Bona Wood Floor Cleaner | Maintainers V Alkaline Cleaners | Refreshers
Bona Wood Floor Cleaner | Maintainers V Alkaline Cleaners | Refreshers
Understanding of the whole process of floor cleaning and floor maintenance is essential if you want to have clean, undamaged wooden floors. The most important thing is to find out what type of sealant is on your floor and what types of products are suitable to clean, maintain and refresh that particular type of finish. Saying that you have bought a Bona floor cleaner is a very broad word. Bona sells a wide range of floor cleaners for all types of wood finishes and tiles. If your floor cleaner was designed for compact tile floors, it will not work well on wood & the other way around.
Let’s start at the start. So what type of finish is on your floor? Most wooden floors are sealed with a floor oil or a floor lacquer. These two finishes are the base finishes for most types of new or old floors. You can also divide those two categories in a number of other categories, but at the end of the day, your wooden floor is either varnished or oiled.
Varnishes – older wooden floors are likely to have been sealed with a solvent based floor lacquer while the newest types of wooden floors are sealed with a water based floor lacquer. The old solvent sealers were much glossier and more artificial looking than the new water based floor lacquers. There are many different types of floor lacquers within these two categories. Some are glazers, some are impregnators, some are single pack, some are two pack, some are suitable for residential traffic, others are suitable for commercial traffic, some are anti-slip, some are fire resistant, some are non yellowing, some contain some levels of harsh chemicals, others less, some are manufactured in Ireland while some are manufactured abroad. But at the end of the day, all these finishes are lacquers so you will need to clean & refresh it with cleaners & refreshers recommended for lacquered floors.
Oils – this is such a broad category that even floor fitters and flooring suppliers sometimes cannot tell you what type of oil is on your floor. To achieve a unique natural finish on wood many floor manufacturers use hard wax oils or floor oils mixed up with special enhancers and hardeners. Floor oil, hard wax oil, single pack oil, two pack oil, oils that are floor oils and wood stains, colored floor oil, clear floor oil, glossy floor oils, satin floor oil, matt floor oils, commercial floor oil, glazers, impregnators, etc. Some floors are sealed with very rare types of floor oils that are not even available any longer. But at the end of the day, they are all floor oil and should be cleaned & refreshed with oil safe floor cleaners and refreshers.
Now that we have established what type of finish is on your floors, you need to find out what type of cleaners to use on it to keep it in good shape and refresh it with the most appropriate products.
Maintainers – There are two types of wood floor maintainers. One type is suitable for oiled floors while the other one is suitable for lacquered floors. There are a number of products suitable for both types but it is highly recommended to use oiled floor cleaners on oiled floors and lacquered wood floor cleaners on lacquered floors. Most maintainers are PH neutral, non toxic and very safe. The idea of a floor maintainer is to clean and maintain the surface without damaging the finish. A wood floor cleaned regularly does not need strong cleaning products to look well. If you are using a highly concentrated wood floor maintainer, make sure to respect the manufacturer’s recommended dilution rate and never use a lot of water on wood. A flat mopping system is the perfect tool for all types of wood floors.
Heavy Duty Cleaners – if there was construction work done on your property or if there is a lot of traffic on your floors, you will notice that the classic maintainer fails to provide noticeable results. Your floor is likely to require a deep clean with a more active or alkaline wood floor cleaner to help remove deep impregnated dirt. Most manufacturers of wood care products sell at least one heavy duty wood floor cleaner (Bona Cleaner, Carver Deter Parquet or Junckers Sylva Wood Floor Cleaner). An alkaline heavy duty wood floor cleaner is usually only used once to deep clean and prepare the surface for daily maintenance. After the floor is deep cleaned with a strong wood floor cleaner, you should return to your normal daily cleaning & maintenance routine. Once or twice per year deep clean the floor to remove heavy duty deep penetrating stains & grime.
If you have wooden floors you should invest in proper wood floor cleaners and maintainers. Very dirty floors will require a deep clean once or twice per year and then daily maintenance (depending on traffic). A top quality wood floor maintainer will prove to be pretty useless if you try to remove heavy duty dirt.
Find Out How To Use Your Bona Wood Floor Cleaner
Oiled Floors – if you just bought an oiled floor or if you just had an old floor restored and sealed with an oil or hardwax oil, then you need to plan ahead. Most manufacturers of hardwood or engineered wood recommend a quick refreshing after new floors are installed. Even if the floor looks new to you, that particular floor could have spent years in storage. Refreshing the floor is easy and hassle free.
