hardwood floor cleaner; what gives? What do we do to fix this mess?

A: It sounds like a potential residue of something else on the finish. Are you sure something else has not been used? Do you ever use a Swiffer mop? I ask because if you go to their web site and look up the msds sheets one of the ingredients is wax. If this is the case, Poloplaz has a cleaner called Tie Tac which will remove this after which you could return to your regular cleaner of try the Poloplaz floor cleaner. www.poloplaz.com

Similar Q: We have a 15 month old home with nail down hand scraped floors that look awful. At quick glance they are beautiful, but there are scuffs and scratches and dull streaks everywhere. The floor was finished with a waterborne finish. What could cause the finish to be so sensitive? Do we need another coat or complete refinish? We don’t feel we are living or using them inappropriately.

A: Even the toughest finishes can be scratched in the presence of abrasive grit and tiny stones stuck in the treads of shoes. Regular vacuuming to keep sand, for example to a minimum can help. Dull streaks causes me to wonder what you are using to clean these floors with? Some ‘cleaners’ claimed to be for wood floors can leave a residue, sometimes a wax residue that can cause this. I would recommend you purchase some cleaner manufactured by floor finish and wood floor manufacturers. Any local wood flooring retailer will carry such products. It could be from Poloplaz, Basic Coatings, Boa-franc, Bona Kemi and any number of others. These cleaners do not leave any residue but will help to remove any that is currently on the finish surface.