So...anywho...I am getting ready to do some of my work this morning and since I have had such great help and suggestions from my bloggy friends before...I pose this question this lovely Monday morning.
What do you do about mopping?What I mean is...I live in a lovely rental house that is 90% hard floors of some type. The kitchen is tile (white tile, no less...and let me just say here...WHY WOULD YOU EVER PUT WHITE TILE IN YOUR KITCHEN??? This is beyond my ability to comprehend), the bathrooms are linoleum, and the main living areas, including the front room, family room and hallways are wood laminate. This means I have to care for each one of these surfaces slightly differently. I can't clean the laminate flooring with anything but water. I can't do the tile with just water. On Saturday...I mopped the wood laminate with plain water using the Libman Wonder Mop, I did small sections and then got down with a dry towel and dried it off (If I don't...Hello - Streak City!) Then I emptied my bucket and refilled with water and a little eco-friendly cleaning solution and went to work on the tile and linoleum.
Isn't there a better way???
I hate using the good old sponge mop because it just seems gross and dirty and seems to be a "less effective" way to clean. And when it comes to the laminate floor...I just hate that it takes so blasted long because I have to keep stopping to dry!
Help me Bloggy People!!! Help me!!!
And...thank you in advance for taking pity on me :)
12 comments:
My mom always made us dry the hardwood floors behind her. A big bath towel is nice.
Maybe if you vacuumed/swept often you could get away without mopping very often! Or you could just mop the dirtiest parts.
White tile in the kitchen is fun. We have a carpeted master bath . . . ugh!
Ha! Sorry, I can't help it, but I'm laughing because you said "What about moping?" and for a second I thought you were talking about getting over some self-pity. Then I realized you meant "mopping" and I had to laugh. Because your blog title gave me permission: You just gotta laugh, right? Right. :)
Ha!
Okay, now that I've probably embarrassed you without meaning to, I'll answer your queries about mopping:
I have no idea.
I have hardwood floors, and I mop it with a terry-cloth type mop and diluted oil soap. Works wonders, conditions, and smells good, too. But laminate? Not sure.
However, I only mop once every 2 weeks or so. I'm not good at mopping. At all. And the fact that hardwood hides the stains just makes me that more justifiable in my lack of mopping.
So, ummm...good luck? Sorry. :(
Haha...I was all set to tell you how to "mope" as well.
Your house sounds a lot like mine - rental, larger than my previous home...and LOTS OF PLACES FOR DUST BUNNIES TO HIDE. I do the MAJORITY of my floor care with either a) a battery powered floor sweeper, b) a dirt devil on a stick or b) a dry-grab swiffer mop. That really does take care of the majority of the house. The kitchen is really where I need to mop. I've only been here a few months, and I've just gotten around to purchasing a Libman Wonder Mop. (Our kitchen is a rough sort of creamy/beige tile...with thick white grout. Yech to clean!) I think the first thing I will try is some HOT HOT HOT water and a splash of white vinegar - it's what my father used to use when we were kids. To this day, a house full of vinegar smell just smells like Saturday Morning Cleanup to me.
Wowzah! Thanks for catching my spelling error Aunt LoLo and Cheryl! And thank you also...for laughing at it with me! I'll fix it...sheesh...you'd think I didn't major in English or something! :)
I agree with the sweeping/dry mopping regularly - that's a daily thing here, but every once in a while (and it seems so often with a 2 year old boy running around :) - ) I just have to do something else!
When I had a laminate, (granted, it was a very small amount), I used a Swiffer mop on it. I believe they have a specific solution just for that.
As for the other floors, I second the hot water with white vinegar. (White vinegar also gets rid of ant trails if you have ants.)
As for drying the laminate, you could try those mop slippers they have. I believe they're for dry mopping, but it wouldn't hurt to have a pair for drying the floor. If that's not your thing, stand on a towel, mop in front of you, and then dry the floor as you move forward. (And, really, only dry the middle of the floor. No one will notice the streaks on the edges.)
Have no idea! But...you've convinced me I never want wood laminate if it's that much trouble to clean. :)
I don't know if I have anything to add, but I will tell you what I do.
I am really bad with mopping. It is one of my least favorite things to do. I don't do it that often. Our whole downstairs is hardwood and linoleum. I vacuum it with just our had vac when it needs it. It it gets worse, I use the bigger vacuum (and to vacuum the rugs).
As far as mopping, I spot mop quite a bit. I did some of that this morning, actually. I just use a rag to get the noticeable spots. When I do really mop, I use my swiffer wet jet. The cleaner that I use says it is good for wood and other surfaces. Instead of buying new pads to put on it, though, I just stick a microfiber towel on there. It works great, and I can wash it when I'm done. I have to say that one of these days I need to do something better in my kitchen, though. The linoleum is textured so the dirt gets built up in the little ridges. I spot cleaned with a magic eraser the other day and it did wonders. I'm not sure I want to do that on the whole floor though. That would take forever. Maybe I will have to try the hot hot water and vinegar that someone suggested.
Good luck!
I have hardwood floors, and you know... it is a pain! I found it is all in the cleaner I use. Go to the hardwood place by you and get one of their products. I can spray and mop, no streaks!!
Thanks for stopping by! Oh and I don't know about the mopping...I just have linoleum and I use hot water with some vinegar. Good luck!
I'm a huge fan of the Swiffer Wet Jet (it does have different solutions for different floor types). It's not necessarily great for a deep scrub, but it's perfect for a daily quick-clean (if only I would remember to do it more than once every other week...)
I used to own a hardwood flooring company. We also dealt with linoleum, vinyl, tile, and laminate floors. Regardless of your hard floor surface, a cup of white vinegar for every gallon of very hot water will work wonders. The addition of vinegar eliminates the potential for streaks.
Housework is SO redundant ! ! ! You scrub the toilets, vacuum the carpet, strip the beds, and dust everything - - - and six months later, you have to do it all over again ! ! !
Thanks Emagineers! I'll give the vinegar a go on my laminate flooring too! I have been doing it on my tile, etc...and am happy to know I can do it on the laminate as well! I think at my house I have to repeat all of that every week...sometimes every day! Ah...the joys of cleaning! :)
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