Top tips/products for keeping floor clean.

[Haribojoe]

Have got open plan lounge/dining room which has laminate floor right through. (I know laminate isn't everyone's cup of tea but with kids, dog, pushchairs etc is ideal)

Anyway most days I hoover or sweep it at least once (usually more like 3 times) and like to wash it everyday if not working or out and about all day.

For washing I have been using Cillit Bang floor cleaner and mop (change mop head about once a month).

Recently I just haven't been as happy with how clean the floor is getting, though this could be because time of year means wet paws/feet and mud (dried or otherwise).

I do encourage everyone to take off shoes, wipe feet etc but sometimes it's a losing battle.

Any MN wisdom gratefully received

This time of year wet/muddy feet is generally a losing battle, but I have discovered floor wipes and I still clean the floors but use wipes for inbetween washing. I also have 'dirt trapper' mats at the front and back doors which makes a big difference to our floors.

I use Flash liquid and the floors always come up well. Used to use Ecover but didnt like the linseed smell much.

Wipes sound like good idea, especially for little spills at feeding times , keep trying with the mats but DS3 (15 months) likes to use them as toys!

You could wash your floors with just water every other day, all cleaning products leave a residue and with washing your floor so often that might be why it doesn't look as clean as you might like. I have a stone floor and I use biological washing powder (just a little bit) in very hot water to clean my floors, I find it really helps to break up the mud and food. (God it sounds like I live in a midden - its not THAT bad I just have 4 dogs, one toddler and erm one very messy DP .

Long Turtle mats at each external door help stop the dirt getting in to start with.

Hot water and lemon? Chemicals do leave a coating...someone mentioned this earlier.

Think I will try washing without detergent as can see what you mean about leaving a residue.

Thanks for all the answers, what would we do without MN?

I use a all purpose cleaner (half the dose it says on the bottle) in luke warm water and a mop (a square one with detachable mop thingy). I mop the floor a little wet to loosen the dirt and a second time with as much water squeezed out of the mop as I can to dry it up as much as possible. leaves no streaks and drys quickly this way. the mop thingy is put in the washing mashine about every 2 weeks.

Oh, and get a microfibre mop, they are wonderful.

puts microfibre mop on shopping list.

Will be going out mop shopping tomorrow!

get a steam cleaner
they are great,you dont use chemicals or anything that will leave a residue.
It just uses water and i add a couple of drops of tea tree to the water to make it smell fresh.
I have laminate downstairs too.
you wont regret it!
(off to get a life!)

I bought a JML mop (this one) compare.ebay.co.uk/like/290540297226?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar and so far its been excellent. I have a dog, 2 cats, 9 year old DS, and a very muddy DP. Tut.

I have laminate in the hall and tiled floor in the kitchen, and have tried lots of mops and products, and have found this to be the best so far. Its not as amazing as it makes out, but it does leave it clean and relatively streak free, and is very quick to use. It also dries in mega quick fashion (but again, not as quick as the packaging says!).

Just don't let your DS put it in a week old water and bleach filled mop bucket. Mine is not blue anymore . Still works just as well though!

Shut the door and lock it so no-one can go on the floor. Or make them hover.

do you have hard water? that will leave a limescale residue.

Also rinse the mop very thoroughly after each use. If you are using a flash sort of thing you shouldn't usually need to use anything extra to clean it.

for dry dirt a vac will suck it up, or even a soft broom.

big mats inside the doors, and a scrapy rubber mat outside as well if exposed to the weather (you can hose it off).

if you have a porch, a big coir mat in there, and a softer mat just inside. Coir mats do get very dirty. I hang mine on the fence and hose it sometimes.

slippers or indoor shoes by the front door; wellies by the back door, get people in the habit of changing. If your house is not cold people can walk around in their socks.