The Best Floor Cleaners for Every Type of Hard Flooring in Your Home, Tested

Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about The Best Floor Cleaners for Every Type of Hard Flooring in Your Home, Tested and hope the blog can help you.

Are your floors ready for new treatment? These products can help keep your home sparkling clean.

Keeping hard floors looking their best is a matter of consistency. Whether it’s hardwood, vinyl, ceramic, stone, tile, or laminate flooring, manufacturers recommend sweeping and vacuuming several times each week as the primary cleaning method. Aside from sweeping, mopping with one of these hand-tested floor cleaners can keep your hard surfaces in tip-top shape. 

Although steam mopping can help cut through built-up dirt and effectively kill germs, some finishes can be damaged by excess moisture and high heat. A good solution is to use a floor cleaner specially designed for your type of flooring. Often, floor cleaners are pH-balanced to protect finishes while cutting through built-up dirt, stains, scuff marks, and residue. Read on to discover how eight of the best floor cleaners on the market stood up to our real-world testing.

  1. BEST OVERALL: Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner
  2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner
  3. BEST NATURAL CLEANER: Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner
  4. BEST FOR VINYL FLOORS: Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner
  5. BEST FOR LAMINATE FLOORS: Method Squirt + Mop Floor Cleaner
  6. BEST FOR CERAMIC FLOORS: Black Diamond Marble & Tile Floor Cleaner
  7. BEST FOR STONE FLOORS: Black Diamond Limestone & Travertine Stone Wash
The Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner next to a mop during testing.
Photo: Katie Barton for Bob Vila

Before You Buy a Floor Cleaner

With so many products on the market today, there are some things to think about before selecting a floor cleaner for your home. For example, some cleaners currently available are made with synthetic chemicals and ingredients that may not be ideal for those who live near wildlife and waterways or have children and pets. Instead, you might want to consider one of the many formulations made with water-based, biodegradable, and hypoallergenic ingredients for safety and peace of mind.

When selecting the best floor cleaner for hardwood, laminate, stone, tile, and more, always consider the list of ingredients, the compatible flooring varieties of the product, and any safety concerns noted by the manufacturer.

How We Tested the Best Floor Cleaners

Not all floor cleaners work for all surfaces; we considered this when researching the best floor cleaners for our tests. We also looked at the number of customer reviews, average customer rating, price, and value. Once we narrowed down the product pool, we selected eight final contenders and began testing.

For our first tests, we mopped regular household dirt and grime buildup, following the manufacturers’ directions. We used the same microfiber mop with a new mop pad for every cleaner so that our results were consistent. More extensive testing included dribbling soda, pasta sauce, and mud on the floor. Once these substances had dried, we used each cleaner to wipe them up. We tracked the results in a rubric survey, rating each product on its ease of use, effectiveness, scent, and value.

Testing Stats

  • Products tested: 8
  • Hours spent testing: 4.25
  • Tests performed: 5
  • Average price: $20.25

Our Top Picks

Be sure to use the right floor cleaner to keep your floor looking its best. We’ve put the following cleaners through extensive testing. They are some of the best floor cleaners on the market today.

Best Overall

Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner

 A spray bottle of Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

  • Type: Spray 
  • Compatible flooring types: Hardwood, tile, vinyl, linoleum, and laminate floors
  • Scent: Lemon

Pros

  • Ready-to-use formula; suitable for spray mop, floor-cleaning machine, mop and bucket, or with the spray nozzle
  • Water-based formula is safe for homes with children and pets 
  • Suitable for routine cleanings, tough dirt, grease, grime, and stains

Cons

  • Smaller quantity compared to similar floor cleaners available 
  • Cumbersome to carry around a full bottle of mop spray while cleaning

Rejuvenate’s popular floor cleaner comes in a nonconcentrated, ready-to-use formula. No bucket is required; simply spray the cleaner directly on the floor and wipe it up with a microfiber mop. The neutral, pH-balanced formula is safe for regular cleaning of hardwood as well as most tile, vinyl, linoleum, and laminate wood flooring. It removes dust, tough dirt, grease, and grime without leaving a residue.

During testing, this cleaner handled it all. It removed regular dirt, sticky soda, dried-on pasta, and a thick layer of mud from our hardwoods. One of our favorite features was the nozzle, which distributed a wide mist of cleaner with each spray, making it easy to cover our floors. The bottle dispensed enough product to clean messes but not so much that our floors were saturated, which was ideal.

