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.