Is mopping varnished floorboards ok?

[Georget79]

Ok so I'm assuming it's fine to mop varnished floorboards, at least I've been doing it for a long time.

I recently had them stripped and varnished again but we have a live in carer for my mum and she is mopping them every day. I think she has OCD as she is cleaning everything constantly. I've read before that we shouldn't use bleach on varnished floors. But is there a best care method that people can reccomend? Is too much water bad for the actual wood? How often should they be cleaned and any specific tips?

Basically, I'm looking for a scientific reason to present to her to put the damn mop away! Driven by the underlying motivation of course, to maintain the varnished floors as best I can.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

How about I own the floor, just a sweep once a day is necessary unless there are spills to be dealt with.

 

[aveatry]

I have an oak varnished engineered floor and use a dedicated cleaner -by bona - supposed to be "special neutral" or what ever but only really use it for spot cleaning. I have it also in a hallway and it is surprising how it sort of cleans itself as its never that dirty when I do give it a complete once over but when I do I dry it with kitchen towel as I go.
Continually wetting it especially with a mop is not going to do it any good.

 

[jj4091]

How about I own the floor, just a sweep once a day is necessary unless there are spills to be dealt with.

And hide the mop and bucket

 

[Georget79]

And hide the mop and bucket

Yes that is an option lol

 

[Georget79]

I have an oak varnished engineered floor and use a dedicated cleaner -by bona - supposed to be "special neutral" or what ever but only really use it for spot cleaning. I have it also in a hallway and it is surprising how it sort of cleans itself as its never that dirty when I do give it a complete once over but when I do I dry it with kitchen towel as I go.
Continually wetting it especially with a mop is not going to do it any good.

Yeah I'll need to look into floor cleaners specifically for this and pass on instructions.

 

[johnny2007]

I have varnished wood floors and the boss uses wood cleaner diluted in water as per instructions.
She mops it with the mop wrung out so no water drips out of it.
No problems in the past 18 odd years.