I Need a Really Good Floor Cleaner

[pamperedlinda]

I have @ 2600 sf of Hardwoods and Tile floors in my house. I've been using a Hoover Floor Mate for the past several years and I LOVE the way it cleans my floors. The problem is that for the price this product doesn't seem to be made very well. I've replaced almost everything on it that can be replaced once already and now other parts are broken on it (it's just about completely made of plastic ). And now it's just useless - did a horrible job on my floors this morning.

Here's my dilemna. My husband doesn't want to buy another Floor Mate since this one wasn't built very well. He agrees that we need another hard floor cleaner, but we don't really know what's out there or what works really good. What do you reccommend - or NOT reccommend - and why?

BTW I'm not interested in anything like a swiffer wet-jet - I don't want any of the floor cleaners that have pads that you have to change out. What I like about the floor mate is that you always clean with a clean solution and the dirty water gets sucked into another reservior.

Thanks for your help!
Linda

 

[jaye]

I have all tiles and hardwoods as well... I sweep and mop. I also use Swiffer pads for in between. I know that is what you said you weren't interested, but besides using an old-fashioned broom and mop, there isn't anything else that I have found out there.
I am interested in trying that hardwood floor stuff that that guy Billy Mays shows on TV... but I haven't gotten the guts to actually buy it.
Good luck!
Jaye

 

[Paige Dixon]

Go see what your vacuum repair guy has or recommends.

 

[cmdtrgd]

A friend emailed this to me. Not sure if it is true, but thought I would let you guys know so you could research it....I know that most of us have heard this before, but it's always a good reminder to keep the kids and pets safe!!


I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German
shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog
was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they
had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The
liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had
ingested poison of some kind! The dog is kept
inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so
the idea of him getting into something unknown was
hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all
the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer(r)
Wet Jet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning that
stated, "may be harmful to small children and animals."He called the company to ask what the
contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded
to find out that anti freeze is one of the ingredients,
(actually he was told it's a compound which is one
molecule away from antifreeze). Therefore, just by the
dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution,
then licking its own paws; it ingested enough of the
solution to destroy its liver.Soon after his dog's death, his housekeepers' two
cats also died of liver failure. They both used the
Swiffer(r) Wet Jet for quick cleanups
on their floors. Necropsies weren't done on the cats,
so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we
spread the word to as many people as possible so they
don't lose their animals. This is equally harmful
to babies and small children that play on the floor a
lot and put their fingers in their mouths a lot.PLEASE, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE BABIES, SMALL
CHILDREN OR OWN A PET--PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON!

 

[jaye]

I just looked that up to be sure, all the websites are saying that it is an false rumor started.

Check out: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp for more information.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I just use water on my hardwoods. A slightly damp mop/rag. That's what our floor guys told us when we got our first house with hardwoods and they look great! I know they're clean because socks stay clean and if I randomly run a damp white cloth over the floor it stays clean! Of course if something nasty spills (like an animal having an accident) that area gets cleaned with a disinfectant cleaner and then a good rinse.

They recently ran a piece on TV (actually this morning) that even washing your hands in just water removes just as much bacteria and germs as if soap is used. I had heard that before but they recently ran research on it.

 

[jaye]

Hi Beth,

I had heard the same thing! Thanks for sharing that information!

Jaye

 

[BethCooks4U]

And it doesn't matter if the water is hot or not.

even for things like dishes, soap is needed for cutting grease but otherwise it's not really necessary. That being said I ALWAYS use soap on my hands and for my dishes, etc.

 

[bbauman07]

I use murphy's soap for hardwood floors.

After the kids get older I will probally try just h2o.

 

[sillylittlechef]

I have hardwood floors also, and vinyl in my kitchen. I fill a sink with vinegar and water to clean both. It's simple and cheap and harmless to little ones (I have a crawling 10mo. old). The vinegar doesn't leave the floors sticky like most cleaners do. I also bought a hardwood floor dust broom. It's a microfiber towel that is machine washable it cleans the dust and dirt and shines the floor. You can also spray furniture polish on it to make the floor shinier, but beware---it might be slippery! It's also inexpensive! I think under $15 and you can buy replacement heads for $5. It's the best thing I have bought for my floor. It's great for a quick clean up!

 

[dcypcar.chef]

I also have hardwood floors throughout my home and I have the enviro steamer and I love it. For in between cleanings I use the swiffer type mop with a Pampered Chef microfiber towel instead of their refill pads. It works great and completely reuseable. Use whatever cleaner you want. I use vinegar and hot water. I haven't had a problem yet.

 

[lacychef]

I just looked that up to be sure, all the websites are saying that it is an false rumor started.

Check out: http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/swiffer.asp for more information.

Yep, just another thing to scare us! I got an email about this about 6 months ago; the next day I got another email stating it wasn't true. I was worried cause that's what I was using at the time.