Any tips on cleaning hardwood floors besides the high priced cleaners in the stores?

Vinegar and water cleans almost everything under the sun. If you would like a commercial product, try Murphy's Oil Soap. It's designed to clean wood without damaging it.

whatever you do, DO NOT USE WATER EVER! Your floor will turn black, not immediately but over time. I suggest buying a product specifically for Hardwood floors. There are some good ones out there. Go to a Home store and look at what's out there and ask ?'s. Spend the extra money it is worth it to have a beautiful shiny floor. Clean it and make sure to wax it every so often. I had the most beautiful hardwood floor and I got down on my hands and knees and wiped my floor down every 2-6 mos. and then waxed it. Enjoy your beautiful floor!!! Windex will harm wood, beware! Do not use it on furniture except non-wood stuff.

Vinegar & water works well on sealed floors and but if you cannot stand the smell, I would try juicing an orange and a a quarter of a grapefruit then add to 1 gallon of water. You'd be surprised on how well citrus plants clean. But I would only use these cleaning methods on sealed hardwood. If your floors are missing a clear/sealer, I wouldn't use water on them at all, and I would save up money to sand, stain, and reseal/refinish them. ***An unsealed wood floor soaks up the water and begins to warp the wooden planks, not to mention the possibility of dry-rot! So don't ever use water or a water-based cleaner on your unsealed flooring.

***If your floors are not sealed, or it's beginning to wear off, I would use an oil-based lemon/citrus cleaner that you can buy at any hardware store or @ Walmart :-)

Vinegar and water does a stellar job on properly sanded and sealed hardwood floors. Use 1 cup to a gallon of water.

They did not use the finishes that we use now days. Many of the man-made finishes can't be cleaned the "old-fashioned" ways. Sorry.

However, my grandmother's floors where treated with linseed oil over sanded floors. No other coating. They had had several coatings of oil applied. Then she and my aunts would wash with dampened towels on hands and knees. (My grandmother was born in the 1800's and my oldest aunt in born in 1894. My father in 1912...just to show you where this came from)

see:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/non...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/homesandgardens/2007/05...

http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/05/03/spring-clea...

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/cleaning/tips-f...

Murphy's Oil soap...it's all I ever use on my hardwood floors! It's cheap, and always makes the floors look so nice. It also doesn't leave any residue or streaking at all!

vinegar and water. damp mop only! the longer the floor stays wet the softer the floor sealer will become.

The vinegar and water is the best. Your first answer was the right one.

I agree vinegar and water