We also used Rejuvenate’s All Floors cleaner on luxury vinyl plank and ceramic tiles. It cleansed every surface we tried it on, picking up dirt and drying fast and streak-free. The scent was mild, making it a good choice for those who aren’t fans of heavily fragranced products. The only con was that carrying around the full bottle while mopping felt a bit cumbersome.

Read our full review: Rejuvenate All Floors Cleaner

Get the Rejuvenate floor cleaner at Amazon, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, or Menards (64 ounces).

Best Bang for the Buck

Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner

 The Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Scent N/A; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

  • Type: Liquid 
  • Compatible flooring types: All unwaxed, unoiled, polyurethane-finished wood floors
  • Scent: Unscented; also offered in cedar wood and lavender thyme 

Pros

  • Residue-free cleaning solution; safe for humans, pets, and the environment
  • Ready-to-use formula does not require dilution before use; simply apply and wipe with a mop 
  • Large quantity is economical and suitable for large spaces and multiple cleanings 

Cons

  • Wasn’t as effective on food and drink spills as other cleaners we tested

The Bona hardwood floor cleaner utilizes a water-based formula consisting of residue-free cleaning ingredients to keep hardwood floors looking their best. Compliant with the certification requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) voluntary Safer Choice program, the cleaning solution is safe for people, pets, and the environment. Apply the ready-to-use Bona floor cleaner with a spray bottle before wiping it up with a microfiber mop, or load a refillable cartridge into the reservoir of your spray mop. It is safe for unwaxed, unoiled, polyurethane-finished wood floors. 

We used Bona’s hardwood floor cleaner on dusty bedroom floors, and it left them shiny and clean. The gentle formula lifted all regular dirt and left no residue behind. We also tested it on some tougher stains, including a sticky spot on the floor and dried-on pasta. Unfortunately, it took some serious scrubbing to get all the remnants of the sticky mess off the floor. While we think this is a good choice as an everyday floor cleaner, food-littered floors may benefit from a more potent product.

We appreciated the 128-ounce economical bottle. Since wood floors only require damp mopping, the large refill jug provides enough cleaning solution for plenty of mopping sessions. The unscented formula is also ideal for sensitive noses.

Get the Bona floor cleaner at Amazon, Lowe’s, or The Home Depot.

Best Natural Cleaner

Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner

 Two bottles of the Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 4.5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 5/5

Product Specs 

  • Type: Liquid 
  • Compatible flooring types: Hardwoods, ceramic tile, stone, marble, bamboo, vinyl, laminate and other sealed floors
  • Scent: Citrus mint

Pros

  • Comes with an ample supply of cleaner; good option for large interior spaces 
  • Made from plant-derived ingredients; contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), alkylphenol surfactants, or petroleum products
  • Made with botanical extracts that leave a fresh citrus mint scent behind
  • Squirt bottle makes it easy to control the amount of solution one sprays

Cons

  • Overuse leads to a sudsy floor; a little goes a long way

This floor cleaner from Better Life is made with 100 percent plant-derived cleaning agents, such as corn and coconut. It contains no VOCs, alkylphenol surfactants, or petroleum products. It safely cleans and restores a bright shine to hardwood, ceramic tile, stone, vinyl, laminate, bamboo, and other sealed flooring.

At first use, we appreciated the squirt bottle application. It made it easy to apply and allowed us to control the amount of mopping solution that hit our floors. The smell was also a big hit. The citrus mint scent was light and fresh and had no chemical smell since it’s made from botanical ingredients. It was our favorite scent of all the floor cleaners we tried.

We first used Better Life on our hardwoods, squirting it on and cleaning it with a damp microfiber mop. The cleaner lifted regular dirt and dried-on food, but we noticed that the floor would get sudsy if we used too much product. When this happened, we redampened our floor scrubber and glided it over the soapy spots. We also used it to clean luxury vinyl plank, ceramic tile, and linoleum. In every test we did, this cleaner dried streak- and residue-free.

Get the Better Life floor cleaner at Amazon (2-pack).

Best for Vinyl Floors

Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner

 The Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 5/5 

Product Specs 

  • Type: Liquid
  • Compatible flooring types: Vinyl plank, hardwood, laminate, tile, and stone
  • Scent: Clean Breeze Essence

Pros

  • Dirt-dissolving, streak-free, and ready-to-use formula restores the shine and luster of floors
  • Can be used with a spray mop, vac mop, or applied from the pour bottle
  • Recognized by the EPA Safer Choice program; adds reliability and peace of mind 

Cons

  • Pour-bottle design can lead to sloppy application and cause product overuse

Vinyl plank flooring can be difficult to care for, especially when it receives a lot of foot traffic on a daily basis. If you struggle to keep your vinyl flooring clean, consider trying Quick Shine’s multisurface floor cleaner. Offered in a 64-ounce bottle, this cleaner is plant-based, dirt-dissolving, streak-free, and ready to use right out of the box. 

