Household chore challenges and strategies as we age (2014, costs, mom)
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I have one of those Libman mops and like it too. But it's still the kind of thing where you need to use a bucket (or be near a sink). A disadvantage IMO.
Yeah, you're right the bucket can be an inconvenience sometimes, but there are times if I'm doing a quicky/spot mopping in between my weekly cleaning (picture hot dogs drooling here and there) I will use (vinegar/water) in a spray bottle, it works out alright for me.
When you mentioned a scrub brush with a handle - I thought of this gizmo I have:
Looks like it does a great job...but I love the video commercial, it's a classic.
A pumice stone on a stick. Great for getting rid of mineral/hard water stains in toilets and similar. Can also remove callouses from your feet (although I wouldn't use the same stick for both jobs ). Robyn
Hmmm, I might have to buy two separate ones...one for the feet and one for the toilet.
A report. I got the new steam cleaner - and used it. The results were pretty illuminating. Even though all my floors are washed once a week - the wash pads after I went over my floors were pretty dirty. I found the particular machine I bought was very easy to use - quick too in terms of "heat up time". It doesn't purport to sanitize/kill all germs if you just use it as a quick mop (as opposed to applying it in a particular area for 15 seconds) - but I'm just looking for "clean" (don't plan to eat off my floors).
FWIW - you're supposed to sweep before you use it - but I don't know why you have to. The pad looks like it would pick up dust and similar (although - it if did pick up dust - you'd just have to wash it/rinse it off more often).
A report. I got the new steam cleaner - and used it. The results were pretty illuminating. Even though all my floors are washed once a week - the wash pads after I went over my floors were pretty dirty. I found the particular machine I bought was very easy to use - quick too in terms of "heat up time". It doesn't purport to sanitize/kill all germs if you just use it as a quick mop (as opposed to applying it in a particular area for 15 seconds) - but I'm just looking for "clean" (don't plan to eat off my floors).
FWIW - you're supposed to sweep before you use it - but I don't know why you have to. The pad looks like it would pick up dust and similar (although - it if did pick up dust - you'd just have to wash it/rinse it off more often).
Robyn
Re: the sweeping -- I would bet it would make a real mess out of kibble -- just steam it and mush it around. And there's never one piece of kibble -- my cats knock it everywhere.
I've seen Cuban mops and used them (was introduced to them by one of my housekeepers - who wasn't Cuban). Still own one. They wind up being problematic for larger floor areas as opposed to "spot cleaning". And I really don't like having to wash all the dirty rags. The last mop I really liked was the Clorox "Readymop". They weren't built well (so they didn't last that long) - but they were inexpensive and got the job done. Unfortunately - the product was discontinued. I bought the Rubbermaid Reveal mop to replace it. But it doesn't do as good a job IMO (the washable pads don't seem to absorb enough water - so you're dusting - not washing - the floor).
This thread has inspired me to buy a new cleaning gadget. A steam mop. Not so much for "sanitizing" as for simple cleaning (I don't eat off my floors ). Will see how it goes and report back. Robyn
I've got one of those, a Shark Steam mop and that's what I use to clean our tile floors.It comes with three mop heads of different sizes (including a smaller triangle shaped one for corners) along with covers for all of the mop heads. It seems to work pretty well- the floors look clean, and as you said, floors aren't meant to be sterile surfaces.
[/b]I've got one of those, a Shark Steam mop and that's what I use to clean our tile floors.It comes with three mop heads of different sizes (including a smaller triangle shaped one for corners) along with covers for all of the mop heads. It seems to work pretty well- the floors look clean, and as you said, floors aren't meant to be sterile surfaces.
What does this do on real wood floors (not laminate)?
Thank you! Our floors are antique wood and we wouldn't want to ruin those.
With wood floors you hardly have to do anything at all. I have tile now and it's easier because I don't have to worry about scratching it but I'd take wood any day. I always used one of those string dust mops (the kind you don't like) and just sprayed a very slight bit of water on it. Go over the floors to pick up the dust and that was all. The floors looked as good the day I moved out as they did the day I moved in.
NEGirl, you should never steam clean wood floors. It can damage the finish, crack, warp the wood.
I guess I would be leery too of using a steam mop on wood floors, because I know that water on the floor can damage the finish and do a number on the wood- at least when the wood's exposed to water for some time. And I'd probably, just out of an abundance of caution, not use a steam mop on a wood floor because I'm not so sure over time that there might not be some effect on the floor. The thing is, though, that the steam that comes out of the mop doesn't leave much moisture on the floor, and what's there evaporates rapidly. In that case, I'd wonder if using a steam mop would expose a wood floor to that much moisture?
I guess it would depend on how rapidly you move the mop over the floor, and if I recall there is a caution/ warning in the owners' manual NOT to leave a mop that's turned on sitting in one place on a wood or a laminate floor for more than a minute or so because doing so could damage the floors.
But what's interesting, is that I just visited the Shark Mop site, and on the fFloor Care link on the site, they show pictures of some of their steam mop products in action.
And the floors they're cleaning? Yup, hardwoods! Of course they may be laminate, there's no way to tell from the pictures.
Just occurred to be as I wheeled in a 'thousand' grocery bags that one very helpful item is the foldable shopping cart.
It handles going up stairs very well, too.
I also have several different size dollies that I made and a very small cart that resembles an appliance dolly which has allowed me to move loads of things around without having to get somebody to help or endanger my back. A full size appliance dolly has been put into use, too, for things like heavy dressers.
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). Robyn
and one for the toilet.
). Will see how it goes and report back. Robyn
