topic Re: Floor care help, please in Home

Floor care help, please

feline groovy — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 21:19:18 GMT

I have both tile and hardwood flooring in my new(ish) apartment.

Tile in the bathroom and kitchen, hardwood flooring everywhere else.

Any reasonably-priced suggestions, please, for an at-home cleaning machine that would not only be 100% safe on both, but could also scrub them?

Figured since this is the first time I've had all flooring in a home (love it), I'd ask the home experts here for your experiences before I check out other reviews and prices.

TIA 8-)

Re: Floor care help, please

Kachina624 — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 21:22:17 GMT

All the scrubbing devices I've seen reference using it on sealed hardwoods, so you probably need to check with your apartment management and see what they recommend and if scrubbing is safe on your floors. They may just suggest damp moping.

Re: Floor care help, please

Mz iMac — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 21:29:26 GMT

I've always had hardwood floors. I only use an old fashion dust mop. The cleaning lady uses a vacuum to get the dust bunnies as I have a cat that sheds all year round.

If I spill anything on the floor, paper towels does the trick for me.

Just don't use polish on hardwood floors. Your floor will be so slippery, it will be like walking on ice.

Re: Floor care help, please

RedTop — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 21:36:37 GMT

I don't know anyone who has modern hardwood floors, solid wood or laminate, who "scrubs" the floor. Both types of flooring have a protective coating that prevent dirt from going into the grain of the wood, so a damp mop removes whatever surface dirt is tracked in. I have laminate floors in half my house, and damp mop with clear water and a splash of vinegar.

My ceramic tile floors are cleaned with either swiffer wipes, mopped with a regular mop and Mr Clean, or steam cleaned with my Dirt Devil steamer. You cannot steam clean laminate flooring.

Years ago my mother had a Bissel floor cleaner she used to scrub the tile floors in our house. There were brushes and a special pad to remove old wax and dirt, then she would mop, rinse, hand apply Bowling Alley wax, then use the machine and the buffing pads to polish the floor.

You do not need to work this hard to take care of modern flooring.

Re: Floor care help, please

Lilysmom — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 23:04:13 GMT

@feline groovy, I have ALOT of tile. Front entryway, hallway, kitchen, laundry room and two bathrooms on main floor. I use a Hoover Steam Vac. Mine is 11 years old and works like a charm. No way would I be scrubbing all that. On hardwood (mine is prefinished), I use minwax hardwood floor cleaner on areas around area rugs. Good luck!!! LM

Re: Floor care help, please

Tigriss — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:05:08 GMT

I floor steamer. With steam, scrubbing isn't required; it just melts the issue and you sweep it up with the pad.

Re: Floor care help, please

x Hedge — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:55:23 GMT

@feline groovy, if it's there I missed it.

Please specify vinyl tiles or ceramic tiles.

If vinyl, are they commercial grade or peel-n'-stick?

Care is totally different.

Don Aslett offered some very good, inexpensive floorcare equipment.

Re: Floor care help, please

Mistreatedbycs — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 02:42:54 GMT

Do not introduce any water to those hardwood floors.

There is no scrubbing of hardwood floors, please google and read up on how to take care of those floors or ask your landlord, damaging them can be very costly to repair and/or replace.

If your kitties haven't been declawed you will seriously be refinishing those floors sooner than you think.

Re: Floor care help, please

feline groovy — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 02:47:22 GMT

@x Hedge

You didn't miss anything.

I didn't specify (sorry), and I actually don't know.

But I'll double-check my lease plus ask the rental manager; thanks.

Re: Floor care help, please

feline groovy — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 03:10:22 GMT

@Mistreatedbycs

I have been properly taking care of them, but was just wondering about DIY steam and other machines.

Thanks.

I don't currently have a kitty companion (it's been four years), but really hope to again someday.

But I wouldn't declaw it, as there's alternate methods of protecting stuff you don't own.

If I was a parent of any species, though, I'd always try to have a home that could handle anything they (or I) might accidentally dish out. ;-)

Nothing in my place would ever been too "precious".

Re: Floor care help, please

Mistreatedbycs — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 03:10:44 GMT

Feline groovy.....hope this helps, no steam, nothing wet.

Wood and wet do not get along. There's hardwood floor cleaner available with an application mop at Home Depot or Ace Hardware but aside from a long dust mop, that's it. No machines.

I know, I want a steamer too but the little bit of tile I have, not worth it.

Re: Floor care help, please

x Hedge — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 04:00:23 GMT

@feline groovy, go ahead and sweep, dustmop, and vaccume, but by all means find out exactly what you have before doing anything else and possible losing your deposit.

I think some of the posters here are assuming your wood flooring came out of a box from a home or hardware store. Essentially that type is a picture of wood grain applied to the surface and is easily rippled/bubbled by too much water contact.

But my own hardwood is solid oak planks, individually trimmed and laid down by a carpenter, then stained and finished. It's not as finicky or succeptable to water damage.

And you don't know which type of wood flooring you have yet, or even if your tile is ceramic or vinyl.

So please talk with your apartment manager or owner and find out what kind of hard flooring you have and how they wish you to care for it.

Re: Floor care help, please

feline groovy — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 04:37:04 GMT

@x Hedge

Did you see part 1 of my reply to Just Bling?

The flooring's been fine for months now, and I've been extra careful with everything in my apartment.

Also, I have zero carpeting, so there's no need to vacuum.

But, like you, I would always recommend to renters of any type of home to ask lots of questions and double-check the lease for additional info.

I've rented for 30 years, but have had different types of stuff in my apartments.

BTW, I owned an old house many years ago that had the original wood flooring from the 1800's.

It was a nice discovery after I got rid of the wall-to-wall carpeting. 8)

Re: Floor care help, please

x Hedge — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 07:24:37 GMT

@feline groovy I have solid oak hardwood floors throughout, and vacuum the wood floors all the time.

I vacuum more now with cats than I had to with dogs.

I DO occasionally damp mop my wood with a wood cleaner, and use a fan to dry the floor quickly.

But that laminated wood flooring has no tolerance for water. Water, steam and heat may make the laminated layers separate.

I love old houses. My electrician offered to buy all my fixtures, and my brother half jokingly advised me to rip out my floors and sell them.

Re: Floor care help, please

Fressa — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:23:44 GMT

I have a variety of floor surfaces in my home. I use the Don Astlet dusting mop and the Hann floor steamer. My floor surfaces are ceramic, marble, hardwood, tile and carpet. I use a Dyson for the carpet.