topic Re: Need help with cleaning floors in Home

Need help with cleaning floors

geegerbee — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:17:36 GMT

I just figured out why I hate housework. I vacuumed my kitchen floor with a dyson, went over it with a spray stick thingie with removeable pads and it still looks dirty. Meanwhile, you can't just throw the pad into the wash because I first have to stand over the wastebasket and pull off the rolls of dirty squiggles that are attached to the pad. That was just the kitchen. The bathroom has a floor of slippery tile, so cleaning that is like moving dirt and hair from one place to another. I feel I have wasted my time and accomplished nothing. I have knee replacements so can't get down on my hands and knees with a bucket and sponge. I am ready to pull out my gray hairs. Suggestions appreciated.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Mz iMac — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:19:47 GMT

Hire a cleaning person or crew.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Silver Fox1 — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:44:07 GMT

I have a Bissell floor steamer and love it. I purchased it years ago at HSN and it's still going strong. I use that on my tile floors and I have a Haan steamer that I purchased at QVC that I use for my wood floors. I don't care for the Haan on the tile for some reason I don't think it does as good a job on the tile as the Bissell and with the wood floors the Haan is better than the Bissell because it isn't as wet. If I had to pick one though I'ed pick the Bissell. Hope this helps

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

OKPrincess — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:43:46 GMT

I love my steam cleaner for my tile floors and you would too. Doesn’t require getting on your hands and knees.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Lilysmom — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:56:33 GMT

@geegerbee, I have a lot of tile in my home. I use a Hoover steam vac on the tile. It is twelve years old and going strong. It has a separate clean water tank and dirty water tank. I use the carpet function on small area rugs and that does a great job too. Highly recommend. LM

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Mominohio — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 22:22:10 GMT

I have just a couple of suggestions based on my experiences.

Vacuums don't really get hard floors clean. I have never seen them really get up loose dirt and debris in total. And I feel that before any liquid or dampness hits a hard floor, it has to be free of loose dirt and hair, or it just makes a mess.

I use a Don Aslett microfiber mop for dry mopping first, and it gets up all the little stuff. I then use the same Don Aslett with a clean damp head to clean the floor with just water, no chemicals or soaps.

I think most things leave a film or streaks on hard floors of all kinds, usually because people use too much of the product.

This might not work for you, as I understand you are looking for easy and maybe one step cleaning. But consider that the dirt and hair has to come up first in the dry state, and that any or too much liquid product might just streak, smear, and build up, when trying to get a cleaing ritual that will work for you.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

jlkz — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 22:32:37 GMT

@geegerbee

While in FL I have a lot of tile to clean and I can’t get down on hands and knees anymore. So, I understand your situation.

The Dyson should pick up all the dust, hairs, and squiggles. This is all I used until it died. Now I use a Black and Decker simple portable vac.

Don't know now what is in the spray stick....it may be causing part of the problem.

I then use the Haan floor steamer with plain water.

This year however there was a sticky substance on all the tile and the steamer merely loosened it. ( the loss of electric power for 10 days after Hurricane Irma may have caused this stickiness. )

After googling the sticky issue, I tried the last solution which was the cheapest and simplest. Put a little Dawn dish detergent in warm water and sprinkled it on a small manageable area of tile. Then I used a terry pad on a long handled pole to spread the solution. Used a second one to pick up the “ dirty “ water. If DH didn’t help, I would have used a 3rd terry pad on a pole to dry the area.

Stickiness was gone. Floors looked great: some tile is pure white and the rest is muted gray.

HTH

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

henderson — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 23:26:55 GMT

I use a Haan steam mop. Have 6 washable pads that I alternate with moping floors. I have laminate.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

software — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 00:13:28 GMT

AFter using the vacuum or sweeping, I use a microfiber mop with a squeegie water bucket.

Like my late mom told me all my life, you really can't wait until something gets dirty.

I try to mop everything, every day. Not a deep clean, but a light mopping, takes 15 minutes.

This is what I use. I throw it in the washer about 2-3 times a month. I'm old, not in good health.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Pook — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 00:24:38 GMT

I have a Wagner cannister steam cleaner and I use it with a small brush attachment to get the areas around the perimeter and with the floor attacment for the rest. I never did scrub floors on my hands and knees anyway!

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Elri — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 00:40:03 GMT

If they are real wood, use a vinegar and water mixture wrung out, of course.

Tile: If it were me, I would use boiling water on a piece of towel attached to a swiffer-type thing. You can use straight-up isopropyl alcohol, if you want to disinfect further.

Afterward, you can use the remaining hot water to make a nice cup of Earl Grey

I don't know about the bamboo or other type floors.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Tigriss — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 00:44:29 GMT

Floor steamer! I have a Hann, but there are many good ones out there.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

151949 — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 02:04:07 GMT

I use my dry aslett mop to sweep the tile and laminate daily. I sweep the dirt into a pile and pick it up with a hand vac. If the floor needs washed I then use a damp pad on the aslett mop to wash it.Every 2 weeks my housekeeper mops the floors using soap & hot water.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

151949 — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:03:45 GMT

For those that use a steam cleaner - don't you have to sweep first to get up things off the floor like crumbs,hair,dirt etc.? You know loose dirt?

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

AuntG — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:05:42 GMT

Don't be too discouraged - what you have done is somewhat effective. I Swiffer my hard surfaces and use a steam mop weekly. My floors aren't perfect, but it's good enough for me.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

AuntG — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:09:35 GMT

@151949wrote:
For those that use a steam cleaner - don't you have to sweep first to get up things off the floor like crumbs,hair,dirt etc.? You know loose dirt?

=========

Yes, or you'd end up just moving the dirt around. I view the steam cleaner as a way to clean the surface after loose particles are removed via sweeping.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

sissel — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:19:19 GMT

Got a hoover floormate it is a vacum & then you switch it to clean has brushes then dry vac which sucks up the water. So handy love it but the only place I have find cleaning solution is amazon also to get into corners that is a on the knees to get to that. I got floormate from HSN maybe you can find it cheaper. I will say I do my kitchen tiles then rest (lower back is not my friend) then off to the entry rest then off to another bathroom. LOL I just take my time but get the job done.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Sooner — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 15:52:13 GMT

A lot depends on what kind of floors you have and your lifestyle. We have a ton of wood floors and quite a bit of carpet in the bedrooms. And we have rugs. Tile is only in the bathrooms.

We aren't people that are outside a lot, don't garden any more, so there is not very much dirt tracked in the house. Vaccuming will take care of most things for us on the wood. We don't needto mop often but we do spot clean the wood in the kitchen if we spill something. We use a dyson nightly on the most tracked on wood.

We also hire a cleaning crew about four times a year to deep clean the house, and that keeps life manageable otherwise for othe most part.

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

Abrowneyegirl — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 15:57:57 GMT

I hate tile for the reasons mentioned!

We have more HW but the bathrooms are tiled.

I dry/damp mop several times a week to pick up lint, hair, dust, etc.

Steam mop (Haan) once a week.

I am interviewing cleaners to come in every other week to steam mop the first floor and clean the baseboards. Wish me luck!!!

Re: Need help with cleaning floors

151949 — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 19:05:29 GMT

@Abrowneyegirl One of my greatest joys in having a housekeeper every 2 weeks is she dusts the baseboards.I absolutely detest doing that! She also does the stuff that is high up like ceiling fans.