Q&A for How to Clean Old Hardwood Floors

If you have pets and children, then no. If you are living in a house on your own or with responsible adults, then yes. Just make sure they know that there is bleach. Wood is porous though, so depending on your wood, do some research.

You may need an expert to check, depending on the age of your hardwood floor. Here is a method if you'd like to try it yourself: Mix one cup of vinegar to a gallon of warm water. Use the mop and clean the floor.

You may want to use hardwood floor cleaner. Bleach would work excellently, but is not recommended to be used in houses with children and/or pets.

First ,use a single edge razor. Be sure to use just enough pressure to remove the rubber backing and not the finish of the wood floor. When most of the rubber is removed, go over the spots with Goo-gone to get the residue off.

Sand down the top layer lightly, rub mineral oil over the marks and then scrub with fine steel wool, always going with the grain. Wipe the spot dry and scrape any remaining burn marks with a utility knife. Clean the area and polish the floor.

The best way is to rent a commercial floor sander - or hire someone to do it. The commercial sander can be rented from tool rental companies. These are 12 - 24 inches wide, be sure to sand with the grain of the floor. These sanders take a very high wattage of energy, and are usually connected directly into the electrical circuit panel, (a dangerous connection). Then you will sand off about an 1/8" of the entire wood floor, re-stain and re-finish the floor. If you just want to cover or blend the scratches, then use some Liquid Gold or Old English furniture polish.

It's easy to fix a damaged hardwood floor, but you'll need to know what sort of finish it has. To find out, wipe the floor in an inconspicuous spot with an acetone-based, nail-polish remover. Wax, shellac and varnish finishes will come up, but polyurethane won't.

A first aid cleaner is to use traditional curd soap. Make some flakes of it with a small kitchen knife or a scraper and dissolve it in warm water. The liquid is not aggressive and it is skin-friendly. It is also in trade in a liquid version. When planning restoring of the cleaned surface after this procedure, use of a water-based sealing is recommended. Your floor will look as new, especially if you use fine steel wool before sealing.

Try it with baking soda. Avoid using solvents as they could damage the sealing layer. A good thing to try is also glass cleaning foam, as the combination of alcohol and degreasing ammonia removes almost all stains and oily dirt. Start in a corner in a non-visible spot, in case it stains. Cleaning foam for upholstery in rooms and cars is also worth to try. You can try it on surfaces of old wooden furniture also.

No, that isn't appropriate because of the fumes. Varsol should only be used in a outdoor location. Also, using Varsol on wood floor will also dull the finish of wood.