What do I *really* need: floor cleaning edition

January 17, 2023 2:22 PM

We have hardwood floors / tile all throughout the first floor. They get a lot of traffic. Currently I have a Dyson cordless vacuum that I use to pick up debris on the hardwood /tile and then a Swiffer and a Bona microfiber mop. None are really getting the job done, alone or in combination.

So, the question then is what do I need to really keep the hardwood and tile floors CLEAN? By CLEAN I mean food debris, dust, and lint gets picked up and the surfaces are cleaned with some kind of liquid/mop combo. I'm not adverse to an old school mop/bucket but that seems like a lot of trouble. Is a Shark steam cleaner what I really need?

posted by tafetta, darling! to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

We have a Shark steam mop thingumajig, and it's pretty good at picking up all of the grime that gets stuck to flooring. With it using steam, the flooring dries within a few seconds, so I don't find I'm concerned about damaging wood (which was a concern when I used a mop and bucket). It definitely picks up *something*, presumably all the gunk that can't be removed by suction alone. Definitely an upgrade from a microfibre mop.
posted by pipeski at 2:33 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have a Roomba 692 (the cheap one) and I cannot suggest it enough! I also have a steam mop (also a cheap one, Shark model). It’s better than a manual mop, but I feel like it could be better.
posted by sacrifix at 2:37 PM on January 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

We have a low-end Eufy robot vac. For wet cleaning I've always used a mop and bucket with Murphy's oil soap. They really aren't that much trouble, and I find I only need to mop high traffic areas maybe once a month.
posted by hydropsyche at 2:47 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Prevention: ban outside shoes from your house (slippers only), clean any messes asap with paper towels, make sure your air filter is regularly replaced (on a monthly basis is optimal), and maybe add a HEPA air filter (this helps a lot with dust).

Pre-floor clean: dust all other surfaces top to bottom (shelving, TV/media, knick-knacks), that way there’s less dust to fall.

Cleaning: get a big old stiff-brushed push broom like janitors use, and a mop and two buckets. You need one bucket for clean water with the cleaning agent, and the other bucket for the dirty water (wring the mop into that one after you’ve used it then dip into the clean one for the next round). That way you’re not just pushing dirty water around.

For a mop, I like the Vileda Super Twist XL, because it’s got little scrubbers on it to attack stickier things.

I hate doing floors more than anything, like I **really** hate it. The only way I get through it is by treating it like cardio.
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:00 PM on January 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

Also, make sure you get the baseboards and tops of sockets and light switches with the broom or your vacuum (or a rag) before you do the floors.

(Once again must say I loathe all of this.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 3:06 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Agree 100% with cotton dress sock, but also want to add that the weak point in your system is almost certainly the cordless vacuum, which pretty much never work as well as any generic corded vacuum. I don't think my setup is particularly special, but my corded Shark Navigator vacuum, O-Cedar microfiber mop, Bona spray, and plenty of unskilled elbow grease get my 100 year old hardwood floors clean of debris, dust, lint, and pretty much anything else that could be picked up without specialized products or equipment.
posted by exutima at 8:52 PM on January 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

YMMV, of course, but there is at least some concern that steam cleaning is not safe for hardwood floors.

As a heads up, speaking from a different sort of safety perspective-- there are potential privacy concerns with Roombas and Eufy (the company).
posted by oceano at 9:13 PM on January 17, 2023

I've found a wet/dry vacuum very effective at solving this issue (previously also used your method of a Dyson then Swiffer, and mopping as needed, but it was just...a lot of work, and the floors never seemed clean enough). I was reluctant to use a steam cleaner on my hardwood floors for the reasons oceano raised.

This is the type I have:
https://us.tineco.com/products/ifloor.html

The Bissell Crosswave is similar and seemed to have decent reviews online.

I'll note that I did have a Shark steam cleaner for awhile (used when I had floors I cared less about damaging) until it broke, and it was fine, but kind of pushed the dirt around more than I'd like. Felt more like just sanitizing than cleaning. Also, still had to sweep first (the iFloor eliminates this step, or at least the vacuum/sweep can be less thorough).
posted by ersatzhuman at 10:14 PM on January 17, 2023

Also sometimes vacuums get clogged and you have to clear/otherwise maintain them or else they blow dust etc back. I just had to clear mine up (also a Shark Navigator!).
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:36 AM on January 18, 2023

I've lived with old floors last refinished generations ago, with big gaps, bumps, dents and odd bits of space for decades. You need two things to clean them properly:

(1) A canister plug in vaccuum with good suction and
(2) an old-fashioned sponge mop and bucket with a little bit of vinegar and a little bit of dish soap in the water. If the floor is really filthy, I sometimes wash it twice. Mostly I do not however, but the difference in scent, from stuffy to fresh, and the difference under foot, from dusty to clean, is notable, as is the richer more finished-looking color of the flooring after I'm done.

I've lived with new fake shallow wood floors without a dent or a bump or a gap. Cordless vacuums work better on this type of flooring too though compared to plug in canister types they're still weak. Swiffer does work with this kind of flooring because they are basically like thick paper towels over a sponge mop and the floor is as smooth as glass. If these aren't working for you, however, put them in storage or give them away.
posted by Violet Blue at 9:30 AM on January 18, 2023

The Spin Mop - Vileda and Home Hardware both have them - works well for me. I add a few drops of Dawn to the water, then spray the area of the floor with Murphys Oil Soap. Our floors are very old and were poorly finished some time in the past, so I occasionally finish up with a coat of Quick Shine or similar product, using a different mop.
One advantage of the Spin Mop is that the fluffy heads are removable and washable.
posted by Enid Lareg at 9:33 AM on January 18, 2023

After a similar question recently, I ended up buying a Bissel Crosswave Pet, which is a map/vacuum combo. I cannot speak to wooden floors, but it leaves very little water on my tiles and holy crap that stuff it scrubbed off a "clean" floor was ridiculous.

The advantage over a steam cleaner is that it has a clean water tank and a dirty water tank so you're not cleaning some of your floor and then spreading stuff over the rest. Mine is corded, which I don't mind. and I can easily do almost all of the house on a single tank, and because you don't need to vacuum first, you're only doing one pass of the house.

Cons are it does not get into corners (it leaves a 2 inch strip) and it's a little too big to get under low furniture, but it will do at least 90% to a really good level of clean. If I could figure out how to post a before and after pic I would.

I love it. The only time I use an old fashioned mop is to do a quick touch up around the edges of something, which takes me less than five minutes.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:15 PM on January 18, 2023