I’m heading out the door for church in just a little while; but as I surveyed my kitchen this morning the question of the week came to me.
How do you keep your kitchen floor clean?
Our kitchen floor gets swept 3 times a day. When it comes to mopping? Not so much. That’s a job that discourages me. I’ve tried it all: Mopping on hands and knees (which seems to get it the cleanest but takes the longest), quickie mopping with a cheap mop (and the foam falls off in two weeks,) and the ol’ standby mop and bucket (which is harder and I don’t like the room the bucket takes up.)
And the mop job, no matter the method, doesn’t last longer than overnight! If you are home, with little children all day, the floor is going to get messy.
So, please, share your thoughts and methods, and even products. If you tell us that you make your husband do it for you – we will ignore you. If you have a maid…you, too, are disqualified. If you’re particularly open and brave, tell us how often you mop your kitchen floor. 
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April 6, 2008 at 9:40 pm |
…only when my feet start sticking to it! Ha! It is hard to find time to mop, for all of the reasons you mentioned above. I hope someone has an answer for me as well!
April 6, 2008 at 10:05 pm |
It’s more expensive than I would like it to be — but we use the Swiffer Wet Jet. (Doesn’t clean as well as on hands and knees, etc. But then, if I got *down* on my hands and knees I think I would end up praying instead of mopping – praying that I could actually *get up* from way down there.) Cleaning with the Wet Jet is still a lot cleaner than not mopping at all – which tends to be the only alternative here.
When we have a dog and I am *well*, I like to mop a couple of times a week at least. All of downstairs is tile and wood and even when you can’t see the dirt, it is *so* evident if you should have to wipe up spilled water.
I refuse to admit to how infrequently the floors have been mopped, let alone swept, the past few months though.
April 6, 2008 at 11:09 pm |
I have this thing for clean floors. I love them. I find the thing that works best is a hot bowl of water with a little pine sol. I use an absorbent dish rag (what you use to dry dishes) and a knitted dish towel (the kind your grandma makes to wipe counters down).
Sweep the floor first, of course. Then on hands and knees use the dishrag to clean the tiles, then dry the tiles with the dishtowel. The second part is the key: you get the floor dry *right away* so no one leaves footprints on your floor.
I never have streaks on the floor and it actually is alot quicker and more effective than a mop…and it’s cheap!
The problem with cleaning floors? It’s dirty the next day, just as you said, Holly! But for a few hours, my heart is happy and I keep saying, “Don’t these floors look lovely?”
Oh…and the dog is wonderful for cleaning crumbs!
April 6, 2008 at 11:20 pm |
You mean that they are supposed to be kept clean?!?!?!?! Oh my!
Mine get swept almost daily except the rugs and due to the fact that our floor leaks into the basement when it gets too wet and I have RA which means using pressure and water means flair-ups I only spot clean. Someday we plan to get one of those robot cleaning things but for now we will live with less than perfect floors.
April 6, 2008 at 11:26 pm |
Um…my floor. always, well…..not as clean as my mom would prefer.
Spot mops when needed. As in I wet a rag, put it on the floor, place foot on rag and then remove the offending spot.
Works a charm especially when combined with a sweeping or vacuuming. 
When I clean the floor properly, (I aim for every four to six weeks) then I sweep the floor, then I vaccuum the floor as apparently I’m an awful sweeper!, then I get a big bucket with FOUR rags (why four? I have a helpful son – ’nuff said), lots of HOT as I can stand it water (dries very quickly then) and this wonderful green cleaner from Melaluca.
then I get down on my hands and knees and do up the whole thing. Looks really good for about two days (max) and then I’m back to the spot clean thing.
Of course I am blessed with a MIL who is a darling. If she ever comes and stays with my boy child for more than 6 hours, my floor will be spotless as well as all my kitchen counters without being made to feel guilty about it either. She’s a huge blessing in my life and the best housekeep I’ve ever met!
(sorry Holly…does the exclude me?) She’s not here for more than 6 hours all that often if that helps. 