You need to purchase oiled floor cleaners. Just because a product is labelled as “wood floor cleaner” it does not mean that it is compatible with oiled floors. The oil that was used to seal the wood will only last if cleaned and maintained with proper products. For daily cleaning and maintenance of oiled floors you should be using:
Bona Soap Cleaner
Bona Oiled Floor Cleaner (spray or refill)
Bona Oiled Floor Spray Mop
For heavy duty oiled floor cleaning you should be using :
Bona Cleaner (1L or 5L)
To refresh and maintain the protection on your floors you should be using:
Bona Spray Refresher
Bona Wax Oil Refresher
Most floor shops, floor manufacturers and most floor fitting contractors fail to inform the customer about the maintenance routine. This can end up bad for the customer.
You have picked an oiled floor because you wanted to have your floor sealed with a natural non glazing & fume free protector. But this protector has a limited life expectancy and it requires regular top ups. Daily washing and maintenance, the traffic & the sun light, can “help” to decrease the protection. Over time the sealer will wear off and the wood will be exposed to elements. To make sure that the sealer does what it should do, you will need to refresh the wood once or twice per year. A refresher is basically another coat of oil. Unlike the original floor oil that requires 24 hours to dry, most refreshers from Bona will fully dry within 2-4 hours. By doing so, you rebuild the protection and you maintain your floor in great condition. Failing to do so will result in permanent damage and patches on the floor. Refreshing an oiled floor is not that expensive or challenging. Anyone can do it.
Oiled Floor Issues : many of our customers are complaining about dull patches, imperfections and dirty floors. In 99% of the cases they maintain it wrong. Stay away from steamers, harsh chemicals, soaked mops and never ever scrub the oiled floor. When you scrub particular areas, you will remove the original finish and you will end up with a patch. From our experience , the most cost effective way of cleaning an oiled floor is with Bona Oiled Floor Spray Mop. By using this system you are unlikely to over-soak the wood or to use the wrong cleaning products. The spray mop includes everything you need to clean your floors for 1 month (+-). If a spill happens, do not panic. Use a microfiber mop head to softly extract the liquid and then wash the whole floor as usual.
Essential Information
When you get a new oiled floor installed:-
- You need to refresh that floor before heavy traffic
- Wash it with oiled floor cleaners and maintainers
- Once or twice per year deep clean the floor with Bona Cleaner
- Once or twice per year refresh your oiled floors (re-oil)
- Find out what sealer was used on your floors just in case it needs special attention
Bona Soap Cleaner : You can wash and maintain your oiled or waxed wooden floors with a ready to use spray cleaner (Bona Oiled Floor Cleaner Spray) or with a concentrated oiled floor cleaner like the amazing Bona Soap Cleaner. To be able to use this product you will need a bucket, a mop head & of course, the handle. The product is highly concentrated, PH neutral and highly effective against general dirt and traffic markings. Dilute the product 1 to 100. 1 part Bona Soap Cleaner and 100 parts water. Usually, 1-2 caps per 5L of water is more than enough. Using a semi wet mop head (buy a good quality one) wash the floor. Remember, this product is very soft and suitable for “daily maintenance”. A quick wash with Bona Soap Cleaner and your oiled floor will start looking more radiant and more elegant. Because the product is so concentrated, the Bona Soap Cleaner is only sold in 1L bottles. Wash your floors daily or at least every second day. Use as little water as possible and use a clean mop head.
Bona Oiled Floor Cleaner – If you prefer a ready to use oiled floor cleaner that requires no dilution, then you can use the amazing Bona Oiled Floor Cleaner. This product is 100% safe, highly effective, perfume free, PH neutral and compatible with all oiled floors. It works better with a flat mopping system. Just pre-spray the whole floor nicely, allow 2-3 minutes direct contact and then start lightly scrubbing the floor with a soft microfiber flat mop head. You will notice that all the dirt from the floor has been transferred to the microfiber mop head. The product will dry streak free and it will leave no residue behind it. This product is only compatible with oiled floors. It contains a blend of oils and enhancers that can make other types of floor very slippery. One of the most widely used and highly recommended oiled floor cleaners in the world. After every clean, the floor will look better and the finish will be refreshed.
