To sand dirty wooden floorboards or scrub ?

[Missisdoyle]

We moved into a 40's semi, last year & want to get rid of the hideous orange, floral carpet & expose the wooden floors underneath. However I have just peeled back the carpet & the underlay is damp !! The carpet is not, so what could that be a sign of ? We are on a hill & not in a flood prone area...
Any way, that aside, the floor boards look pretty in tact, if not very grubby. Do I have to sand them, or is there an easier alternative ? My sister said you can scrub them with a brush & detergent & water, to remove grime, but I thought that exposing wood to water would'nt be a good idea. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

[Nuttersoutside]

Damp is a worry. Are your external airbricks blocked? No point in cleaning or anything else until cause of damp is identified. I wouldn't bother scrubbing, I've just sanded mine with 60 grit paper and they come up lovely & new.

[LBOCS2]

I'd hire a sander. It will work out as less effort...

[VulcanWoman]

I agree sanding for sure, I did mine with a belt sander, was really hard though, hiring an upright sander is best.

[kayessbee]

I'll bet your sister will be no where near if you ask her to help you scrub them! Sanding gives a much lovelier, softer finish....

[Missisdoyle]

Thanks for advice. Sanding is the way forward, then.

[misscph1973]

"exposing wood to water would'nt be a good idea" - how else would you clean them?

I would be a bit worried if the floor is damp. Is is smelly? Soft? Or could it be just dirty? You might want to get a pro to take a look, maybe this can be combined with a quote for sanding?

If you do end up washing the floor rather than sanding, make sure you use wood floor soap (soap flakes are fine), if you use washing up liquid/detergent you will dry out the wood and make it splintery. Scrub them and soak up the the excess water by wiping with an absorbent floor cloth, leave to dry with windows open.