April 7, 2008 at 12:06 am |
I think mopping is my least favorite chore of all. However it is the chore that brings the cleanest feel to a kitchen. I just wish it would last longer. I vaccum our floors at least once a day. We have a 160 pound English Mastiff that is a house dog…need I say more? Before I mop, I make sure the kitchen has been vaccumed well. This makes the mopping go much faster. I use hot water and Mr. Clean. I also purchased Don Aslett’s cleaning cloths from QVC. I got 6 of them for about $18.00. These are great. They make mopping much easier. I have used them for about 3 years now, and they are still in fine shape.
I also purchased a Don Aslett mop and 2 microfiber mop heads. They are just a thick cloth that velcros onto the mop. They can be used with or without cleaner. I have used them many times without cleaner and it is great for a quick spot mop treatment. The mop and cloths were about $30.00. I have used them for about 3 years as well, and they are still in good working condition. When you are done mopping, just pop the cloth in the washing machine with other towels. With the mop cloth and the other cloths mentioned above, you just have to be careful not to use fabric softner in the laundry. It does something to the material and they don’t work as well.
I need to mop our kitchen tile at least 2 times a week with spot mops in between. The reality of it is that I usually mop only once a week with spot mops in between.
grace and peace,
julie
April 7, 2008 at 1:33 am |
We’re pretty laid back when it comes to mopping. Sweeping happens daily, or at least should. Mostly we spot-mop. One fun way to mop is by getting a bunch of washcloth sized rags and wet them with mild soap and water. I throw them on the floor and let my barefoot girls “skate” around the floor. They like to line up and have races. It isn’t a super thorough cleaning but they sure have fun! As you can tell I’m not much of a neat-freak. If the floors are swept and there aren’t big sticky spots I’m happy. When I do an official mop it is pretty much the same method as above except I’m on my hands and knees with those rags.
I’ve found that floors in Alaska take a real beating. Most people take shoes off when entering a home just because there is so much sand, mud, or snow depending on the season.
April 7, 2008 at 1:53 am |
Oh trust me, Lynn. I’m not a neat freak, either. *I* don’t sweep the floors 3x a day…it’s just part of the after meal clean up. My floor right now needs serious replacement.
I feel the same way, although we’re not Alaskan.
Depending on the season, there is a constant influx of sand, mud or snow. I couldn’t win without going CRAZY!!!!
April 7, 2008 at 2:50 am |
Ah, the floor! A source of endless frustration for me, sad to say. You are so right to say that when you are home with your kids all day, the floor is almost always messy!
I try to sweep at least once a day, but I have to confess I get lazy about that.
Mopping happens rather haphazardly. Sometimes it is with the Swiffer Wet Jet and sometimes with the old mop and bucket.
I have to say that the floor is definitely one of the things I have become way more relaxed about as the years have gone by! I do like your adding that in to part of meal chores. I will have to get on that!
April 7, 2008 at 3:15 am |
Okay, Julie has me almost positively excited about mopping with some of those cleaning cloths…
Thankfully our dog is only *part* St. Bernard…he *should* stay under 100 pounds.
Though not the way he likes treats and the way my girls like treating him…
Which has nothing at all to do with mopping…
April 7, 2008 at 3:17 am |
I sweep constantly. ugh.
But I also have a swiffer wetjet. It IS more expensive but i can run that over it very other day and feel better about things. I *try* to do a “get down and clean” every week but it’s more or less become every 2wks. It’s such a chore to keep the floors clean.
Now, DONT even get me started about my hardwoods. ACK!
April 7, 2008 at 3:39 am |
Well, we could talk about hardwoods. They frustrate me as well.
Thoughts?
Kari, We’ve never really had a dog for any length of time. But when I’ve dogsat for my friends, I’m amazed at that there are much less crumbs! I’ve considered a dog for that reason, alone!
April 7, 2008 at 3:49 am |
I recently have totally changed the way I mop. This all started because our apartment has far more tile than we’ve ever had before and it gets messy. And it’s a light neutral colour so doesn’t hide the dirt like our 70s style linoleum used to.
I bought a Magic Eraser Mop thing, made of foam. Not cheap. And it didn’t work that well and disintegrated after a few uses.
