5 Best Floor Cleaners 2023 Review

Here are our top recommendations.

Top 5 Floor Cleaners

Best For Mops: Swiffer WetJet Multipurpose Floor Cleaner Best Hardwood Cleaner: Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Best Disinfectant: Pine-Sol All-Purpose Cleaner Longest Lasting: Fabuloso Multipurpose Professional Cleaner Best Ingredients: Aunt Fannie’s Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash

Best For Mops: Swiffer WetJet Multipurpose Floor Cleaner

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes in several scents, including this lavender one✔ Eliminates sticky messes✔ Comes in a two-pack ✘ Not compatible with unfinished, oiled, or waxed wooden boards✘ Must be used with a Swiffer mop

What Customers Are Saying

Most customers praised this product for being effective and easy to use. However, some customers were dissatisfied with its scent. They said that it was strong and didn’t smell like lavender.

Best Hardwood Cleaner: Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Pros and Cons

✔ Made with a water-based formula✔ Meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safer Product Standards✔ Doesn’t contain parabens, phosphates, ammonia, or other harmful ingredients ✘ Some orders arrived without a lid✘ Some customers indicated that it left a light residue behind

What Customers Are Saying

Most reviewers agreed that this product was easy to use and effective on hardwood floors. Many customers liked that it reduced waste by allowing you to refill previous spray bottles. Customers who were unsatisfied said that the product arrived with the foil tab and no lid.

Best Disinfectant: Pine-Sol All-Purpose Cleaner

Pros and Cons

✔ Comes in a two-pack✔ Tackles grease stains✔ Leaves behind a fresh pine scent ✘ Has a smell that can be overwhelming for some customers✘ Works only on hard and nonporous surfaces

What Customers Are Saying

Reviewers stated that this cleaner worked well. They also said that it was a good value because it cleaned their surfaces while also replacing their disinfectants. However, some customers didn’t enjoy the pine smell of the product.

Longest Lasting: Fabuloso Multipurpose Professional Cleaner

Pros and Cons

✔ Works on stone, porcelain, tile, linoleum, and other surfaces✔ Available in multipacks to keep your floors clean for longer✔ Has an easy-pour spout ✘ Comes in a bulky, heavy jug✘ Has an artificial purple color

What Customers Are Saying

Most customers enjoyed the effectiveness and scent of this Fabuloso cleaner. The most common complaint among unsatisfied customers was that the product wasn’t packaged well for shipping.

Best Ingredients: Aunt Fannie’s Floor Cleaner Vinegar Wash

Pros and Cons

✔ Safe for use on sealed floors including hardwood, tile, concrete, and linoleum✔ Takes only a 1⁄2 cup of solution for every 2 gallons✔ Cruelty-free and never tested on animals ✘ Expensive compared to other floor cleaners that use more volatile ingredients✘ Requires diluting the concentrate, adding another step to the floor cleaning process

What Customers Are Saying

The vast majority of customers were satisfied with the effectiveness of this all-natural floor cleaner, stating that it wiped away dirt, grime, spills, stains, and other blemishes from their hard floor surfaces. Happy customers also appreciated the product’s natural ingredients and pleasant lavender scent. However, select customers thought that the cleaning solution wasn’t concentrated enough and, therefore, was poor value.

Buyer’s Guide

From plant-derived cleaners to bleach-based cleaners, there are many cleaning products on the market. To decide what works for the floors in your home, consider the factors below.

Ingredients

Some floor cleaners use harsh chemicals, such as bleach, to cut through grime. While highly effective, these products aren’t as safe for you, your family, or the environment as plant-based cleaners. If you have pets or young kids, consider a natural cleaner.

Quantity

Many floor cleaners are sold in multipacks or large jugs. With these big quantities, you spend more money up front but save money in the long run. Many floor cleaner bottles contain 32 to 64 fluid ounces of cleaner.

Concentrates

Some floor cleaners are pre-diluted and ready to apply to your floors, while others are concentrated and require mixing with water for the best results. With floor cleaning concentrates, you can control the strength of the mixture, unlike pre-diluted products. However, this adds another step to the cleaning process.

Floor Type

Not all floor cleaners are safe to use on all surfaces. For example, some don’t work on unsealed or porous floors. Read the cleaner’s label to make sure that your floor is listed as a compatible surface. If your floors are carpeted, consider looking into carpet shampoos and carpet cleaner machines.

Scent or Odor

Many cleaning products, especially ones with harsh chemicals, tend to produce an acrid and unpleasant odor in your home. To cover the smell of cleaning chemicals, some products have a pleasant lavender, mint, or pine scent. Natural cleaning products that use vinegar as their main ingredient may also give off a strong odor, but some contain essential oils to mask the vinegar.

What is the best way to clean floors?

The best way to clean floors is in stages, starting by removing any furniture or other items on the floor in the area you want to clean. From here, sweep the area to remove larger pieces of dirt, crumbs, and pet hair. Then, thoroughly mop your hard floors using warm water and a powerful floor cleaner that’s safe to use on your type of floor. For best results, let the floor air dry and re-mop the surface if necessary.

How do I dilute my floor cleaner?

If your cleaner is a concentrate, its label should give you instructions on how to dilute it. Diluting involves mixing some amount of the concentrate with some amount of water.

Should I use a mop with my floor cleaner?

Yes. Mops spread the cleaner and scrub stuck-on grime. If it’s a small patch of hard floor, you can use a cloth instead of a mop.

How can I remove scuff marks on my floor?

You can remove scuff marks by scrubbing the area with a floor cleaner and microfiber mop or cloth. Scrubbing in a circular motion usually gives you the best results.

Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team

This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawnmowers, and dining room decorations. To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.