Justin got me a book for my birthday last year that opened my eyes to a new way of mopping. Green Housekeeping, my first resource for keeping my housekeeping green, very gently pointed out that each time I mopped I was sloshing around dirty water on my supposedly clean floor. It didn’t matter if I was using one of those squeezable mops or an old fashioned cotton mop. Either way the dirt from the floor was being added back into the clean water and I was mopping the rest of the floor with that dirty water. Gross! Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier? I had been mopping for nearly fifteen years and had never thought of that grodiness factor.
In Green Housekeeping, Ellen Sandbeck introduces the idea of using a Dutch Rubber Broom, a bucket of water and vinegar, and some clean rags as a means of mopping. One just wets the rag in the water and vinegar, wrings it out slightly, drops it on the floor and scrubs away with the Dutch Rubber Broom.
Well I’m all for cleaning effectively and efficiently and decided to give it a try. I don’t have a Dutch Rubber Broom, but found an old Swiffer Sweeper in the hall closet when we moved it. I have been using the Swiffer instead of the rubber broom with much success.
I grab several old rags, fill a bucket with water and vinegar and go to town. The wet rag fits nicely on the Swiffer. I mop with that rag until it’s dirty, and then I toss it in the laundry room and grab another. The floor gets mopped with clean water, rather than dirty. The vinegar and water give the floor a nice shine without any film. I also use the technique on the laminate floors, just using a slightly damp rag without any vinegar.
The floors look much better now than when I used to use other cleaning products and a regular mop, without the need for harmful chemicals. I've been very pleased.
4 comments:
Do you have any other suggestions besides vinegar? I just can't do the smell...it drives me nuts!
I have this thing called the Shark that you plug in and it cleans with just steam. It's way cool and gets the floor really clean...I just don't mop enough. =)
Libby,
I haven't tried anything else on the floor. Baking soda and water work wonders in my bathrooms, but I haven't tried them on the floors yet. I usually use a 1:3 ratio of vinegar and water and don't have any residual smell. Justin doesn't like the smell of vinegar either, but hasn't mentioned any smell and just notices that the floors are clean:)
Michelle,
I've had other friends say that their steamer works wonders on the floor. I'll have to look the Shark up online. Thanks for the idea.
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