I bought an old fashioned mop but just couldn’t get it dry enough when I was finished so it started to stink.
Then I asked my friend who cleans houses for a living. She revolutionized my life. She said pour some hot water on the floor. Add a bit of cleaner if you want. Put a clean kitchen towel down, use a longhandled scrub brush and mop. Ring it out as often as necessary. Add more water if you want. Then when you’re finished rinse out the towel and wash it with the next load. No more smelly mops!!
Honestly, I now mop probably three times a week when I used to do it once a month, maybe.
April 7, 2008 at 3:59 am |
One year I hinted and hinted that I sure would love to get a Hoover Floor Mate (it cleans hard floors with a wet solution) as a gift, and my husband got me the knock off brand (can’t remember the name). It worked great until it was time to buy more solution. The instructions said to
ONLY use the special (read: expensive) brand name solution, but I put vinegar and water in, instead.
IT QUIT WORKING!! I guess I should have followed the instructions! (Insert blushing smiley here.)
Anyway, now mopping is hit or miss. Mostly miss. Unless it’s spot mopping. We use one of those rag mops and fill the sink with VERY hot water and Pine Sol.
April 7, 2008 at 4:25 am |
Kitchen and dining room floors are one job I have passed on to my girls (8 & 6) they both clear the table after supper whiile I park myself in the kitchen to rinse and wash dishes. 6 year old wipes down the table, 8 year old sweeps. ONCE a week (no matter if get’s dirty in between, I put my foot down here), the girls wash the floors Cinderella style (hands and knees with heavy cotton cloths in circular motions. They do a fabulous job, and it only takes them 15 minutes and they are much more nimble down there than I am.
I am careful to assign my kids chores that are awkward or require me being on the floor or low down…
April 7, 2008 at 4:44 am |
I have a more “heavy duty” mop that my husband bought me at the hardware store. It works great, when I decide to use it. For smaller spots or spills, I just use soapy rags and a foot or two. If something gets under the table, then I send Pumpkin under there to clean it up. She doesn’t mind being on her hands and knees, and she thinks that being under the table is fun (weird. lol).
April 7, 2008 at 5:18 am |
my kitchen floor is carpeted as is every other room (yes, even the bathroom) and would LOVE to clean one if I could. I hate having it carpeted but that’s the way it was when my husband bought it and it’s not going to get changed any time soon.
April 7, 2008 at 5:22 am |
Three little words: Swiffer wet jet
April 7, 2008 at 6:04 am |
I sweep my kitchen at least twice a day; we have fairly dark Pergo floors that I do. not. like. just because of the color. And we live in sand out here (not sandy soil … there’s no ’soil’ to it; it’s like beach sand!), so there’s always stuff on the floor. It would probably be a little better if I made everyone take their shoes off, but I’m just not that person, and the mess really doesn’t bug me too much.
Mopping? Notsomuch. I have a regular Swiffer (I try to avoid all commercial chemicals) and I attach rags instead of those expensive cloths to it, and it works great! I make a water/vinegar/alcohol solution that I use for everything, including the floors. I put it in a spray bottle, and just spray as I go … no buckets, no drips, and when the rag gets a little dirty, I just rinse it out in the sink and start over again.
Frequency? That’s a whole ‘nother story … I would love to say I mop once a week, but that would be a LIE.
I spot clean quite often, but I only truly mop like once a month. Or it my mom is coming to visit. It’s a clean month for us when she visits twice in three weeks, lol!!
Good luck with finding something that works for you! And I love reading everyone else’s ideas …
~Brea
April 7, 2008 at 6:51 am |
My dog is a big helper in the floor cleaning process. So, I usually only have to sweep (or vacuum) once a day or if there’s a really big event in the kitchen – cooking, muddy feet, etc.
I spot clean with a swiffer and their wet wipes, but only when I have lots of sticky spots and don’t have time to mop. Those sticky spots seem to sneak up on me at times.
And I mop once per month using the armstrong floor cleaner and a sponge mop. We just recently put in a new tile floor and it cleans up so much better than our old linoleum. I never notice streaks or footprints and the mopping really goes fast. I usually do it just after my kiddos are in bed. I prep the room and then mop. I go off to the computer or the sewing room and come back to straighten things up.
