Hi all, hopefully someone can set me straight!
I've got a load of solid oak parquet flooring, that had wax applied about eight years when it was put down. Although I stay on top of sweeping, and occasionally vacuuming, it's time to give it a proper clean as it's looking a bit grubby. It probably could do with a fresh waxing, but I guess it makes sense to clean it first.
The thing is that quite a few of the things I found suggest using a 4:1 mix of warm water and white vinegar, but won't vinegar strip off what wax is left on there? Although at that ratio, and used sparingly, maybe the wax will be ok?
Some other pages I found suggest avoiding water entirely and just using odourless mineral spirits. But I've never used mineral spirits before and I'm concerned that this isn't a good idea since I've got pets, and mineral spirits are toxic.
And once I've cleaned the floor, do I need to remove the old wax before applying new stuff? I've no idea what brand of wax was originally applied, so is that a concern? Or are all waxes pretty much the same anyway?
So, anyway, any advice would be much appreciated.
I've got a load of solid oak parquet flooring, that had wax applied about eight years when it was put down. Although I stay on top of sweeping, and occasionally vacuuming, it's time to give it a proper clean as it's looking a bit grubby. It probably could do with a fresh waxing, but I guess it makes sense to clean it first.
The thing is that quite a few of the things I found suggest using a 4:1 mix of warm water and white vinegar, but won't vinegar strip off what wax is left on there? Although at that ratio, and used sparingly, maybe the wax will be ok?
Some other pages I found suggest avoiding water entirely and just using odourless mineral spirits. But I've never used mineral spirits before and I'm concerned that this isn't a good idea since I've got pets, and mineral spirits are toxic.
And once I've cleaned the floor, do I need to remove the old wax before applying new stuff? I've no idea what brand of wax was originally applied, so is that a concern? Or are all waxes pretty much the same anyway?
So, anyway, any advice would be much appreciated.
