For day to day use, only sweeping or vacuum cleaning is needed. Most marks can be wiped off with a soft cloth, mild detergent, or a general clean with a well wrung, damp cloth or mop.

Here are some extra tips to help you protecting your timber floor during cleaning and improve the result:

1. Keep dirt, sand, or grit off the floor. Mop or vacuum regularly and keep doormats clean. If you want to use vacuum cleaners, make sure to use a brush attachment instead of beater bars so that the vacuum cleaner will not scratch the floorboards.

2. Do not use wet mop or water-based cleaners when cleaning your timber floor. Water can change the moisture balance within timbers and cause floorboards to ridge or buckle. Therefore, water should be used sparingly and remain on the floor for the shortest time possible.

3. Do not use any oil-based or wax cleaners on your floor. They make the surface slippery and hard to clean.

4. Use good quality floor mops and wash new mops thoroughly to remove any lint remaining on the mop during the manufacturing process.

5. Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth or dry paper towels. For sticky substances, moisten the cloth slightly. For fatty or greasy spills that are hard to remove, use pH neutral degreasing cleanser that can be purchased from cleaning specialist or floor shops.

6. Wash the floor with an almost dry sponge mop. Using a mixture of  ½ cup of mentholated spirits to ½ bucket of cold water could help evaporating the water, prevent from soaking too much water into the timber.