We had over mop and glowed our old floor and I once spent 3 days stripping it down. Our floor never recovered and was so bad. Also it hid a lot of dirt well, so I was less inclined to clean it, but when I did, I needed 3 buckets of water and lots of elbow grease. The tile is so much easier.
And yes, it’s dirty the next day.
April 7, 2008 at 7:39 am |
I actually enjoy mopping floors! I don’t like vacuuming, tho’. I use a microfibre mop head, like Julie, wet it well with hot water, drizzle a little white vinegar on it plus a few drops of eucalyptus oil. Cleans beautifully. We have wooden floorboards. I would use this on tiles as well.No streaks, no stickyness. I love clean floors and can’t stand that gritty feeling. Just one of my ‘things’. I can see myself being like my mother who used to mop (or have the floors mopped) every day when the four of us were little!
April 7, 2008 at 7:40 am |
Hahahaha!
I neither sweep nor mop as often as I should – mostly, I think, because it feels so futile. Spot mopping is great. I probably fully mop once a month. Maybe? 
April 7, 2008 at 8:28 am |
I love clean floors. I don’t look up much to dust, but I love to clean floors. I have carpet,wood, and vinyl. The wood floors get swept constantly, mopped less regularly, except under the kitchen table. Sometimes on hands and knees and sometimes with my mop, which I got at the fair and has a velcro head and microfiber pads that stick to it. Mostly I spray my Theives household cleaner on the floor and mop, same with the kitchen vinyl floor. I have two cats and a dog. The dog doesn’t shed, thankfully, but the cats—yuck! We have a tons of dust bunnies, and I wish I had a vaccuum that would work well on hard floors. The carpet–I buy lavender pockets from trader joes that go into the dryer to make the clothes smell good. After 4 or so dries, I tear the bag, sprinkle it on the carpet and vacuum it up. Sometimes at night, I will sweep the floor and then wet a rag, and walk the floor with the rag under my feet.
Susan
April 7, 2008 at 8:30 am |
Oh ya, I forgot to mention—-as a disciplinary tool, we assign scrubbing the floor with a scrub brush for 15 minutes at a time. Basically if they disobey or are unkind, a penny goes into jar. Each penny is worth 15 minutes of floor scrubbing. Pennies need to be taken care of before the next meal.
Susan
April 7, 2008 at 8:35 am |
I love the way it looks with hands and knees scrubbing, but I have to admit, since we got the dogs, that’s how I keep it clean. Yes, I sweep, but they mop, with tongues, and trust me, they get all the food
April 7, 2008 at 8:46 am |
April 7, 2008 at 8:57 am |
We have hard wood floors through out the house. And even though it’s been about a year and a half since we put the new floor down upstairs, I’ve swept and mopped it only twice! And can you guess who was coming both times? Yes, my mother. The bedrooms and 1 bathroom is upstairs; I allow no food or toys upstairs, and it only gets used during the night (she says to justify herself).
The down stairs, however, is a different story. The kitchen, bathroom & dining room get swept at least twice a day (one of those times are after supper by either the 7 year-old, the 5 year-old or the 3 year-old. It changes daily.). The living room, guest room & school room not so often. When I was pregnant, the kitchen & dining room faithfully got mopped 2 times a week for 7 months strait. By me. No joke! Now? I’m a bit more sane. And it gets cleaned by the kiddos once a week. I like to use Murphys Oil, but we have a lot of floor space and it’s not cheap, so I usually use Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner. I sweep the floor very well. Then I pour the cleaner into a bucket of warm water (because of the littles’ hands), give them each a rag and let them go to town! They love it! And I really like Lynn from AK idea about letting them have races!
Once a month, at least, I mop the whole down stairs with a wring-type mop and that does get it cleaner then when they do it. I do this if company is coming over. And I also do this after their bedtime, so I can honestly say my floor is clean for 12 hours. In between mopping days, I spot clean as well.
