About Randy Leighty Experience Over 15 years experience with Mirachem Corporation, a manufacturer of cleaning technologies. I have served as a trainer, technical writer, project coordinator, customer service representative and sales consultant. I can help with industrial cleaning questions, too!
Question Hi, Randy
It's so hard to keep my ceramic tile and wood floors clean. Like almost every other homemaker, I don't like to have to mop every week (and to be honest, I don't). But what's most frustrating is that after I do, the dirt makes a return within just a couple of days. (It makes me wonder-Why is it worth it.)
My recent dilemma was a floor that didn't look clean after I cleaned it. I had written to Sijka, and she kindly told me that water with vinegar would minimize the haze on my wood floors and prevent the water marks. She was absolutely right. That does seem to be the best. It doesn't leave a sticky residue, either. I seriously doubt there could be anything on the market that could do better.
Now my dilemma is dirt.. It constantly gets tracked in from the street, the yard, the garage... it's frustrating. The bottom of our socks are *still* dirty, even after I've mopped with a sponge mop! Even my toddler complains there's dirt on the bottom of her feet. It's alost comical.
Sijka was so kind to have given me the name of a power cleaning device that she recommends, and (unfortunately for my brain), the name of it escapes me. I figure maybe this time I will break the bank and make a purchase.
Randy, what would be your recommendation on all aspects?
I appreciate your help.
-Caryn
Answer Howdy, Caryn.
Looks like the week for floor questions; I’ve just answered two others that won’t show up to the world for a few days.
For starters, let me refer you to a couple of previous floor questions. These are specifically about wood laminate, but there are details that will apply to your situation as well.
The vast majority of floor cleaning questions that come up really don’t relate to cleaning, but to finish. This is your “the floor just didn’t look clean” comment. It seems to me you have progressed from cleaning, to managing finish, and are now at a “real” cleaning problem.
The vinegar and water solution can be helpful with finish problems that arise from water spots. Water spots are usually the dried minerals left behind when water evaporates. Vinegar is a weak acid, and acids are typically used to remove inorganic contaminants such as mineral deposits. However, vinegar does not give you any help from a “cleaning” standpoint.
While most “stains” that occur on a normal floor can be pretty well handled by water, dirt is a particulate and will not readily go into suspension with water, particularly the small amounts of water that would typically be involved in mopping. This is why most cleaning products contain surface active agents (surfactants) that help lift particulate form a surface and hold it in suspension with water so that it can be easily removed.
So, I think the answer to you question is to use a little bit of an All Purpose Cleaner (APC) in your cleaning routine.
If using an APC in your cleaning begins to compromise your finish, and it will likely do so on occasion or over time, refer to my suggestions in the previous posts referenced above. The real trick is just don’t overdo the amount of product that you use.
The equipment that had been suggested to you was probably made by Bissel or Eureka. I’ve seen commercials for these units which are essentially carpet cleaners designed for hard surface floors, ie., they’ve got extraction capability. While the principle behind these units is sound, remove the water and remove a finish problem, I have no experience with how well they work in practice. If you really want to check up on these, I recommend looking at Consumer Reports and seeing if they’ve done any work on these types if units.
I can tell you that I wouldn’t spend the money on one. Having to drag out another piece of equipment for a job that I can do just as well with a terry towel and my feet seems a real pain in the rear to me. I am an ardent supporter of making sure you have the right tools for a job, but this seems like serious overkill to me.
I don’t know if I’ve answered your question, but I hope I have helped.
Randy Leighty
Cleaning Guide
Mirachem Corporation
clean.guide@mirachem.com
