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kristinannie
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| Posted: Jan 04 2013 at 11:32pm | IP Logged
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When we got our hardwood floors refinished, the man told me just to mop with vinegar and water. He advised against a steam mop. That said, a few friends of mine swear by them. Apparently, they do the job quickly and without a lot of scrubbing. Honestly, I have a huge hardwood area and it is just so daunting to mop it so I usually just really put it off. I would love something that worked well and was also quick. Do you ladies use a steam mop? Do you have a vacuum that doesn't scratch the floor? I would love any advice you could give me on this!
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Barb.b
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| Posted: Jan 05 2013 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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I wouldn't ever use a steam mop on hardwood floors - I don't think the steam is good for them. I vacuum with a canister vacuum that doesn't have a rotating brush. Also a use the dry swifter. Once per week I use a dry type dust mop with a spray especially formulated for hardwood floors. I think currently I have a bottle of Bona - but there are many choices.
Really if you vacuum (no rotating brushes), swifter and once per week dry/dust mop with hardwood cleaner - there isn't need for any other cleaning!
Barb
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 05 2013 at 9:35am | IP Logged
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Yes, a vac with no beater bar is what you want (though I personally hate our canister vacuum and miss having an upright!). I also dust-mop, using a Swiffer with dust cloths attached (rather than buying the disposable kind), to pick up fine dust and keep things clean between vacuumings. VERY occasionally, if stuff has been tracked in, I will LIGHTLY damp-mop with a tiny bit of vinegar water, to get up actual footprints, and then go over it with a dry dust mop.
Mostly, with our wood floors, which we have throughout our 90-year-old house, I find that the challenge is not so much mop-worthy dirt, like what winds up on the kitchen floor, as the loose stuff: lint from a particular area rug that sheds, plus dog hair, plus miscellaneous dust, all of which is easily dealt with by vacuuming, sweeping, and dry dust-mopping. I also find that it collects in particular places, such as under the couch and along the walls, so that it's not hard to sweep the worst of it up daily to keep the house looking respectably un-filthy.
Sally
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 05 2013 at 9:37am | IP Logged
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I should also add that with kids and a big dog, I'm not too uptight about scratches, even though our floors were newly refinished, pristine and gorgeous when we moved in, and I was a bit of a floor cop at first. Now I just think of it all as "lived-in patina," making the floors even more beautiful! Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to scar or warp them . . . :)
Sally
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Jan 05 2013 at 9:47am | IP Logged
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Agreeing with Barb and Sally -- I use a canister on our wood and occasionally swiffer (more often I just pull the canister back out). I use a steam mop on our tile but would never use it on the wood. To "wet clean" I use Bona like Barb. This is becoming more rare, though. We don't wear shoes indoors so the floors don't get as dirty. We have some scratches, but they are from furniture and instrument cases being dragged on the floor. Ive never noticed he canister scratching.
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pumpkinmom
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My mom bought one and she has hardwood floors. I used it one time and it left a film on her floors. She couldn't see it, so I didn't say anything about it.  She bought it because she hired a cleaning company to clean her house while she was going through chemo last year and they used one. I have no idea if it would hurt hardwood.
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CrunchyMom
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I don't wet clean our wood floors often. When I do, I used a Swiffer wet mop or a cloth and a spray bottle with Murphy's oil soap and water. Because we have hard wood throughout and regularly track in hard core dirt in addition to messes from home products, I actually bought a high quality shop vac  . I use it like a canister vac, and it had add ons to include all the standard vacuum attachments. Anything to get dh excited about buying an expensive vaccum
I figure that people with carpet don't shampoo more than once or twice a year, I shouldn't really need to mop all that often. 
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cathhomeschool
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CrunchyMom wrote:
| I figure that people with carpet don't shampoo more than once or twice a year, I shouldn't really need to mop all that often. |
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That's my thinking exactly! And I apply it to tile too, which is what we have in much of our living space.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Jan 05 2013 at 6:02pm | IP Logged
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The problem is that a lot of my wood is in the kitchen. I agree that the rest of the wood needs rare mopping. I only mop the entire floor once or twice a year and sweep or swiffer more frequently. There are just so many things that stick to my kitchen floor. When I do mop, it is so hard to get these things off! I usually end up on my hands and knees scrubbing. I guess I am looking for a shortcut here!!!
Also, those of you that vacuum your floors, can you recommend a good upright without a beater? I think this would be much easier than sweeping.
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Barb.b
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Ooo hard to find an upright without a beater. But I think you could find one that enables you to turn the beater off.
Barb
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Mary's daughter
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We have a shark upright that you can turn the beater off. I love it!
Stephanie
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: Jan 07 2013 at 10:25am | IP Logged
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When I had an upright, I had a Panasonic that allowed turning the beater off. It was a great vacuum. If you shop around, just make sure that when the vacuum is set to 'floor' that the beater really is off. I've had sales guys tell me it is when it's really not.
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Steam mop?
