October 6, 2011
Day 6
Before we get started, I just want to thank you for coming here every day and participating in this challenge! I know it’s difficult to clean with or without little ones around and with work and play schedules, but hopefully you are finding a couple minutes every day to tidy up.
Wash Floors
Before I wash floors, I do a quick once over with my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop Dusting pad to get the dog hair and dust. I vacuumed edges yesterday, so this only takes a couple minutes. Then on ‘wash floors’ day, I wash all the hard floors in my home. I have a combination of hardwood (kitchen, entryway, and powder room), tile (bathrooms), and linoleum in the mud room and laundry room. Most weeks I use my Black and Decker Steam Mop for all of these spaces and then if I need to do a little touch up during the week (rarely happens, just too busy), I use my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop. I really like that with either of these mops, the floor washing pad can be tossed in the washing machine after each use.
What do you use to wash your floors? Traditional mop and bucket, hands and knees….any timesaving tips you’d like to share?
Then the daily tasks….
Sweep Floors
(quick sweep of any hard floors that need it – I concentrate on my kitchen)
Wipe counters
(wipe down kitchen counters, make sure sink is clean and dishes are in/out of dishwasher)
Clutter
(quick declutter of any areas that need it – mail, toys, shoes, clothes, etc.)
Laundry
(do at least one load every single day)
L2L Says
I have linoleum where I don’t have carpet so I have found that I put my floor cleaning solution in a squirt bottle and use a cloth attachment to my old swiffer and I’m off with a squirt and swoosh, lol. I do have the kids go around the baseboards once a month with a sponge to get anything that might have been pushed up to the side or that I missed and we sweep before and after I mop.
Dorothy Says
I love my steam mop! I’ll never go back to a regular mop again =) I do have a question-do you really only vacuum once per week? I find that if I don’t vac daily, it gets out of control. I have 3 boys, a husband and even with no dog currently AND leaving shoes by the door, the carpets downstairs need vacuuming every day! (upstairs can get by with once/week)
Clean Mama Says
Dorothy-
Good question – I do vacuum carpets once a week, but the majority of out lower level living space is hardwood, so the daily sweeping and the occasional extra vacuum keeps the dirt/dust/dog hair/crumbs at bay. And we have a berber carpet that hides dirt nicely, which helps!
xo, Becky
ainslee Says
I have mostly hardwood floors also and I LOVE my Norwex antibac wet mop, it gets my floor nice and clean. I only have to use water and when it gets dirty I throw it in the wash.
Anonymous Says
I absolutely love this blog and love that you are sharing a whole month of your routines! I have tried over and over again to get a good routine down, but I generally just run around and clean things when I see they need it- for example- I noticed a spot of dust on the blinds today, so I did a good once over on all of my blinds. For floor cleaning (I have all hardwood everywhere and two dogs and 2 under 2) I sweep the main areas 2-3 times a day, and the whole house every other day, along with either a swiffer wet jet or a steam- depending on how dirty they look. I just love the look of glistening clean hardwood- don’t you? Thanks for all the tips! I am lovin it!
Alana in Canada Says
Really? You wash your hardwood floors every week?
calicodaisy Says
Thanks for all your effort this month. I am a very talented person, but I have never gotten the hang of housekeeping — decorating, yes, housekeeping, no, and the thing is, that is the one area that I believe defines me! So, I’m always frustrated and never feel up to par in this area. Anyway, I can’t handle the mop well. My husband is awesome at it, but if I have to wash floors myself, I just have to get a bucket of soap and water, washcloths, and a towel to dry behind me. When it’s over, I’m a mess! — michele
Kendra Says
“I do a quick once over with my Rubbermaid Reveal Mop Dusting pad to get the dog hair and dust. I vacuumed edges yesterday, so this only takes a couple minutes.”
Because you had vacummed the edges yesterday, do you not have to worry about the dusting pad reaching into the corners? I am considering buying a Rubbermaid Reveal Mop, but need to know if it is worth the $25 price tag. What broom do you use on a daily basis? I have mainly tile floors and need to sweep daily.
“Most weeks I use my Black and Decker Steam Mop” Have you ever used the Shark Steam Mop? I have the Shark and like it for the most part. If you have used the Shark, how does it compare to Black and Decker? Where did you find the Black and Decker Steam Mop?
Clean Mama Says
Hi Kendra-
Right, because I vacuumed the edges yesterday I’m not too concerned with the corners.
Broom – just a standard broom and dust pan for crumbs after breakfast/lunch/dinner when necessary.
I had a Shark, but LOVE the Black and Decker (I like that you can adjust the temp for different floors) – you can find them at Target, Amazon, etc.
Sarah DeJesus Says
Hi! Love your site. Do you use any cleaning solution when cleaning the floors? If so, which types?
Becky Says
Post authorCheck out this post:
http://www.cleanmama.net/2015/02/the-best-way-to-clean-and-care-for-hard-surface-floors.html