Bona Oiled Floor Spray Mop – the most cost effective way of cleaning and maintaining oiled floors. All you need in one system. The amazing Bona Oiled Floor Spray Mop contains everything you need to clean and maintain your oiled floors. Inside the box you will find the frame of the mop, the velcro head, 1 Bona Cleaning Pad & 1 cartridge that contains 1L of Bona Oiled Floor Cleaner. Just press the trigger of the mop and lightly scrub the surface. The cartridge that comes with the amazing Bona OIled Floor Spray Mop can be easily refilled. You can buy a 2.5L Oiled Floor Cleaner and refill it. The microfiber mop head that comes with the mop can be machine washed hundreds of times. A proper professional oiled floor cleaning system that can make floor cleaning easy and fun.
Bona Cleaner – from time to time, you will notice that some areas of the floor will look different to the others. Usually, areas with higher traffic are likely to absorb more dirt. There is a solution for that issue as well. Your oiled floor has to be deep cleaned with a stronger and alkaline cleaner to remove all those dirt deposits. Nothing works better and more efficiently than the new Bona Cleaner. This wood floor cleaner is strong enough to safely remove impregnated dirt, food residue, oils, grease, grime, etc, without affecting the sealant itself. Dilute the product 1 to 100 or 1 to 50 (depending on the condition of the floor). Wash the floor as usual with a normal mop head. You will notice instantly that the dirt starts exfoliating and the wood surface brightens up due to residue removal. This outstanding quality wood floor cleaner should be used as a deep cleaning agent only. During the weekly maintenance you should be using one of the above maintainers.
An essential part of maintenance is the regular refreshing. By refreshing your oiled floor you top up the pre-existing finish and you maintain an even coat of sealer all over the floor. You do not need to refresh the whole floor all the time. If some areas get more traffic than others, you can refresh particular areas that are likely to wear off faster. All the refreshers are 100% matt so newly refreshed areas will not look different than the old ones. Below we will describe in detail how to refresh your oiled floors.
Bona Spray Refresher – this product is highly appreciated by the residential market. It is very easy to use, reasonably priced and it dries quickly. Bona Spray Refresher is a waterborne sealer compatible with all oiled surfaces. You just need to make sure that the floor surface is fully dry and residue free. Now spray the whole floor with a fine mist of refresher and level up the surface with a flat microfiber mop head (Bona Applicator Pad). The surface has to look wet but not soaked. The sealer will dry in full in a matter of hours. To avoid walking on wet, refreshed surfaces, you should be refreshing your oiled floor over night. Before going to bed, apply one thin coat of refresher and it will fully dry overnight. By morning time the floor is fully refreshed and ready for traffic.
Bona Wax Oil Refresher – this amazing oiled floor refresher and maintenance oil is the premium refreshing oil from Bona. It requires a bit more skill to use it to be able to achieve decent results. It can be applied with a flat mopping system and an applicator pad, with a cloth or with a mechanical applicator. The trick is to apply enough oil to refresh the surface. The floor will absorb whatever amount of oil it needs to be fully refreshed and the excess oil has to be removed (otherwise it will make the floor sticky and it will not look right). Bona Wax Oil Refresher is very popular with the professional oiled floor refreshing industry. The ideal way of applying it is with a low speed buffer. If applied correctly, it will fully dry in about 4 hours. Bona Wax OIl Refresher is 100% matt, fume free and food safe certified.
Your oiled floor will last for very long periods of time if you are respecting the cleaning routine and the regular maintenance. While many people enjoy beautiful oiled floors for many years, other people cause permanent damage within months. It us up to you to read and inform yourself about all the care required before purchasing oiled floors. If you are not likely to respect the cleaning & maintenance routine, maybe you should consider a lacquered sealer.
Varnished Floors – up to a few years back it was very clear what wood floor is sealed with a floor oil or a water based floor lacquer. But over the past few years the technology has improved and some of the natural looking water based floor lacquers look identical with any floor oil or hard wax oil. Lacquered wooden floors are much more durable and require less maintenance. The old solvent or oil based floor lacquers were creating a glazing on the floor while the floor oils were maintaining the natural look of the wood. But right now, all of it looks the same. If you are not sure what type of sealer was used on the floor, then you should contact the shop from where you have bought it or the floor fitter that has installed it. Knowing what type of sealer was used to seal your particular floor is essential if you plan to maintain it & refresh it with the most appropriate products.
There are two types of wood floor cleaners that can be used on lacquered wooden floors. If the floor was just fitted or refinished and if it is in great shape, then a soft maintainer is the ideal product.
Bona Wood Floor Cleaner (1L or 4L)
Bona Oxypower Deep Cleaning Solution
Bona Wood Floor Spray Mop
But if the floor is old and in poor shape, a stronger cleaning product should be used to make sure that all deep impregnated stains & food residue will be removed. For this kind of wood floor cleaning project you should be using an alkaline heavy duty wood floor cleaner.
