You might want to head to a local hardwood flooring supplier and see what products they recommend, but we have had really good success with Bona professional floor refresher. Please note this is a commercial grade product and NOT the same as bona stuff you get at hardware stores (but should be available for you to buy at a dealer). Follow the cleaning and application instructions, and then be able to let it cure properly for a couple of days. We did not sand anything first, however we didn't have any actual bare spots; it was mainly light scratches from dog nails.

https://www.bona.com/en-US/Bona-Professional/Products/Floor-Care/Refreshers/Bona-Pro-Series-Hardwood-Floor-Refresher/

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Definitely not renting a drum sander! I have a random orbit sander and a palm sander so I may consider this route but the heart pine is in 2 rooms and a hallway so I would feel compelled to do all of that were I to decide to sand. Not sure if I am ready to go that big!!!

@kats737 Interesting! I am going to look into this. Thanks!

OK....whoa! Hold your horses on 'Refresher' products. If you do NOT want to do any damage to these floors then stay AWAY from Refreshers. They are, in a nut shell, temporary polishes that can prevent the full sand/refinish at a later date.

Just as I suspected. The Bona Refresher is a polyacrylic + polyethylene WAX polish!!!!! Ohhhh dear. Not good. Not good at all. Here's the ingredients list:

https://www.bona.com/en-US/Bona-Professional/Products/Floor-Care/Refreshers/Bona-Pro-Series-Hardwood-Floor-Refresher/

And here's the "How to use" Document:

https://www.bona.com/Global/Documents/United%20States/Technical%20Data%20Sheets/TDS%20Bona%20Pro%20Series%20Hardwood%20Floor%20Refresher%c2%ae%20US.pdf?epslanguage=en

Did you notice the "Use every 3-4 months" statement? Right. Like ALL temporary polishes, the Bona REQUIRES a maintenance cycle that is 3-4 applications PER YEAR!!! Is that something you want to start? Is it part of your busy schedule to move bed/clothes/shoes every 3 months just to keep the floors looking fresh? Not in my house...that's for sure.

To refinish your floors PROPERLY you have to pay someone MORE to remove the gunk (don't believe the 'leaves no residue'...that's hog wash. Of course it leaves a residue...how do you think the floors look BETTER after use???) and then HOPE AGAINST HOPE the new finish will stick to wood that has been contaminated by a 'polish'. Even if it is Bona.

Please oh please...NEVER EVER use any polish, refresher, 'Rejuvenate', 'Orange Glo' or anything else that says, "Brings your wood floors back to Life!". They quick fix today leads to expensive heart ache years from now.

Your floors look good for 20+ year old poly. Believe it or not, it is time to do a full sand/refinish. I would plan on that for year 25. Save the money, save your sanity and just do a full sand/refinish in 2-5 years time. Do NOTHING in the mean time.

These floors are a perfect candidate for a 'buff and coat'. The floors get lightly abraded, and a additional coat of poly gets applied. At twenty years it is about that time. It is far cheaper and far less mess than the original process, but still involves smell and displacement.

@SJ McCarthy Thanks for taking the time to read about the Bona product. I definitely don't want to do anything that has to be reapplied multiple times a year or that may cause future issues. We are actually planning to re-finish all the floors in our entire house in approximately 5 years anyway so maybe I will just leave them alone for now. I may be noticing all the imperfections as there is no furniture or rug in the room.

I would have suggested the buff and coat but the DIY option was my 'out' for that one.

The "no rug or furniture" is what triggered the worry for the OP. It sounds like this room will be empty for now. You already have the idea to do a full sand/refinish in the near future anyway.

What I would do is have a good look at your OTHER high traffic areas. That might mean sitting down on the floor and using a flashlight to look at the finish. If you can see 'raw wood' at ANY POINT in your home, you need to bump up your time line to "now" or in the next 12 months.

Raw wood showing through means you are right on schedule for an immanent refinish. A roughed in floor like in the photo (without raw wood showing) is an indicator that you need to set a 5 year schedule (which you have already done).

You will need a deep clean before you start buffing these floors. Otherwise, you will be going through a lot of 220 grit sandpaper.

@G & S - Do you have a suggestion for product to use for deep cleaning floors before a scratch and coat?

I normally use Bona's Remover or Deep Cleaner for projects. But, you can use any products with a high PH level - Pinesol, vinegar or ammonia mix (1 cup to a gallon of water ratio). The high PH level will break down any wax and residue. Scrub with a green cleaning pad, rinse and remove excess water with wet vac and allow to dry completely - overnight if needed. It will make your finish look dull but, the buffing will be more efficient. You will have a good abraded surface for a strong finish bond with no worries of adhesion failure.

Note: if, your 220/240 grit sandpaper still clogs, repeat the cleaning process.

Many thanks for the professional recommendation!

Well I stand corrected. We did use the product and have really good results, but I have second thoughts recommending it to others seeing that it has wax in it. I was under the impression it was just a light coat of water-based poly, which would be sandable when the time comes. We haven't recoated it since (ha, that is way too much work!) so hopefully by the time we are ready to do a full 'screen and recoat' with something else, we won't have any difficulties.

@ Kats...the Bona Deep Cleaner should do the trick. Bona is a chemical company that has the right formulas to 'undo' any of their semi-permanent products (like their polishes).

If you have a factory finished floor with bevelled edges (little valleys between each plank) you *might have issues with the polish having settled in the bevel with no way of getting it out/off without hands-and-knees efforts (toothbrush cleaning anyone?).