What is the best, safest and most effective way to clean a prefinished hardwood floor?

The best way to clean your floors would be to use Armstrong Hardwood and Laminate floor cleaner. It can be found at most flooring stores. You can also get the full cleaning kit that comes with a flat mop. This is a very low moisture method and it is recommended by manufacturers. This product won't leave any streaks and you don't have to rinse it off. All pre-finished floors that I know of give you at least a 15 year warranty and up to a lifetime warranty on the wear layer. This guarantees you that you won't wear through the Aluminum Oxide/urethane wear layer. You don't need to worry about dissolving the wear layer when cleaning, just make sure you use very little moisture when cleaning because the warranties don't cover water damage due to heavy moisture.

Most wood floors can be kept clean by first sweeping or vacuuming with a floor nozzle to remove most of the surface dust and dirt, then damp mopping with clear water (dip a sponge in clear water, squeezing it out so that the mop is barely damp, almost dry). Use very little water and rinse your mop thoroughly after each use since excess water can dissolve protective coatings, alter the color of the wood and raise the grain to roughen the surface.

If your floors are not dirty enough to need mopping every week, then you should not do it, as it will wear the floors faster, not to mention waste your time. Simply sweeping is often all they need.

If need to restore the shine to your wood floor after you get it clean, try damp mopping it with 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons furniture polish in a gallon of warm water. Vinegar is also useful for removing any soap residue or build-up, but should not be necessary every week. ..

Use a damp mop for polyurethene coated floors and Murphy's Oil for oil based finishes. I'm not an expert, but hopefully one will answer. Good luck.

Mix some white vinegar in with the Murphy's oil soap...