Dirt Dragon for cleaning wood floors

[leofry@1966]

ok this might not be the best form to ask but anyone have any experience with the dirt dragon for cleaning wood floors, do any of you clean wood floors ? Rick do you sell wood floor cleaning machines ?

[jtmellon]

Never used one but I can tell you it is on my wish list.

[davegill]

I had one for 6 months and sold it..not happy with it in any way shape or form..

Left WAY to much water on the floor..and even when using defoamer it still had major lack of vac issues..

I personally would not recommend it

Feel free to ask any questions..we do lots of wood floors and did about 50 jobs with the dirt dragon before selling it

[Ed E]

So Dave, I'll ask. What do you use now, and do you like it? I have been pondering a dry vapor cleaner for hw floors, but haven't pulled the trigger.

[encapman]

We don't presently have any wood care products in our line. But I am curious - how many of you guys do a fair amount of wood floor care? Do you see it as a growing part of your business?

[davegill]

We do wood several times a week..weather it's a small family room or a entire house

We are using the bona system

We charge .50 a sqft

Customers love it and pass the word..

---

Something to add..we just clean them, we do not and will not get into coating them..can of worms in my opinion

[TheCleaningDude]

How are you applying Bona? With a 175 or just a flat mop system?

Any pics?

I do floors from time to time with my Orbot, but I always fear (for no reason, I'm sure) scratching the floor. Red pads and sometimes even white just seem too aggressive on many floors.

We do wood several times a week..weather it's a small family room or a entire house

We are using the bona system

We charge .50 a sqft

Customers love it and pass the word..

---

Something to add..we just clean them, we do not and will not get into coating them..can of worms in my opinion

[davegill]

Micro fiber mop and scrubbing it in..not hard at all and cleans up awesome..smells great and customers LOVE it

I will dig up some pics and post them

[TheCleaningDude]

Awesome, look forward to seeing the pics.

Do you tell customers that you're using the Bona system? Did you take the commercial classes that they offer?

Micro fiber mop and scrubbing it in..not hard at all and cleans up awesome..smells great and customers LOVE it

I will dig up some pics and post them

[Hoss]

With the Orbot, you have the ability to provide high quality floor refinishing as an intermediate step between simply cleaning and having to sand and completely refinish the floor.

Steps: 1. Vacuum 2. clean with a pad and a neutral cleaner such as the Bona brand. 3. Scrub and scuff the polyurethane finish using a neutral cleaner and a slightly abrasive pad such as the Grey FiberMax 4. Scrub and scuff the edges with a doodlebug 5. Clean off all of the cleaning solution and allow to dry 5. Mask off the perimeter. 6. Apply a new finish to bond to the scuffed poly such as the Bona Floor Polish - think thin coat with a microfiber mop head 7. Allow to dry and see if you need a second coat.

I advise that you first try this process on a floor you own for practice and to get a sense of the results. This much less disruptive and less toxic to the homeowner's environment than the formal sanding and refinishing process ~ and the results can be just as good.

[Shorty]

This is merely a suggestion following on from the previous post.

Prior to applying the sealer/finish & the floor is dry, first buff the floor with a red pad.

The friction will help to seal the open pores and it will also put a better shine on the finished product.

Because the open pores have been sealed, you will use less sealer/finish.

Short 1

[encapman]

This is merely a suggestion following on from the previous post.

Prior to applying the sealer/finish & the floor is dry, first buff the floor with a red pad.

The friction will help to seal the open pores and it will also put a better shine on the finished product.

Because the open pores have been sealed, you will use less sealer/finish.

Short 1

Words of wisdom!

I haven't really done wood floor care. But I've stripped and recoated plenty of VCT. And the same idea applies... buff/burnish the bare floor after stripping and you'll use less finish and get a better shine. So what Shorty is saying for wood floors makes a lot of sense - although I wouldn't have thought of it. Thanks for sharing that Shorty!

[Shorty]

Ta Rick

One other thing, if you are applying more than one coat, put the first coat up to the wall.

Any other coats should be kept about 1 foot away to avoid any build-up of polish around the perimeter when the floor is burnished in future.

Short 1

[Hoss]

The Lowboy that Excellent Supply sells is also a formidable floor refinishing machine. Equipped with the vacuum accessory, it can sand the heck out of a floor. I have seen videos of people using rotary machines to clean hardwood floors and to me that is a disaster waiting to happen. You can end up with the same swirl marks and damage that you want to avoid with carpeting. Random orbit for every floor application other than VCT and other very durable surfaces is the way to go.