Bona Cleaner (available in 1L or 5L)
For daily cleaning and maintenance use a low PH wood floor cleaner while for a deep cleaning or heavy duty floor cleaning project use a stronger more active wood cleaner.
From time to time, the lacquer will dull up and small scratches will appear.The floor does not require sanding yet but something has to be done. You can restore the original look of your wooden floors with one of the below wood floor refreshers:
Bona Wood Floor Polish
Bona Hardwood Refresher
Bona Freshen Up
Each of the above products can be used on all varnished or lacquered wooden floors. All three of them are suitable for refreshing the wood but each one of them looks and behaves differently. While some of the refreshers are suitable for maintaining the wood finish in great condition, others are suitable for restoring the damaged areas.
Bona Wood Floor Cleaner – probably the world’s best known wood floor cleaner and wood floor maintainer. A highly efficient daily wood cleaner and sheen enhancer. Bona Wood Floor Cleaner is a ready to use wood floor cleaner that is compatible with pretty much all varnished & lacquered wooden floors. The product will remove superficial stains and it will leave a streak free finish on matt and glossy surfaces. This product contains no water so it is impossible to cause water damage on wooden floors. The main reason for watermarks and water damage to wooden floors is of course, excessive use of water. By using Bona Wood Floor Cleaner you fully eliminate this risk. Bona Wood Floor Cleaner is Greenguard certified and is one of the safest and most eco friendly wood floor cleaners ever manufactured. The product is available in 1L spray bottle, 4L refill bottle & also sold in a cartridge. PH neutral, food certified & ready to use. Use Bona Wood Floor Cleaner for daily wood floor cleaning and maintenance. This product is not suitable for heavy duty wood floor cleaning projects.
Bona Oxypower Wood Floor Deep Cleaner – one of the most effective and the most efficient wood floor cleaners from Bona range. Suitable for daily maintenance of residential and commercial wooden floors but also for medium heavy duty cleaning projects. The product has an innovative oxygenate formula to help break & exfoliate deep impregnated dirt from wood. In contact with the wood surface it will start bubbling up and it will create the impression that the floor is alive. But in fact, the product is very safe and highly eco friendly. It contains hydrogen peroxide and it will facilitate easy removal of all types of superficial stains, grime, food residue & other types of residue. A ready to use formula that requires no dilution. It can be safely used on all vanished, lacquered and oiled wooden floors. This product is not cheap but it is highly effective.
Bona Wood Floor Spray Mop – by far the most popular and the most efficient wood floor spray mop you have ever used. The product is so light, so versatile & so easy to use. It literally makes wood floor cleaning fun. The kit contains everything you need to start cleaning your wooden floors straight away. Inside the kit you will find the frame, 2 microfiber cleaning pads and 1 L cartridge that contains Bona Wood Floor Cleaner. All you need to do is to press the mop trigger button and start washing your floors. You can use the spray mop for daily cleaning and maintenance of residential & small/medium commercial floors. The new Bona Wood Floor Spray Mop can be used with a dusting pad, a soft microfiber cleaning pad or a heavy duty aggressive scrubbing pad. It all depends on the condition of the wood surface and what type of cleaning routine is required. Bona Wood Floor Spray Mop will enable the user to work faster, cheaper and with less effort. No more buckets, harsh chemicals & excessive water on your wooden floors.
Bona Cleaner – this highly effective and highly alkaline wood floor cleaner can be used for deep wood floor cleaning and wood floor restoration services. Some wooden floors with very high traffic or with high chances of spills & staining, might require a deep cleaning before being maintained with one of Bona`s wood floor cleaners and maintainers. Also, some wooden floors can look very dirty and marked after a large-scale renovation or construction work. To be able to remove all that impregnated dirt and restore the original look of the wood, you should use the amazing Bona Cleaner. This professional wood floor cleaning product can be used with a standard mopping system or with a flat mopping system. A spray & wipe system or in conjunction with a scrubber drier. Due to its low foam formula and high alkalinity, Bona Cleaner is highly appreciated by commercial floor cleaning companies that are providing regular cleaning & maintenance on large-scale commercial wooden floors like airport floors, school floors, halls, sport rooms, large warehouses, etc.
