Its got to be the installer issue. Contact the retailer who installed it for you and they will make it right. they will have the contacts, and the resources available to resolve it immediately for you. They will remedy it and remove it from the installers fee. The old english is an oily base and will come off I am sure, but the retailer will take responsibility to eliminate the problem and do it fast. Good luck and awaiting your answer. PS..just dont go free lancing here and taking shots in the dark at cleaning i as you want no finish damage....contact the local retailer....Keep them on the hook..that is what you pay them for...

its hard to imagine the installer would do something so stupid. I've always suggested you use a product recommended by the mfctr or use a cleaner made by a finish mfctr. Bona sold at Home Depot seems to work fine. I'm afraid there are lots of opinions on this forum but there enough experts who deal with flooring to give you the right answer. In reality with AO prefinished wood, you probably don't need a 'cleaner' other than a spray bottle of water and a microfiber mop. I wouldn't be damp mopping either.

Dark floors always show stuff. But "Olde English" scratch cover...why? Weird. Yes, go back to the retailer for help and guidance.

Thank you so much for your replies!

Boxers -- Yeah, I used the phrase "damp mopping" incorrectly. I'm currently using a micro-fiber mop and a spray bottle with a solution of that P & H cleaner and water. I call it damp mopping because it's a mop and it gets damp. Ha! But I'm certainly not using a bucket. =]

damp mopping is everything from what you do to a bucket of water and a string mop! I went on a complaint where they said they only 'damp mopped'. When I saw how they were doing it the maintenance people were flooding the floor with water and it was supposed to be a 'manufacturing' issue.

My floor looks identical to yours, and I never used Olde English, only Bona, which is a horrible product for dark flooring.

Sherene: I had the same issue on brand new floors (dark European oak engineered). 2 days ago and freaked out. turns out it was Bona build up (contractor and I had used Bona to clean up). And while I was at my wits end, my contractor took a damp cloth (wrung it out completely) and lo and behold the floor was back to normal.

My floors look IDENTICAL to this! I agree. HELP!! Did you ever find anything to prevent the footprints?!

I have same issue can I use a polyurethane product on the floors to keep from getting footprints?

Sorry. You can only live with what you see. The colour and the gloss level are both ganging up on you. Dust is "lighter" than the floors = grayish smears. Body oils (ie. foot prints, sock prints, etc) are SHINIER than your floors = oily streaks. And dust STICKS to OIL. Perfect storm.

To get "polyurethane" to grab, you will need a buff and coat (high chance of failure = need a new floor) or a full sand and refinish. At that point, you can simply stain it a lighter colour.

Try rubbing alcohol to clean up some of the nastier areas. Just make sure you use SMALL amounts and only in WELL VENTILATED AREAS! The vapours can be tough if you use too much or in a small space.

The colour is the biggest problem. A lighter colour would have camouflaged these prints much, much better.

Same issue any resolution? I use bona but it leaves a film

Unfortunately jeanking I have not found a solution. I do clean with a rubbing alcohol and water mixture in a squirt bottle and cloth and it is better but not completely gone. Wish I had an answer for you.

Ugh thank you! It looks awful!

Anyone found a solution to this? MY Floor looks just like this too .I used bona I've used Castile soap also I feel like there's film mine.

Remove excess CLEANING products by using Windex original formula. Spray a liberal amount of windex over 2ft x 2ft space. Allow to sit for 20 seconds or so and then wipe up with CLEAN cotton rag. Mist the same spot again with a small amount of windex and with a NEW clean rag wipe up immediately. Do this until the cloth comes away "clean". If it comes back with a slightly yellow tinge then keep going until the cloth simply looks damp.

any hardwood with a sheen is high maintenance, especially for OCD trigger peeps (I being one )...what I’ve found works great but is quite a lot of work is hand washing with water/vinegar on micro fibre cloth, then immediately wiping dry with a towel. I use Bona in the mean time, about once a week...then when things start getting messy. water vinegar at least 1 a month. My child’s feet seem to be the culprit, they leave a greasy film and our house tends to be on the dusty side for whatever reason which sticks to the greasy foot prints. An evening of company my house is a disaster after. Next house is strictly no hardwood.

Go to StepNgrip.com. It's what they use at basketball games to clean dust from sneakers. Be careful with delicate shoes