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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.

As if endocrine-disrupting BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, and pesticides in fruits and veggies, hormones and antibiotics in milk and meats, and drugs in our water weren’t enough for us to worry about as we try to protect our kids, a study done by the Michigan-based Ecology Center found high levels of toxins in car seats, from infant rear-facing car seats all the way up to belt-positioning boosters. (more…)

That is pretty much how I am feeling these days. Gas prices have gotten outrageous all over the world and sometimes I feel like there isn’t anything I can do about it. Or is there? (more…)

We hope that all of you who are new to our service and blog find it enjoyable and helpful! And thanks to those of you who already visit us regularly! We love our clients and fellow bloggers! We also love our planet and we’re glad we got to take a day and celebrate its beauty this Earth Day.