We tested the Quick Shine floor cleaner on our luxury vinyl plank floors, giving them a thorough sweep and then applying the mopping solution straight from the bottle. The pour bottle wasn’t our favorite applicator. The lack of a spray nozzle or squirt top made it hard to control the amount of solution we were dispensing. However, the cleaner did an excellent job removing stuck-on food, a sticky drink, and all the regular household dirt our LVP floors accumulate. We only had to make a few swipes with our damp microfiber mop to dislodge tough messes.

This cleaner was named a Partner of the Year by the Safer Choice program, making it safe for the environment and ideal for homes with children and pets. Even though it’s a gentle cleaner, it proved to be a powerhouse, passing all our cleaning tests. We also enjoyed the Clean Breeze Essence scent, which was reminiscent of baby powder.

Get the Quick Shine floor cleaner at Amazon, The Home Depot (27 ounces), or Walmart (27 ounces).

Best for Laminate Floors

Method Squirt + Mop Floor Cleaner

 Two bottles of the Method Squirt + Mop Floor Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 4.5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 4/5

Product Specs 

  • Type: Liquid
  • Compatible flooring types: Laminate, vinyl, linoleum, and tile
  • Scent: Ginger yuzu; also offered in spearmint sage and lemon ginger

Pros

  • Cruelty-free and made with plant-based ingredients for a natural clean
  • Squirt bottle provides control over how much solution is dispensed
  • Ready-to-use formula requires no mixing or rinsing from floor

Cons

  • Expensive; high cost per ounce compared to similar floor cleaners
  • Overuse of product can cause a soapy buildup on the floor

Frequent sweeping can keep wood laminate flooring clean and scratch-free, but occasional damp mopping is needed to remove dirt and grime. Method’s plant-derived Squirt + Mop cleaner comes in a squirt-top bottle that makes it easy to prevent floor oversaturation on delicate laminate. The gentle cleaning ingredients lift grime and give floors a shine—no rinsing required. This cleaner is also suitable for linoleum, vinyl, and tile floors.

For our first tests, we cleaned regular buildup on our laminate floors, and this mopping solution worked well, leaving them clean and streak-free. The ginger yuzu scent was refreshing and filled the room as we mopped. We also used Method floor cleaner to tackle dried-on pasta sauce, mud, and dribbles of soda. The squirt bottle was ideal for adding extra mopping solution to break up these tougher messes. It took several swipes with our microfiber mop, but eventually, we got the job done, eliminating the food and mud.

While we appreciated the plant-based ingredients, this product did have one downside: When we used too much, the mopping solution became soapy and streaky on the floor. We learned that a little of this product goes a long way.

Get the Method floor cleaner at Amazon (2-pack) or Method.

Best for Ceramic Floors

Black Diamond Marble & Tile Floor Cleaner

 The Black Diamond Marble & Tile Floor Cleaner on a white background.

Photo: amazon.com


Our Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Scent 5/5; Value 4/5 

Product Specs 

  • Type: Concentrate 
  • Compatible flooring types: Marble, limestone, travertine, granite, slate, ceramic, and porcelain tile
  • Scent: Lemon

Pros

  • Suitable for use on any tiled flooring variety; leaves a streak-free finish 
  • 1 gallon of this concentrate makes 64 gallons of cleaning solution 
  • Hypoallergenic, biodegradable formula is safe for use in homes with children and pets 
  • Can customize the dilution ratio for light versus heavy jobs

Cons

  • Only safe for tile; not suitable for hardwoods, luxury vinyl plank, or laminate floors

Black Diamond’s floor cleaner is specially formulated for use on marble, limestone, travertine, granite, slate, ceramic, and porcelain tile. One gallon of this concentrated formula can make up to 64 gallons of cleaning solution. Users can customize the dilution level by adding 2 to 4 ounces of cleaner to 1 gallon of water for light cleaning, or up to 16 ounces of concentrate to 1 gallon of water for tough messes. The formula is hypoallergenic, biodegradable, and safe for use around children and pets.

We tested

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