old wooden floors - how do we clean them?

[EmmaGrundyForPM]

We have engineered oak flooring in our current house, and wash them using a Karcher hardwood floor cleaning machine.

We are moving to an Edwardian property where the original floorboards have been sanded and sealed. However, there are tiny gaps between them and we are worried that if we use the machine, the water will go through and cause damage. But then, so would mopping.

Has anyone got advice for how to clean period wooden floors? Can we treat them in the same way we are currently cleaning our engineered wood?

Thanks

anyone?

Damp mop. Dampen a mop with soapy water so it is just damp ,you can use a spray bottle, and then mop it over the floor. Wipe it off with mop similarly wrung out in clean water. Vacuum very thoroughly before you start mopping. You could use cloths rather than a mop. You can dance the twist on top of the cloths rather than get down on your hands and knees. You might find it easier to have a huge collection of cloths that can be stuck in the washing machine rather than have to keep washing out mops.

This is how we did it when I volunteered at the National Trust. Mop heads were cotton old style and kept wrapped in a plastic bag day to day.

This kind of mop head

www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-Absorbent-Effective-Cleaning-Commercial/dp/B08424WWYX

Thanks! We were trying to decide if we should sell the Karcher, sounds like we should

I've had stripped and waxed old floors for many years ( also with huge gaps) I hoover whenever I remember and use the steam cleaner lightly every couple of months. Before I had a steam cleaner I just used whatever kitchen mop I had at the time but made sure to wring it out thoroughly. Oh and I used warm water with a tiny squirt of washing up liquid, no floor cleaners
The floors have stayed beautiful

You’ll probably want to seal the gaps anyway for insulation reasons, (you can use sawdust paste, wooden strips or a special rubber product from a reel) and maybe put insulation under the boards, if there isn’t any.

So it might be worth hanging on to the marcher to use once that’s done.

I have a spray mop thing which seems to do the job

The joy of proper wood floors is that they don't need a lot of cleaning. Obviously wipe up ant obvious spills immediately.

Our get swept regularly, (easier than hoovering imo) and damp mopped a couple of times a year. I just dampen an old tea towel and tie it round the broom head.

Method wood floor cleaner - just sprinkle it straight from the bottle and then microfibre mop. But tbh I rarely need to clean them, mostly they just get vacuumed with the rest of the house.

I'd add robo vacs are excellent on wood floors for getting dust up. The less water that gets on them the better, spray mops etc. I've over mopped mine and they've really lost condition.

My floors are Victorian and we have sealed them with boat varnish and I just use a damp mop we have a dog so do it weekly They are fine Restored floorboards do need re doing every ten years or so in high traffic areas. Had them in my old house as well.

I use the method wood floor cleaner as well. Just squirt it straight from the bottle and use a e cloth mop. It smells gorgeous too.