May 6, 2008 | Floors, Cleaning tips

Q (from V.): I really hope that you can help me.. I want clean floors. Let me rephrase that, I DESPERATELY NEED CLEAN FLOORS! I have dark green ceramic tiles throughout the majority of my house and I cannot get them clean. I have tried almost every product, they either a: Do nothing or b: Leave streaks and smears all over the tile. I have tried 3 different mops and countless cleaners. I would like to walk barefoot in my home without being creeped out!

A: Understandable, V.! I feel your pain. I have tile floors, and they can be a hassle to clean. Let’s see if some of these suggestions will help you.

First, it’s all in the process. Here are the steps:

1. Get up any loose dirt or grime first with a vacuum. If your vacuum isn’t appropriate for hard floors use a broom and dustpan, but the vacuum would certainly be quicker.
2. Next, fill your bucket with plenty of warm water and a cleaning solution that doesn’t use soap and doesn’t need to be rinsed (we’ll list some suggestions below).
3. Now, wringing out as much water from your mop as possible (and we prefer one of those wringable string mops - just twist to your heart’s content), mop small areas at a time, rinsing your mop in the water frequently.
4. BUT, when your mop water gets dark and cloudy, you’ll need to change the water - that’s important.
5. Mop the whole floor (or separate it into 2-3 sections if it’s a very large area), then grab an old towel and dry the floor - it’s easiest if you put the towel under your feet and shuffle around. You’ll be amazed at how much dirt your towel picks up from your cleanly mopped floor.

So, the next question. What do you use to clean your tile floor? You’ll want to avoid anything with vinegar, ammonia, or bleach, as they can each harm either the tile itself or the grout. Also avoid anything oil-based as it will leave a residue over time.

My favorite for ceramic tile is lemon juice and water (1/2 cup lemon juice in a bucket of water). Add a few drops of essential oils if you’d like - lavender is calming, or peppermint to give you an energy boost. If it’s cold season or you have allergies or asthma you might try eucalyptus. But keep in mind, if your floors are in bad condition to start with, it will take several cleanings to get the grime up.

Want something stronger? Shaklee H2 will make any floor sparkle - be it tile, hardwood, linoleum, or vinyl. Only a couple teaspoons in your bucket will do the job nicely. Other options? Mela Magic by Melaleuca has given us good results, as has Seaside Naturals All-Purpose spray.

Hope this helps! Remember though, it’s all in the process.

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1. AJ in AZ says:

   
   

   In one sentence you say to avoid anything with vinegar and in another you say to use vinegar. Which is it?

   May 7th, 2008 at 10:48 am

2. mudlark says:

   
   

   Eek! Thanks for catching that! I’ll chalk that up to Momnesia! Just a lack of proofreading. I’ve fixed it now, but it should have read lemon juice rather than vinegar.

   May 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

3. Allie says:

   
   

   Wow! I will have to try this on my bathroom floor! That’s awesome!

   May 8th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

4. V says:

   
   

   Thanks so much for the advice! I’m going to try this weekend!

   May 8th, 2008 at 10:35 pm

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