how to get the shine back on hardwood floors?

[purbeast0]

my wife and i had a new years party and today we finally got around to cleaning our kitchen floor. we didn't notice that there were some spills and a squished grape under the table. so because we saw that i decided to use some hardwood floor cleaner that we had.

typically we would just clean our hardwood floors mopping it with just water itself.

our hardwood floors are a nice dark and shiny wooden color. treating it the way with just water would clean it and keep them really nice and shiny.

well today after my dumbass used this cleaner, it's noticeably not as shiny as the rest of the house. you can also feel with your feet that it isn't quite as "slick" as the other wooden floors. it just looks a little duller and is noticeable to us.

is there anyway i can make them get their shine back? again this is the first time we've used actual cleaner on them so i'm hoping i did not ruin them. we've been here since september and the floors have always looked real nice.

edit:

just realized the cleaner says "not for oiled floors" and i'm assuming the "shine" that is lost was because our floors were oiled possibly, and that could explain why the kitchen now feels "sticky" and the other rooms feel "slick" compared to eachother. if that is the case is there anyway to get the oil back to give it the glow? already tossed the cleaner out, and that note was in the fine print on the back too .

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Many years ago, when I was trying to *present* a home for sale, my realtor recommended a product to make my '74 linoleum flooring in the kitchen, and dining area look like new, and WOW he was right. I now have nearly 1500sq.ft. of solid oak flooring, and after a good scrub/strip I still use this product, and my floors look gorgeous for months.
http://www.proshotcorporation.com/pro-shot-floor-restorer/

 

[rsd]

Bona and I wouldn't clean hardwood floors with just water

 

[purbeast0]

anyone?

 

[rommelrommel]

Real hardwood I'm assuming? I think step one is to figure out if they're oiled or varnished. If it's varnish, maybe there is residue from the cleaner. If they're oiled, you may have taken some of the oil out of the floor. Varnish = try a better cleaner. Oil = I'm not sure. It seems unlikely that you would have oiled wood in your kitchen tho.

 

[Gardener]

Buy her a new razor.

 

[phucheneh]

According to a commercial I saw, you errantly hit them with a large orbital sander, then apply some 'Orange-Glo.'

Surely this works.

 

[UnklSnappy]

It's very unlikely you have oiled floors. In my 30 years of doing hardwood floors I've only done a handful of oiled ones. Probably a film left behind from the cleaner you used.
We provide all our customers with Glitsa Clean to clean their floors with.
Bona is supposed to be another good one but we don't use it.

Never use any product such as Orange-Glo, Murphys oil soap etc.
If you ever need to re-coat the floors you will be screwed because the finish won't bond properly and will end up peeling. You'll end up having to re-sand the floors.

 

[Crono]

Very strongly brewed black tea works well as a safe cleaner. Soak paper towels and wipe.

 

[edro]

First, like UnklSnappy said, make sure its not a residue.

IF you find out it has actually damaged the polyurethane, then:
Screen and re-coat.
If they are real, you will need to screen them (lightly sand) and recoat with polyurethane.
It's a very typical task for hardwood floors.
Hire a company and they can do it in 1 day.
All furniture and stuff has to be moved out though.

How old are the floors?
You said you have been there a short time, but are the floors new too, or is the house older?
What kind of flooring is it? How were they finished? Post the brand and type of cleaner.

 

[purbeast0]

the house was built in the 60's and i'm 99% sure they are the original hardwood floors. in the upstairs bedrooms and stuff i can see the nail holes where carpet used to be. it's a 4 level split level house and the entire 3rd and 4th level are hardwood floor with the exception of the bathrooms.

i'm also pretty sure they were refinished by the previous owners who lived here only 2 years. i'm also not sure what kind of wood it is or how to even find out what kind of wood it is. this is my first home and my previous apartment had hardwood flooring, but it was crappy bamboo.

this was the wood floor cleaner i used - http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...wood+floor+cleaner&storeId=10051#.UOhZUXdQCnk

it was basically the only one i saw in the store, seemed like they had empty shelves around the area.

i don't THINK there is a coat on the floor. we tried going over it again with just water and it still looks dull. how could i get the coating off if there is a coat of something on it?

i could take pics of the floor in a room where it is still fine and in the kitchen where it seems dull, if that would help at all.

