So I was staring at my home basketball court the other day – that nice hevea wooden flooring – and man, it looked rough. Dust bunnies rolling around like tumbleweeds, scuff marks from my sneakers everywhere, and this weird dull film covering the whole thing. Time for some TLC.

Step 1: The Great Sweep Down

Grabbed my microfiber broom first thing. Started sweeping real gentle from baseline to baseline, keeping strokes parallel to the wood grain. Saw these nasty scratch lines when I went sideways once – lesson learned! Piled up so much dust I could’ve made a dust bunny army.

Step 2: Wet Work Disaster

Thought I’d be smart and use my regular floor cleaner. Big mistake! Left these cloudy streaks everywhere like ghost footprints. Panicked and wiped it with paper towels – made it worse. Remembered rubber wood hates chemicals. Dumped the bucket.

• What worked: Warm water with 2 drops dish soap
• Tools: Rung-out microfiber mop

Did small sections with the damp mop, scrubbing stubborn spots with an old toothbrush. Couldn’t believe how much grime came off where I’d been shooting jumpers.

Step 3: The Magic Eraser Trick

Still had these black heel marks near the freethrow line. Googled around and tried baking soda paste – nope. Then found this forum tip: plain white erasers! Rubbed gently on the marks and boom – vanished like magic. Felt like I discovered cold fusion.

Final Touches

Let the floor dry overnight (important!). Next morning applied this special rubber wood conditioner with a lint-free cloth – just a thin coat in circular motions. Waited an hour and buffed it dry with clean towels. Whole floor looks like new money now!

Big takeaways: Never use harsh stuff on rubber wood, always dry mop first, and keep white erasers in your tool kit. Shiny floors make even my bricks look good!