Jennifer
April 7, 2008 at 9:27 am |
I’m totally a hands and knees girl. I love how Prairie Chick calls it Cinderella style, btw!
I have the kids sweep the floor in the breakfast room and kitchen bar once each day, and I sweep the kitchen as needed…I sort of figure that I’m just going to have messy floors for a season; I can spend my days sweeping and obsessing or I can spend them doing other stuff that I prefer. So I do the other stuff and just deal with the messy floors with denial. I spot mop (with a spray bottle and a soft rag) as when I start seeing spots. And I hands and knees mop when I can’t keep up with the spots or when I can find time which translates to about once a month, though I wish it were more…or maybe I just wish I had a maid!
April 7, 2008 at 9:37 am |
Holly, don’t pin your hopes on a dog anyway. We had a dog when our oldest was little and the dog completely igonored cheerios on the floor. She had had enough of them!!!!
When I had big tiles on the floor I could do the hands-and-knees thing. You just go one square at a time and there is a satisfaction in that. Now we have laminate and I use a knock off Swiffer wet pad every so often. We sweep every day and try to look up a lot.
April 7, 2008 at 8:52 pm |
SWIFFER! Its a Godsend. I try to sweep 3 X a week and mop on Mondays. That’s all that’s needed.
I don’t really like buying the chemical laden cleaner (esp when I make all my other cleaners) but I love how it makes the whole house smell good!
April 7, 2008 at 9:16 pm |
I have hardwood floors in the kitchen, and have found that CinderFELLA style is best (husband does it on his hands and knees) with plain hot water and an old towel. Occasionally, I’ll do it, but I have bad knees and back, so I’ll use hot water, an old towel, and an old mop to push the towel around.
I have also found that cleaners of any kind, including swifter or clorox cleaners “made for hardwood floors” will cloud the floors. I have been wanting to try Murphy’s Oil Soap, but my husband is afraid to put anything “oily” on the floor — does anyone find that they have problems with oil residue with Murphy’s oil soap? Is there even any oil in it???
April 7, 2008 at 9:20 pm |
I sweep it multiple times daily. Then I have my handy dandy little spray bottle, and when it starts looking too grody, I spray it down, and use two damp rags to “skate” over the floor and get the grime up.
I occasionally have to fight with my kids about who gets to use the spray bottle.
April 7, 2008 at 9:28 pm |
Oh, mopping is a forbidden topic in our house. When I was pregnant with baby #2 and planning a VBAC, I loved to mop on my hands and knees – good baby positioning, so they said. Anyway, now I can’t stand it. I sweep and vacuum and dust buster the corners when needed (or people are coming). Mopping – not really. (I do spot mop.) Bad me, bad, bad. (Don’t tell my mother!) BTW, we don’t wear shoes in the house and only have one cat that comes in during the winter. (I had to say that to make myself feel better.)
Honestly, one of my issues is hardwoods which are in my kitchen. I am scared of messing up the finish on the wood by using a “real” mop and bucket. If I had linoleum in the kitchen, like in my baths, I would not be intimidated. But I have wood, and it scares me. I would love to hear more about real wood floor care.
April 7, 2008 at 11:49 pm |
We have wood floors in the house, and laminate floors in the kitchen. We sweep ALL THE TIME and the floors are still gritty. Right now, here in Florida it’s windows-open time, so the sand and dirt is just covering the whole house and we sweep more than once a day. We sweep the kitchen after lunch, before and after dinner, sometimes while making dinner (it’s a family affair to cook here
and usually one more time before we go to bed. We don’t wear shoes in the house and we have a mostly outdoor cat, but the floors are just always covered in Something.
As for mopping – we have a Swiffer mop, and that’s all I have ever every used on the kitchen floor. I have occasionally used a paper towel and cleaner to get out a particularly rough spot, but usually I give the mop to my oldest (8) and tell him to go to town. He does a good enough job, and I don’t have to clean floors. Win-win.
April 8, 2008 at 1:57 am |
GiBee: I absolutely LOVE using Murphy’s Oil and no, I don’t find that it eaves an oily film on top. I love the smell of it and it is gentler on the finish than any other cleaner (because it’s made especially for wood).
