How to clean wooden floors?

I have wooden (the narrow plank type, that is) floors and they really need a good clean and polish to get rid of the general build up of summer sweaty feet marks, residue spray from doomed roaches, and old coffee stains, etc. etc..

I'm thinking of something that will do a sound wash and clean and then a spray type (non-slip) polish to give back a bit of life. No machines, all by hand.

Can anyone give me the names of good products for this, in Kanji and romaji? Also, if there is anything more complicated kanji instructions-wise than pouring liberally into the bucket, I would appreciate a quick note.

It is a bit late for you now but for the future..when I lived in Europe we had waxed hardwood floors and ALWAYS wore slippers (they kind of polished the floors as we walked back and forth) and ALWAYS cleaned a spill right away..kind of common sense really on any floor... the never few days --some did it daily--we dusted the whole floor with a special broom -more like a flat mop that had a rectangular soft head. Removing dirt that built up for a long time-- like months--isn't that easy but you should find products in hardware stores . One thing is to NEVER pour a lot of liquid on a wood floor as you may warp it and damage it.

Monkey ysee

Thanks, but I'm afraid knowing what I should have done, doesn't really help me a lot. It's what I can do that I need to know. Anyone...?

Traditionally speaking, wooden floors are to be wiped repeatedly with a damp cloth tightly wrung out.

But I, against what's written on the manual, rub the floor using sponge and dish-washing soap, wiping the water and soap off as soon as possible and as neatly as possible.

Try either of these procedures at one part of your floor and see how it goes. But I recommend you do it on a dry sunny day and keep the windows open for a while to let the floor dry completely. Japan is very humid and any moisture left behind may easily lead to mold or other household problems.

Otherwise, hire a cleaning company like Duskin.