The Popular Hardwood Floor Cleaner That Received The Lowest Consumer Reports Score

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There are all sorts of tips and tricks to cleaning hardwood floors, from using black tea — a kitchen staple that'll keep your hardwood floors clean and dust-free — to vacuuming before you ever bring out the mop. However, if you really want them to stay spotless, all you need to do is get a good cleaning product. Finding the right one isn't easy, however, and products you might believe are good quality may not be the best choice. For example, Consumer Reports says that the Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner might not be the ideal product for your flooring. It received the lowest score in its survey: a 43 out of 100. 

Though Consumer Reports ranked it low, it didn't offer a lot of additional information. The product was "good in overall performance," and earned a score of 3/5 for how clean it leaves hardwood floors. After searching through reviews on Amazon and Bona's own website, there are some clear issues. The biggest one seems to be focused on the finish.

"After owning the product for a few months, I'm not that impressed. It does clean the floors, but tends to leave behind a residue. The residue is sort of a streaky, hazy looking film. I'm following the instructions on the bottle, but I'm not seeing the results," said one reviewer on Amazon. Though the overall ratings are high (4.7 on Amazon and 4.8 on Home Depot), a search through the reviews shows quite a few people who face the same problem.

Other reviews also mention how the cleaner leaves a bit of a cloudy film over the floors that makes them appear dirty or feel sticky. If your floor is looking dull after using this product, you may want to try a simple cleaning trick that'll bring your hardwood floors back to life: buffing your floor. Looking further into the reviews, this seems to be a newer problem. The Bona formula was changed and called "new and improved." Unfortunately, it appears that this mix might be new, but it's far from an improvement.

"I have always used Bona to clean my hardwood floors and was very happy with the cleaning product. The latest bottle I purchased was the 'new formula' ... The floors are very sticky and leave a filmy residue on the floors. I will be finding a new product," said one unhappy customer on Bona's website. So, even if you've used it in the past, you may want to think twice before buying it again.

There are other products that have a little more to offer. The two Consumer Reports recommended the most are Weiman Hardwood Cleaner and Murphy Original Formula, which earned a 63 and a 61, respectively. Before making any decisions on cleaning sprays or products, though, you need to make sure they work with your flooring. For example, the method many people prefer for cleaning their hardwood floors, the Swiffer Wet-Jet, isn't ideal for unfinished flooring, and products with harsh ingredients could wear away the finish of natural wood.