Where feasible, employ air circulating fans, but avoid blowing dust into other parts of your dwelling.
To have a perfect finish when sanding your floors, begin by inspecting your floors carefully. Look for areas you need to give extra attention, like deep scratches or dents. Mark those areas so you won't overlook them during sanding.
Then, select the appropriate grit sandpaper: use a coarse grit (about 36-40) to eliminate flaws and work your way up to finer grits (up to 220) for smoothness.
After choosing your sandpaper, it's time to get in the groove - literally! Sand with the wood grain and use a drum sander for big areas, saving an orbital sander or hand sanding for edges and corners.
Take your time - rushing can produce uneven surfaces. Vacuum through completely between grits to remove dust that might ruin your finish.
In choosing the correct grit for your sanding job, knowing the type and state of wood is important. In case of highly worn floors with severe scratches or finishes, beginning with lower grit - about 36 or 40 - can efficiently eliminate hard imperfections.
But if your floors are just slightly dull or have little wear, choosing a medium grit of 80 or 100 will save you time and leave more of the integrity of the wood.