Learn about the residue that Pledge wood floor cleaning products leaves on your wood floors.
Pledge is a popular product line that has been around for eons. It is owned by S.C. Johnson A Family Company, the same coorporation that owns Windex. With the help of aggressive advertising, Pledge has earned itself a place in many North American households over the years.
The Pledge product line is quite extensive. Not all of the Pledge products have been formulated for wood floors. Some of the Pledge products are meant to clean other types of surfaces. The Pledge products that are designed for wood floors are Pledge Orange Wood Floor Cleaner, Pledge Grab-it Dry or Wet Cloths and SC Johnson Paste Wax. Not everybody reads the label before selecting their cleaning products in the store. By mistake, some people try using Pledge Furniture Polish and Pledge Wipes on their wood floors but these are not meant for floors. The Pledge Furniture Polish has made many people with wood floors upset. Even though it says right on the label that it will make wood floors very slippery and it is strictly a furniture polish, people still use it on their wood floors and complain about how they have a skating rink after! Many people have taken serious falls because they used the furniture polish on their hardwood floors. It is pretty obvious that most people will be unhappy with the results of a cleaning product that they use on wood floors if it was never intended to be used on wood floors. It is just common sense!
Putting the non-wood floor cleaning products aside, the Pledge Wood Floor Cleaner promises to clean and condition wood floors safely. It also claims to leave no dulling residue behind. Pledge claims to protect against scuff marks. It promises to remove dirt build-up. It is a one-step cleaner that does not require any mixing or diluting. The pleasant citrus scent and the easy-to-use squeeze bottle make it an attractive product.
Even using the correct Pledge wood floor cleaner will leave your floors very slippery at first. Further, there have been some cases where Pledge actually damages wood floors. For example, if you use enough Pledge, overtime it might strip the finish. The wax in Pledge will often create a tacky film that will remain on your wood floors. Not everybody looks at their floors very closely after they have cleaned it. Some people think that their wood floors may look cleaner but not at all shiny. They may look duller than before you used Pledge. Most wood floors with Pledge will look streaky, especially where you have walked. Not as important but still worth mentioning, Pledge requires a large amount of product and it is tricky to work it onto the wood surface. On the label it explains to apply Pledge in an S shape to your wood floors. This method is recommended in order to apply the product evenly.
In order to remove Pledge requires ammonia mixed with a non-chlorinated cleaning product to remove the hazy, gray residue. The residue is the serious problem and you don’t want that on your hardwood floors!
That said, Pledge is less offensive than many of the other wood floor cleaners on the market. There are many people who are happy with its results. Personally, I do not recommend it for your wood floors. If your floor does develop a slick film from it, it will be hard work to lift it off. The pleasant smell and the one-step process are not enough to fool me!