 

[edro]

I highly doubt your floors are oiled hardwood floors.
Those are a very old style.

The MSDS sheet for that cleaner says it is: DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL N-PROPYL ETHER

Lets see what google says about it.

 

[UnklSnappy]

A couple pics might help.
Does rubbing a spot with just a clean dry towel do any thing?

 

[edro]

ZEP has the identical cleaner: http://www.mycleanlikeapro.com/proddtls.aspx?product=hardwood-laminate-floor-cleaner
HDX is just a Home Depot rebrand of ZEP.
Their website says:

The Hardwood & Laminate Floor Cleaner is DFE approved (Designed for the Environment). This special formulation is designed to remove spots, stains and scuffs from laminate and hardwood floors. This product cleans and restores shine to varnish, acrylic and polyurethane-finished wood and laminate floors and baseboards.

Your floors are most likely coated in polyurethane. I don't see why it would generate a haze.

Try it is a small spot in another room, like in the corner. See if you can reproduce the same result.

 

[Brigandier]

Pledge works.

 

[Dulanic]

Many years ago, when I was trying to *present* a home for sale, my realtor recommended a product to make my '74 linoleum flooring in the kitchen, and dining area look like new, and WOW he was right. I now have nearly 1500sq.ft. of solid oak flooring, and after a good scrub/strip I still use this product, and my floors look gorgeous for months.
http://www.proshotcorporation.com/pro-shot-floor-restorer/

Pro shot works wonders and so easy to apply.

 

[purbeast0]

A "haze" over the floor is a good way to describe it. I'm out now but when I get home in a bit I'll snap some pics too.

 

[Aharami]

It's very unlikely you have oiled floors. In my 30 years of doing hardwood floors I've only done a handful of oiled ones. Probably a film left behind from the cleaner you used.
We provide all our customers with Glitsa Clean to clean their floors with.
Bona is supposed to be another good one but we don't use it.

Never use any product such as Orange-Glo, Murphys oil soap etc.
If you ever need to re-coat the floors you will be screwed because the finish won't bond properly and will end up peeling. You'll end up having to re-sand the floors.

i thought Murphy's Oil Soap is ok for wood floors

 

[UnklSnappy]

i thought Murphy's Oil Soap is ok for wood floors

No no no absolutely no

 

[Aharami]

what is so bad about it? and what should be used to clean hardwood floors?

 

[UnklSnappy]

You can't re-coat a floor that it has been used on. The finish won't properly bond and will end up peeling. Even if you try cleaning the floor afterward with a solvent such as lacquer thinner. You end up having to re-sand.

 

[purbeast0]

alright so i snapped some pics.

here are the pics of the kitchen where it is duller now.

http://i.imgur.com/VEtKI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/CC5Rz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nrQaQ.jpg

and here is the living room area where it was not washed with the cleaner.

http://i.imgur.com/7plcf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Lg7RY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/R9di4.jpg

it is kind of hard to tell from the pics about the "shinyness" but you can clearly see from the pictures that the kitchen floor looks not nearly as dark when comparing them. you can tell it isn't as shiny either but it is more noticeable in person.

and still, when walking on the floors, your feet kind of "glide" over the living room area but in the kitchen it almost feels as they "stick" when walking, if that makes any sense.

 

[UnklSnappy]

If it's not a film left on the floor then the cleaner has likely adversely affected the finish.
You can try cleaning a spot with a mix of 1 part white vinegar and 4 parts water to see if it helps.
Really tough to tell whats going on without seeing it in person.

 

[purbeast0]

If it's not a film left on the floor then the cleaner has likely adversely affected the finish.
You can try cleaning a spot with a mix of 1 part white vinegar and 4 parts water to see if it helps.
Really tough to tell whats going on without seeing it in person.

how much do you think it would cost (ballpark estimate) to refinish that one room?

if the finish is screwed up for good i'll just have a professional come and refinish it.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

All I see is different lighting between the two rooms.

Easiest solution, use the cleaner on the other room so they match. Problem solved.