MAC and BE Considerations when refinishing hardwood

@pgpunch No infection risks here - just protecting yourself from dust and fumes. I use a vented N95 mask when sanding Use a sander with built-in dust collector if you can. Seal all ducts to keep dust out. Use low VOC finishes, or wear an industrial respirator. Safer, low VOC, low odor finishes have improved greatly in the past 20 years. Our "safer" floor finish, including in the kitchen have held up for 12 years to kids, pets, and me - a messy cook.

Thanks for the input! So you actually did the work yourself! We are hiring a contractor who we "hope" will put up plastic over the cabinets, etc. I am also concerned about the clean-up and stirring up the dust. Did you do that in any specific way that avoided too much exposure? We plan to be out of the house when actual sanding is taking place and maybe a few days after the floor is curing to avoid fumes. But, am still uncertain about the cleanup.

I have Bronchiectasis. We had our kitchen hard wood & family room carpet replaced with new hard wood in March this year.
We used professional installer. My lung doctor at Stanford University Hospital Chest Clinic recommended me to stay in hotel until job is done. I stayed in my daughter's house. Installer sealed area w/heavy plastic sheet from floor to ceiling. When we came back, there was some Saw Dust in window sill & etc.
I recommend you stay away from your house if you could.

@pgpunch Some we did, the rest we contracted. With the low VOC finish, there was so little odor we did not feel the need to stay elsewhere.
A good contractor will clean up after themselves. Ask for references and contact them. We will have to do the same at the next refinishing as the company we used twice has now been taken over by the sons, who are developing a bad reputation for both their workmanship and customer service.