Removing Bona Floor Polish With Windex

Bona floor polish has been around for years and has some mixed reviews.

It has become somewhat popular in the last couple of years to use Windex – the window cleaning solution – to remove Bona floor polish, but is this a good idea?

We advise against using Windex to remove Bona floor polish due to its ammonia content. It will not only damage your floor, but it will make it appear much older and less aesthetically pleasing.

Let’s see why Windex is not the best idea when it comes to removing Bona floor polish, and what you should use instead

Why Ammonia Is Bad For Your Floor

Windex contains a cleaning agent called ammonium hydroxide which contains ammonia. Ammonia is known in the flooring industry for being a huge red flag for cleaning your floor or removing a polish.

The reason ammonia is bad for floors is that it will reduce the colour of your floor, as well as make it look duller whilst also damaging the finish. The last thing you want to use to remove Bona floor polish is something that contains ammonia.

Luckily, there are a lot of other options to remove Bona floor polish that won’t cause any damage to your floor.

Alternatives To Windex

If you’re serious about removing Bona floor polish then we recommend using a non-corrosive floor polish and wax stripper.

When it comes to hardwood flooring there are a couple of home remedies that people like to use such as lemon juice and vinegar, most of which are fine to use if you are only planning to clean your floor.

If you’re removing polish though it is potentially much more damaging to the wood and so a proper chemical polish remover is the way to go.

How Should You Remove Bona Floor Polish?

Most polish removers work in exactly the same way, so once you’ve decided which one to buy the steps are really easy to follow.

All you’ll need is a scrubbing pad, cleaning pad, some tape and obviously your floor polish remover. Let’s take a look at the steps below:

Vacuum Your Floor

Any debris that lay on your floor can cause scratches and other damage during the polish removal phase as you will have to scrub your floor.

To avoid this you need to vacuum thoroughly before you start, paying keen attention to corners where it is likely to build up.

Start By Patch Testing

Before you go all out and pour your polish remover on your floor you’ll want to be certain that it won’t react badly. This is really rare, but it can happen and should always be taken seriously to avoid large scale damage.

To do this use some tape to create a small square where you can apply the polish without it spilling out. Simply follow the instructions laid out below for the small area and check after the treatment for any damage to the surface.

Apply The Floor Polish In Small Areas

By working in small areas you’ll be able to properly scrub the polish remover to get the best outcome.

We recommend 10 square feet at a time, but it’s up to you to decide how much area you want to cover at a time. Start by applying a generous amount of polish remover to the floor and work this into the area you want to treat.

Although it will vary depending on what brand you’ve chosen, you’ll likely have to let the polish sit on the surface of your floor for around 10 minutes, give or take.

Once it’s sat for a while you need to scrub the floor in the direction of the panels to work the polish properly out of your floor.

Clean Up The Residue With A Dry Cleaning Pad

Now it’s time to remove the residue that is left over, which will be a mixture of the polish, any debris still remaining on your floor and of course the polish removal solution.

Make sure your cleaning pad is dry and also clean, and simply rub the floor to soak up the residue. You’ll likely need to wring out the pad after it’s soaked up a sufficient amount of liquid, but this step is really quite straightforward.

It’s crucial that at this stage you remove all of the residues, as any that you leave over will stain and make your floor look terrible.

Re-Finish your Floor

Floor polish acts as a protective layer so once you’ve removed it you don’t want to leave your floor unprotected.

Make sure you have your new polish by your side so you can apply it right away to get your floor looking like new.

What About Bona Floor Polish Remover?

Bona themselves have a polish remover that works great for removing polish.

If you want to stick with their brand and haven’t had any issues before then this would be a great option for removing Bona floor polish.

Final Thoughts

Remember that Windex is not a viable solution when it comes to removing Bona floor polish, it will only cause more damage.

Use a proper polish remover and follow the steps above to remove Bona floor polish properly.