I actually cried tears of joy this week, when I FINALLY was about to get rid of the cloudy hardwood floors that had been plaguing me for months.. Real tears. And I couldn’t stop talking about it. My husband and children literally heard all about it, over and over for at least three days. And I’m still so happy I can hardly stand it. I just stop and stare at my floors! If you are reading this because you can’t get rid of that darn cloudy haze, I totally understand! I honestly cannot wait to share how I finally did it, because I agonized over it for months. I found the solution to how to clean cloudy hardwood floors, and I’m SO happy!
How did I get cloudy hardwood floors?
I’ve never used cleaning products on my hardwood floors–I’ve always been very gentle and cautious with them. But last winter when I broke my leg and then had foot surgery, I hired house cleaners to clean my home while I wasn’t able to. I didn’t specify to them what to use on my floors (totally my fault), and whatever product they used created the most horrible cloudy, hazy, white film that covered all of my hardwood floors.
Hazy or cloudy hardwood floors can occur from a couple of things—one of them being from products you use on your floor. Those products build up over time, and leave a terrible film on top of your floor. This is why I’ve never used cleaners, and I was actually shocked when my normally shiny floor were so awful.
It didn’t matter what I mopped it with, or even how often, as soon as I was finished, and the floors dried, the film would still be there. We would start walking on it, and even with clean bare feet, smudges would immediately appear on the surface of the floor, making it look so dirty and awful. I’ve always mopped a frequent amount, but this literally had to be done every single day, and if I had time to do it twice a day, I did. It was making me CRAZY.
Cleaning hardwood floors with Windex? Doesn’t work!
After searching and searching online for any answer I could find, and the more desperate I got, the more I was willing to try. Ammonia, Windex, vinegar, microfiber cloths…you name it, I tried it. (And you shouldn’t ever put ammonia on your floor without serious consideration, because it can really damage your floor…that’s how desperate I was. Don’t do it, unless you’ve read all about it first!)
Absolutely nothing worked, and I honestly thought I was going to have to refinish my floors, or hire a floor company to come in and try to fix it.
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How to clean cloudy hardwood floors!
Finally, one day I was reading online about cleaning items, and came across a sentence talking about Norwex cloths. I remembered the one I already had, and used for cleaning my windows and light shades. It hadn’t even crossed my mind to use it on my floor, but I thought, why not? It certainly couldn’t hurt, and it really was amazing at cleaning my windows, and getting them sparkly clean with no residue. So, I gave it a try.
I got on my hands and knees, used a very damp rag on the each plank, then used the Norwex cloth, buffing carefully, with a lot elbow grease. It did take quite awhile to do the whole floor, a couple of hours, but the success was immediate. The light was streaming across my floors, and I could visibly see the patches of area I had just scrubbed, compared to where it hadn’t been done. Such a night and day difference. I had high hopes at that point, but I still wasn’t 100% sure that it worked.
When I finished the entire floor, I rubbed my foot against the wood to see what would happen. Normally it would leave a smudge, but this time it didn’t! HOORAY!! I literally cried. And called my husband. And told my kids as soon as they came in the door. They weren’t nearly as excited as I was, but I just could not stop talking about it.
If you’re struggling with cloudy, hazy hardwood floors, this is definitely worth a try!
NORWEX SAVED THE DAY!!! You can find the cloths here…
I’m a happy, happy girl.
Regularly I clean my floors with Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner, and I LOVE it. It’s actually made for and recommended by my floor manufacturer, Armstrong, so I know it’s safe. It was also recommended to me by the company that installed my floors. It doesn’t leave any residue, and it’s helped to maintain my clean floors. This is the mop I use, but I’ve heard good things about the Bruce Cleaning Kit (Mop System) as well. After sweeping really well, I just spray my floor with the cleaner, and use the microfiber mop to mop it up. Super quick and easy!!
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Brittanie says
Oct 9, 2018 at 8:16 pmThis is amazing! I have been having the same issue, so thanks for sharing. Now that you got the cloudy layer removed, what do you use to clean your floors?
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Oct 11, 2018 at 10:46 pmJust water! After sweeping/dust mopping, I use a damp mop, with no extra water (that can damage your floors over time). Very occasionally I’ll add a little vinegar to my mop water.
Diana Lopes says
Oct 16, 2018 at 2:26 pmSounds like a great trick. Can’t wait to try it and see the results.
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Oct 16, 2018 at 4:45 pmLet me know how it goes!! xo
Amanda says
Dec 18, 2018 at 6:28 pmI absolutely love my Norwex! I used to use a special oil cleaner on some of my hardwood, but not all my hardwood floors could stand the oil cleaner. Since I’ve been using Norwex, it has been awesome, floors look great! We had some problems with our Duraceramic peeling, and because we use Norwex (=super friendly and no chemicals), the company reimbursed us for a brand new floor!
Karen P says
Oct 5, 2019 at 2:40 pmI’m pretty sure I’ve got the hazy wood floor problem too. Once you’ve finished your floor how did you maintain the cleaning of the floor? I have a floor steamer, do you think it’ll harm the floor once I’ve cleared the haze?
Old Salt Farm says
Oct 7, 2019 at 1:18 pmI’ve stayed away from steamers. One of the causes of haziness is extra moisture, so I use as little as possible. I just use a damp microfiber cloth mop–and then the Norwex cloth when needed. Good luck!
Nikki says
Dec 8, 2019 at 1:38 pmThank you so very much for this tip. I finally scrubbed my floors today for the probably 10th time trying to get a build up of haze off. I used a microfiber cloth (we don’t get your brand here) I cup vinegar in 2 gallons of water. I am so pleased. I will need to wash them one more time since the bulid up is about 18 years old. I was on the verge of paying $$$$ to refinish the floor and for less than $20 they look so great.
Old Salt Farm says
Dec 8, 2019 at 9:51 pmYAY!!! That is the BEST news!!!! xoxo