How to clean a hardwood floor is not a secret, especially for those who live or have lived with one.
First you have to pick up the loose dirt with a vacuum cleaner or sweep it up with a broom and dustbin.
Then, you need to loosen the tough and embedded dirt by mopping, which you can do with a traditional wet mob or with the newer microfiber flat mop that is all the rage these days.
Comparison Chart
Our Hardwood Floor Cleaning Machine Reviews
1. Floor Doctor HFC-1 Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner
Whatever you think of the brand Floor Doctor – you may think it’s brilliant or you may think it’s cheesy – you have to admit it gets your attention.
The Floor Doctor HFC-1 is an awesome machine, if not the best hardwood floor cleaning machine in terms of convenience.
The HFC in HFC-1 stands for Hard Floor Cleaner. It has two built-in water tanks. One of them holds water or your choice of hardwood floor cleaner solution, and the other water tank is for the dirty water.
The HFC-1 sprays clean water or cleaner solution onto the floor, scrubs the floor, and sucks the dirty water into the second water tank.
What makes this best hardwood floor cleaning machine even more awesome is its cordless operation. However, the battery only lasts 30 minutes and takes almost 3 hours to recharge, so this machine would not be ideal for a very large house.
Overall, the Floor Doctor HFC-1 exceeded our expectations. It washes, scrubs, and dries in one go.
It works quickly and without leaving water marks, so you can actually cover a large area within the battery’s 30-minute run time.
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2. Koblenz P-4000 Floor Cleaning Machine
The Koblenz P-4000 is a professional-grade floor cleaning machine for both carpet and hardwood floors.
This is very useful since most houses with hardwood floors also have carpeted areas.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Koblenz P-4000 is its excellent construction with generous use of metal parts.
This is to be expected since this is a premium-priced machine. At least you know you’re getting your money’s worth.
Although the Koblenz P-4000 weighs close to 20 pounds, it handles like a charm, and the cleaning head is slim enough to reach tight places. It is equipped with a 4.2A motor driving a pair of counter-rotating 6” brushes.
The water tank has a 120oz capacity. This large capacity is needed to support shampooing and deep-cleaning carpets.
Though the Koblenz P-4000’s specialty is scrubbing hardwood floors, the carpet cleaning function is a definite bonus.
This machine has excellent reach with its 35ft power cord, and it is no doubt the best hardwood floor cleaning machine for tough stains. It does a marvelous job of buffing and polishing as well.
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3. SKG KB-2012 Steam Mop
The SKG KB-2012 is a steam cleaner for hardwood floors and carpets. It uses a 1500W boiler to heat water to 212o F. This is a safe temperature for all hardwood floors so you won’t have to worry about compatibility.
The hot steam can dissolve the toughest dirt and has the ability to deodorize and clean at the same time without the use of harsh chemicals.
The company claims that the SKG KB-2012 steam mop can kill 99% of bacteria, germs, parasites, and fleas and ticks and their eggs.
The 180-degree swivel head is triangular-shaped to reach corners and tight places.
There are multiple steam settings for different types of floors and different grades of stains.
This machine comes with 3 microfiber pads that fit over the swivel head. SKG markets this as a 6-in-1 attachment for hardwood floors, carpets, laminates, marbles, glass, and tiles. Its effectiveness and the generous 2-year factory warranty make the SKG KB-2012 a top candidate for the best hardwood floor cleaning machine.
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Find the Best Hardwood Floor Cleaning Machine
The above is of course the manual way. As with most manual endeavors nowadays, there are also mechanized ways to accomplish the same thing.
You can find various cleaning machines on the market that can clean hardwood floors better, more efficiently, requiring less effort than manual mopping.
Just like mopping, these hardwood floor cleaning machines utilize water in conjunction with mechanized scrubbing to remove tough dirt from hardwood floors.
Some use a single water tank, others use an additional water tank for dirty water return, and some employ a steam cleaning system.
The best hardwood floor cleaning machine may operate on any system.
For this discussion of the best hardwood floor cleaning machine, we will limit our selection to affordable and lightweight home machines.
Commercial cleaning machines are not only overly expensive, but they are bulky and do not work well in most home settings, what with furniture in close quarters and a lack of wide open spaces and all.
FINAL VERDICT
If you prefer not to clean your hardwood floor too often and would rather deal with stains that build up, you should splurge for the Koblenz P-4000.
This best hardwood floor cleaning machine works slower than most but that’s because it’s a heavy-duty spot-cleaning machine that can remove virtually any stain on hardwood floors and carpets.
However, we can understand that not everyone is looking to spend that much on a home floor cleaning machine.
You can opt instead for the cordless Floor Doctor HFC-1 at a much lower price. Once you’ve experienced the convenience of cordless, you might never go back. You’ll also love its dual tank design.
When it comes down to it, our choice for the best hardwood floor cleaning machine is the SKG KB-2012.
This a highly maneuverable steam mop with a triangular head for hardwood floors and carpets.
The hot steam dissolves dirt and sanitizes the floor at the same time without the need for chemicals.
The SKG KB-2012 will leave your hardwood floor sparkling clean every time. It’s very affordable price and the generous 2-year warranty are icing on the cake.