Area rugs on a daily basis...never use even a drop of bleach when cleaning rugs...once the bleach neutralizes the color pigments, the color is striped ...it is permanent damage...if it has not begun to fade already...it will in time due to the bleach.

perpendicular to the joists where possible for maximum stiffness. And the NWFA says you should install perpendicular to joists....

many folks try the 'home remedies to save $ and we find once we are in these homes, a lot of folks have ruined their floors due to these 'home remedies'! The ONLY suggestion that I would ad-lib to in-between professional clean & buffs would be what a few folks stated above...fill a sink with warm water and add only 1/4 cup of white vinegar and ring that mop out till its just barely moist and go over your floors to pick up the light dirt films ...if you have a fan or blower, put that on right away to dry it.. If you do not want to permenantly ruin, scratch, warp or water damage your floors....just call a professional...this service is VERY inexpensive (we only charge 25 cents per sq ft to do them correctly!