Let’s face it, no one likes to clean their floors. But in order to keep your home in top shape, it’s a necessary chore. While you may not clean your hardwood or laminate floors as often as you do the dishes or laundry, having the right tools can make the process quicker and more effective. We tested Black Diamond’s Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner to see how it held up to the task. Read on for our full review.
Performance: Great when you follow the instructions
Clean, streak-free floors are totally possible with Black Diamond’s wood and laminate solution—you just have to follow the directions. The manufacturer says that the formula is safe on laminate, hardwood, and engineered floors. When it comes to laminate floors, steam cleaners and wet mops are out of the question, and excessive moisture is just as big of a no-no for authentic wood floors. This in mind, we opted to test the cleaner with three different cleaning accessories: a cotton cloth, a strip mop, and a microfiber cloth. We first tested the cleaner with our soft cotton cloth and a strip mop that has a synthetic spongehead. Saturating our hardwood surface—which had your typical dirt, dust, and footprints—was pretty easy thanks to the bottle’s spray gun, but the weight of the bottle can cause the trigger to spin if you aren’t careful, so pay attention to that. After spraying down two separate areas of flooring and cleaning them with the cloth and mop, we noticed faint streaking in both. Since the bottle advertises a “streak-free” clean, we decided to consult the directions and troubleshoot for a better result. After reading the instructions carefully, we noticed that Black Diamond specifically says to use a microfiber cleaning pad. We didn’t have a pad on hand, but we did have a microfiber cloth so we attached that to our mop and cleaned a third and fourth section of flooring. This time, we sprayed the formula (as-is in one spot and diluted in another) and then wiped it down a bit more aggressively to make sure the solution wasn’t drying on its own. This time, we were satisfied with the results. While the section we’d used diluted formula on was just as streaky as our first two attempts, our other section came out perfectly clean and film-free. Our floors weren’t shiny, but we attribute that to their matte finish. If you have high-gloss flooring, you may find they come away a bit shinier. The moral of the story? Don’t dilute your spray, make sure you put a little muscle into your mopping and wipe away the solution before it’s able to dry on its own.
Formula and Smell: Light and fresh
Unlike most bottles of household cleaner, Black Diamond’s Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner doesn’t distinguish what fragrance the formula is, they simply say it’s hypoallergenic. After using it for some time, we can definitely say it is scented, but we’re not sure with what. Ultimately, it’s a light and fresh scent—some other reviewers liken it to a “new car” smell or a fresh laundry candle. Whatever it is, it didn’t bother us while cleaning. When it comes to the formula, Black Diamond claims its cleaner is “eco-friendly and biodegradable.” After consulting the list of ingredients, though, we’re not so sure. The cleaner features a list of common chemicals—including methyl, sodium lauryl sulfate, and benzisothiazolinone—as opposed to the plant-derived cleaning agents usually found in natural solutions. Black Diamond also includes a special ingredient: PS3, which is a triple-action poly shield, which prevents soil from attaching to a surface.
Price: A little expensive
Black Diamond’s Wood & Laminate Cleaner sells in 32-ounce spray bottles and bulk packs with four 1-gallon jugs. On the manufacturer’s site, the former goes for roughly $8 while the latter goes for $25. Compared to other popular brands like Pledge and Method, Black Diamond is a little expensive. That said, the manufacturer claims a single bottle can clean 3,200 square feet of flooring.
Competition: Lots of similar options
Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner Spray: Bona’s water-based option is safe on all unwaxed, unoiled laminate and hardwood floors. At $8 for a 32-ounce bottle, it’s right on par with Black Diamond and it’s just as easy to use with a spray applicator. The formula is marketed as residue-free and fast drying, but the bottle also doesn’t note a particular scent. The real distinction here is that Bona’s solution is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, and it has very low VOC emissions. Pledge Gentle Wood Floor Cleaner: This lemon-scented cleaner from well-known Pledge is also safe for use on finished, sealed surfaces. At $5 for a 32-ounce bottle, it is a few dollars cheaper than the competition, but some reviewers noted it left behind streaks and a filmy residue despite its “streak-free, residue-free” promise. Black Diamond’s Wood & Laminate Floor Cleaner eliminated the dirt, dust, and footprints that plagued our floors. While it can be a bit finicky depending on the type of mop or cloth you use, if you follow the directions you’ll come away with a streak-free floor.
