Cleaning waxed floors

Q: We recently removed 20-year-old carpet to reveal beautiful stained (and, we presume waxed) oak hardwood floors; however, the rubber padding imprints can be seen and the floor is extremely dirty. Some areas show wear more than others – i.e. stair treads and in areas in front of closets. My husband has started using Imperial Cleaner & Spot Remover (petroleum distillate) to clean the flooring, followed by Windex.

Can you believe it? I think this is taking off the finish and have asked him to STOP until we really know how to go about this. We have checked into resanding the entire floor area and applying a polyurethane finish, but the salesman couldn’t believe what good condition our floors were in and said that it really wasn’t necessary at this time. How do we best clean the floors?

A: IF it is a wax finish, I would suggest using Dura Seal Renovator. www.duraseal.com.

Related Q: I purchased a 50 year old home that has hardwood floors. I discovered them by ripping up the carpet. What’s the best way to clean off the spots on it?

A: If it is a wax finish, Dura Seal makes a good product, Renovator which will clean and remove old dirt and wax build and deposit a thin layer of ‘resin’. www.duraseal.com

Similar Q: We have a Jarrah wood floor. We use Bruce Floor cleaner. It doesn’t stay spotless… water spots, food spots. Am I using the wrong cleaner?

A: Is the floor waxed? Typically that is what happens when you have spills on a wax finish.