After a few months of daily cleaning and maintenance your wooden floor is likely to look a bit dull and tired. Some spills have managed to stain the floor while areas with higher traffic seem to have absorbed dirt residue. Time to consider a nice deep clean with the Bona Cleaner. The product will enable you to achieve spectacular results hassle free. Do your deep clean with Bona Cleaner then move back to your classic cleaner & maintainer.
As you know, nothing is permanent. Even the most durable water based floor lacquer or water based floor varnish is likely to dull up and wear off after a while. You can help the finish last longer or you can restore damaged & lightly scratched areas with one of Bona`s wood floor cleaners and restorers. Bona sells wood polishes, wood refreshers & wood restorers.
Bona Wood Floor Polish – a water based wood floor polish available in matt and glossy finish. The product is compatible with all water based floor lacquers and solvent based floor lacquers from all brands. The best way of using this wood floor polish is as a pre-treatment. You should use it to prevent damage to the wooden surfaces. If you just had a wooden floor installed or restored, then 1-2 coats of Bona Wood Floor Polish will protect the sealer and it will take all the heavy traffic while the wooden floor remains untouched. From time to time strip off the wood polish and apply a new coat. Even if one version of Bona Wood Floor Polish is called “gloss”, the product will not create artificial glazing or it will not transform your lovely wooden food into a laminate like finish. Bona Wood Floor Polish is 100% safe, easy to apply, fume free & it does not alter the original look of the wooden floor. Apply 1-2 coats of it with a flat mopping system.
Bona Wood Floor Refresher – Daily cleaning and maintenance can create dull patches and imperfections over time. The floor is not really damaged, but the sealer starts showing signs of traffic and wear. There is no need to use the services of a floor sanding or floor refurbishment company yet. You can restore lost gloss and level up imperfections with the new Bona Wood Floor Refresher. This product is very easy to use and it provides instant results. You just have to deep clean the floor to make sure that the surface is 100% clean and dry. Then apply 2 coats of Bona Wood Floor Refresher with 2 hours break between the coats. You will notice pretty fast that the old and dull patches are blending in and disappear in contact with Bona Wood Floor Refresher. The product is fume free, very easy to use and suitable for residential and commercial wooden floors. To achieve a flat & streak free finish you should apply the refresher with Bona Applicator Pad. You can do as many coats as you want but in most cases two coats is more than enough. 1L bottle will cover around 30 sq meters x 2 coats,
Bona Freshen Up – A proper heavy duty wood floor refresher designed for badly worn, damaged & scratched wooden floors. The new Bona Freshen Up is manufactured from 100% polyurethane so it is designed for heavy duty use. The sealer will fill up scratches, dull patches and it will restore areas where the sealer is broken or missing. Basically, the new Bona Freshen Up is a diluted polyurethane lacquer.This product is highly appreciated with the commercial floor cleaning industry. It can be applied over varnish and lacquered wooden floors. The product is fume free, easy to apply and it looks beautiful. Make sure to deep clean the wooden floor well, dry it out and then apply 2 coats of Bona Freshen Up with about 2 hours break between the coats. You do not need to be a professional to be able to use this product but a bit of common sense is required.
Above, you have all the information required to be able to safely deep clean and maintain all your oiled and varnished wooden floors. It is entirely up to you to inform yourself and use the more suitable cleaning products and refreshers for your particular type of sealer. Clean your oiled floors with “oiled floor cleaners” and your lacquered floors with “lacquered” floor cleaners. Using a refresher for oiled floors on a lacquered floor can create a number of issues.
Inform yourself about the work required to maintain a particular type of sealer. If you are not likely to invest in quality products and if you are not likely to regularly maintain & restore your oiled floors, maybe you should consider other types of sealers. But if you are the kind of person that enjoys a bit of DIY maintenance & if you are into natural finishes, then a floor oil is the ideal solution for yourself. We are not recommending an oil or a varnish to anyone. It is entirely up to you. We are just making it clear what level of effort is required to keep a wooden floor in great shape. We receive hundreds of calls every year from people that have permanently damaged their wooden floors because they have ignored the maintenance or because they have used the wrong cleaning products to clean their wood floors.
Never use a steamer on wooden floors or laminate floors (regardless of what finish)
Never use a bathroom cleaner or a bleach based product on wooden floors
Never use a lemon gel or pine gel on wooden floors (it will leave a residue on it)
Never scrub wood finishes with steel scourers
Never use soaked mop heads on wooden floors
Never drag heavy furniture on wooden floors (install foam protectores on table/sofa legs)
Bona Wood Floor Cleaner | Maintainers V Alkaline Cleaners | Refreshers