Cleaning Wood Floors

I have never had any *nice* wood floors to take care of, as my wood floors are more along the lines of bare pine planks, painted pine planks, or floors that used to have paint on them and now have bare paths where the foot traffic goes. I like these floors because you know, anything goes. I can vacuum, dust mop, or mop with soapy water, and nothing bad will happen. Or I can do like I did when I have four children under the age of six--nothing at all. Just ignore the huge pileups of dirt and be thankful that the kitchen and dining room floors were *supposed* to be dirt-colored. I have to say that my standards have risen somewhat in the intervening years.

I turned to the encyclopedia of all housekeeping knowledge, Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson, to see what she has to say about caring for wood floors. It turns out that she recommends that all wood floors be vacuumed, as the semi-sticky grime won't come off any other way. "On bare floors and delicate, antique, and Oriental carpets [not applicable!], use the bare-floor vacuum attachment, or what some manufacturers call the 'universal' floor attachment. . .the little rubber wheels prevent it from scratching the floor." She further recommends occasional mopping with a barely-damp mop. That is the real floor-cleaning protocol, for those homemakers whose children are over the age of five; everyone else is excused.