can't get these floors cleaned!!!

[ellairiesmom]

nak

I finally picked up a steam mop. went with the shark at bbb with my 20% off coupon & because we had a credit to use up there.

went over the whole house twice using a new microfiber in each room & flipped each over to use both sides.

my bare feet are still turning black today walking around.

i only used water in the mop as per the directions.

i am wondering about spraying a mixture directly onto the floor while steam mopping? maybe a squirt of 7th gen dishsoap with some vinegar & water???

how can i get these floors clean??? it is hardwood with some tiled areas.

[ChristyMarie]

For the hardwood it will probably take a few moppings. I use either vinegar or just a little dish soap. If it has a bunch of build up on it I would do vinegar for a few weeks. It will remove the layers of build up that can trap all kinds of dirt.

What kind of tile? Ceramic should come clean really easily. Is it linoleum?

[ellairiesmom]

thx! ok-so i will keep running over them & see.

the tile is ceramic. the tile seemed to respond well to the steam mop-except of course the grout. one of these days i'll get down on my hands & knees & get in the grout with a toothbrush. i can only see myself doing that a couple times a year though!

[ChristyMarie]

Is the ceramic textured? Ceramic should come clean easily with any floor cleaner. Grout is another thing and may just be stained beyond cleaning. They do have a bleach type cleaner for grout I believe.

For the wood do you switch out your water frequently? I find it is better to do a smaller bucket full and switch it out when it gets dirty. Just keep going with vinegar until you get the gunk off. And it doesn't take much. Really wring out your mop as well.

I've never used a steam type mop/vac so I can't help with that.

[Fuamami]

Use separate rinse water, the two bucket method? One w/soapy, one w/rinse.

[Drummer's Wife]

weird! we have ceramic tile and a steam mop, and they get super clean. I wonder if it's the build-up of the old cleaners you used? Hope you can get them clean soon.

[ellairiesmom]

my tiles seem clean. i think my real problem is the wood floors. i suspect that just cleaning them the past 2 years with a conventional mop, water & some 7th gen dish soap wasn't enough. we dont take our shoes off in the house & have 2 cats...
i guess i just wasn't doing a good job cleaning my floors.