Best Overall
Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner
- This hardwood floor cleaner is an environmentally-safe choice and was effective as cleaning during our testing.
This hardwood floor cleaner is an environmentally-safe choice and was effective as cleaning during our testing.
- This cleaner is unscented, which may not satisfy those who want to leave the room smelling clean after use.
This cleaner is unscented, which may not satisfy those who want to leave the room smelling clean after use.
The Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Spray impressed us during testing with its ease of use and effectiveness when cleaning up even stubborn stains like tomato paste.
We put this hardwood floor cleaner to the test by using it to clean dried stains like soda, dirt, and tomato paste. During testing, soda and dirt were easily removed, while the tomato paste took a bit more scrubbing.
Even though the tomato paste mess required a bit of elbow grease, the stain came out completely. We liked that this spray bottle had two spray levels, a mist and a direct spray, which were both easy to use. We love that the Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner is environmentally friendly—it is Greenguard Gold certified, meaning it's been rigorously tested for chemical emissions.
It doesn’t contain dyes, ammonia, phosphates, parabens, or formaldehyde, and so we found that this would be a good choice for families with pets or kids who might spend a lot of time on the floor. It contains ingredients like water, citric acid, and hydrogen peroxide, and is Safer Choice certified, which means the ingredients used were deemed safe for both humans and the environment.
Though it is environmentally friendly, the Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner still managed to impress us by performing just as well as cleaners that contain traditional cleaning chemicals. These are often more effective than their natural counterparts, but that was not the case with this hardwood floor cleaner. We also appreciated that this cleaner didn’t leave any residue or streaks.
In addition to the effectiveness and ease of use of this product, the price point was reasonable. While it’s half the price of other cleaners we tested, we found it performed even better. Keep in mind that this cleaner is unscented, so those who prefer a clean smell post-cleaning may be disappointed.
Product Details: Ounces: 32 fluid ounces | Scent: None | Concentrated: No
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Key Terms To Know
Concentrate: The ingredients used to make your floor cleaner, without water added. In order to use concentrated hardwood floor cleaner, you’ll need to dilute it by adding water.
Surfactants: The surface active agents that stir up activity on the surface being cleaned, which helps to trap dirt and then remove it from the surface.
Best Multi-Surface
Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner
- It left a streak-free, residue-free finish on both hardwood and tile after use.
It left a streak-free, residue-free finish on both hardwood and tile after use.
- It only has one setting for spraying, which is a mist.
It only has one setting for spraying, which is a mist.
If your house has different types of flooring, the multi-purpose Quick Shine Multi Surface Floor Cleaner is our top pick.
This cleaner impressed us by not only tackling hard-to-remove stains like tomato paste on hardwood floors, but by performing well on tile, too. During testing, it was able to easily remove soda and dirt stains with little effort, even tackling tomato paste with some added elbow grease.
We found that, though it cleans both types of flooring effectively, we found that it did not clean up grout quite as well—there were faint stains from the soda and tomato paste left behind.
Two minutes after cleaning, we tested the floor with a clean paper towel to determine if there was any residue or moisture left behind. We were impressed to find that there was no residue left behind, nor was there any cleaning solution on the paper towel.
We also liked this cleaner’s fresh clean scent, which smelled faintly of citrus. It was noticeable and pleasant, but not too strong or overwhelming.
While the Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Spray has three different spray settings, this one has only one spray setting. It provides a nice mist, but it may not be suitable for someone who prefers versatility. We did find that the mist provided an even coating of the product, which allowed for a quick application and easy drying.
Product Details: Ounces: 24 fluid ounces | Scent: Clean breeze | Concentrated: No
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best Concentrated
Lysol Multi-Surface Cleaner
- It has a pleasant, citrus smell that deodorizes as it cleans.
It has a pleasant, citrus smell that deodorizes as it cleans.
- This hardwood floor cleaner required some elbow grease on hard stains during testing.
This hardwood floor cleaner required some elbow grease on hard stains during testing.
Unlike the other two cleaners on our list, concentrated hardwood floor cleaners need to be diluted with water before use. We found that the process of diluting the Lysol Multi-Surface Cleaner was simple. We combined 2 ounces of cleaner and 1 gallon of water in a spray bottle (you may need a funnel to do this).
This hardwood floor cleaner has a citrus smell that we found to be very pleasant without being overwhelming. It lingered in the air and left a clean smell after cleaning, but it was quite subtle. It also doesn’t just mask your mess with a smell, it deodorizes so that the smell disappears. It can be used on hard, non-porous surfaces, including tile.
Keep in mind that, while this hardwood floor cleaner easily tackled the soda and dirt stains with little effort, it required more elbow grease to clean the tomato paste stain. After checking with a clean paper towel to see whether or not there was any leftover stain or residue, we found that this cleaner did not pick up all of the tomato paste in the cracks of the hardwood floor.
Product Details: Ounces: 40 fluid ounces | Scent: Citrus | Concentrated: Yes
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK