"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

Nic O'Demus wrote in message ...
Pitch pine block flooring, 1.25 inches thick.
Most of the floor, particularly traffic areas, is covered with rugs with
mats at entrances.
It is swept daily and buffed regularly, waxed 2-3 times a year.
Parts of the floor are now almost black with muck and grime.
There is no appreciable wear and I don't really want to have to sand the
whole floor which is about 50sq.m.
The flooring when laid was sanded, sealed and waxed.
Any suggestions for cleaning it please?

White spirit and coarse wire wool. Buy the latter at a plumbers merchant
because you'll need lots of it, and the quality doesn't matter. The idea
is
that when the wire wool is full of gunk you discard it.
Pitch pine is a dense, resinous timber that needs very little finishing to
get a sheen. Just buffing the residue after stripping will probably be
enough. Bleaches well if you want a paler look.

Sounds like a build up of wax and dirt?