Jen: the only time that water will damage the finish on your floors is when the water is left on them. And I’m not talking about water used when mopping. I’m talking about puddles (like ice melting on the floor) and standing water (when the kiddos spill there drinks and they don’t clean them up). Any liquid left on the wood floors will eventually “eat” right through the finish. If/when you do mop your wood floor, be sure to ring the mop out well so that the little amount of water left on the floor from the mop can dry quickly. Sometimes, I have my children go over the floors with dry towels, just to make sure that there are no puddles (I have hardwood floors through out my house).
Hope these things help!
Jennifer
April 8, 2008 at 6:18 am |
Oh thanks so much I felt so guilty about cleaning the floors I had to do it today. We have hard wood in the kitchen and entree way. I just use warm water and a liberman mop that I can toss in the washer. It always looks great! We dont have the high gloss floors so I dont worry about seeing the streaks in it. Thanks for the encouragement to clean my floors on this beautiful spring day in Michigan!
I never thought of using murphys on the floor I will try that next time. It smells great on the walls so it must smell great on the floors THANKS!!!!!!!!
April 8, 2008 at 9:05 pm |
Twice a week my two oldest daughters mop it after the little guys are in bed. And in between times it is pretty awful looking. We sweep 3-5 times a day. Living in the country during mud season is not pretty. I just try to live with it and not let it ruin my life. :S
April 8, 2008 at 10:31 pm |
Holly- have you ever thought about getting a cheap cordless vacuum? We got one at Target for 30 (although I think I’ve seen slightly cheaper models since) and my two year old loves to vacuum! Got the tip from MommyLife. Worth every penny. It just has a canister you dump and a filter you wash and a battery you charge so there isn’t any other cost besides the initial one. We have tile in our kitchen that is very small and with very deep grout, so sweeping basically just pushing the crumbs into the grout. Vacuuming is required.
I used to be a swiffer girl when we had laminate, but the small sharp tile edges ate my swiffer. Now I have one of those mops- a lipman wonder mop I think they are called- where the mop part comes off and you can toss it in the washer. Have had for almost a year now and it is holding up very well.
I have done the bucket of water and little girls and wash cloth routine before. A really fun way to pass an afternoon, but a but too labor intensive on the knees for right now. (they are still too little to do it by themselves.
As for hardwoods- we have bamboo flooring in the main room and I have used a lot of different things. Ultimately I think vinegar and water, a tsp of olive oil, and some essential oils to work the best.
April 8, 2008 at 10:42 pm |
I sweep almost every day and mop as needed. Fortunately, the color of my floor rhymes with dirt so it is hard to tell when mopping is needed. Since we are trying to get rid of harsh chemical we got one of them there steam mops. It works great. I try to have one day, when the kids are taking a bath, where I mop the bathrooms and the kitchen.
April 8, 2008 at 10:45 pm |
Oh, like Tiffany said, I got a small (but ours has a cord) stick vacuum that I am teaching the kids to use. It can be made into a hand vac as well, but it works great. I use it inbetween the huge vacuum sessions on the laminate floors that we have in the bedrooms.
April 9, 2008 at 1:00 am |
Wow. You (all) are giving GREAT ideas!
Leigh Ann, I LOVE how you said that the color of your floor rhymes with dirt.
Clever! I’ve only had one floor like that, and I loved it! (It never got mopped, though….) 
Tiffany, great tip on the olive oil, vinegar, essential oil…!
April 10, 2008 at 3:26 am |
Oh wow, I am so excited by this post and all these comments! I’ve been eying my floors this week not-really-wishing I had time to clean them…boy they need it. I just wanted to say Tiffany’s tips on vinegar/olive oil/essential oils have motivated me the most…I just bought some tea tree oil…so now I want to go try that!
Also, I’ve had the Don Aslett velcro mops that Julie mentioned, and they are wonderful…as she said, mine are years old and still in great condition, plus they come with three different heads so you’re covered for all the stubborn stains.
Prairie Chick, you have inspired me to put my Cinderellas to work on the floors! Why didn’t I think of that? Sheesh.
Great question, Holly!