How to keep your floors clean?

As I was mopping yesterday, which is my least favorite chore EVER, I was pondering how others clean their floors.  I will be the first to admit that my floors are not as clean as they should be.  We vacuum far more than we sweep and mop, but that's due to a lot of dog hair on the carpet. 

I first sweep, then mop.  Yesterday, for some reason, I began wondering if I was really cleaning the floor or more or less moving the dirt around the room.  I guess I was looking for an epiphany to occur.  I use a regular mop and bucket and as I stared into the bucket water that was getting browner by the moment, I just couldn't help but think that I was putting the dirt and gunk back on the floor each time I wrung out the mop! 

I've tried doing it on my hands and knees, but we have too big of a kitchen/dining area to do that.  I've tried the swifer sweeper, but those got expensive and we are on a tight budget.  What else is there?

What do you ladies use to clean your floors?  HELP - Please share your thoughts and the products you use to clean your kitchen floors.  If you have a maid, I don't want to know, and if your husband is one who loves to mop, could you please send him my way.

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Posted by NYLass

We use Mr. Clean multi-surface with a sponge mop (you know the kind that folds in on itself - not the roll the sponge kind). We also spot clean - see a spot get one of the wash clothes you keep in your kitchen, put water and Mr. Clean (just a bit goes a long way) and scrub the spot.
I do also keep a swifer spray mop in the house, but use it only when occasionally, like if we're all sick and the kitchen needs cleaning - it really helps to have something that's that easy, but one bottle will last me a year (though I think that my kitchen might be smaller than yours).
BTW - I liked the line about the maid :-)
Anyway, I hope that this was sort of what you were looking for.
Annie

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Posted by jennickless

What a terrific question! I am in your boat! I vac every day, and sweep 2-3 times a day and mop. I use the jiffy mop that you can wash in your washing machine. It really picks up dog hair! So, my process improved some. I also twice a month scrub on my hands and knees then proceed to wax the floor. I wouldn't mind this but I am still not passing the white sock test! I use Murphy's Oil soap. I have tried HM solutions on the floor and have not been happy. That was the closet thing to natural that does not upset anyone's breathing.
I am going to be sure to check back on your posts for ideas too!
Good luck!

Jennifer

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Posted by Anonymous

We have a large kitchen/dining room area - I do on my hands and knees once a week at least - then other days I use one of the microfiber washable pads - fixed to one of those clean brooms that has ana utomatic sprayer and you normally would use disposible pads. I purchased it with a coupon, I fill a spray bottle with my own cleaner and then attach the washable microfiber. It does better than a mop - but still the hands and knees is the best clean there is... My husband was aghast the first time Imopped our floors with a normal mop soon after we married - that's not cleaning the floors, it's just moving the dirt around - he told me - so down on my hands and knees I went. I switched to the other kind when I was heavily pregnant with my 3rd child and the floor in our new home was a MUCH larger area to be cleaning that way so often. Maybe this would help. Target has various models of the washable pads and units to place it on.

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Posted by Anonymous

I left the last post - and reread the other comments - the swiffer cleaner is what I ahve and the bottle would only last me about 2 cleanings since our floor was so big - and so I switched to my own spray bottle.

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Posted by CitySteader

I've always used the "hands and knees with a rag" method. My mother taught us that mops just push around the gunk. I think they pick up some and I do use one on occasion. I sweep...well, not often enough, and try to hand wash the floor at least once a week. When I lived in an all non-carpeted house, I used a mop. I just mopped a LOT!

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