It's true. Otherwise it just makes the job a whole lot harder than it needs to be which leads to greater frustration. I am learning that as I go through my house and evaluate how I normally clean things.
On Tuesday, I noticed my floors. We have a TON of tile. Only the family room and bedrooms have carpet. The rest is all tile. I have noticed that after our floors would be "mopped" socks and feet would still turn an undesirable color. Blech! I would wipe something up off the floor and more than a trace of dirt would come up with the towel. Double blech!
We purchased a steam mop in the hopes that it would make cleaning the tile a little more effective (and fun). I didn't buy any replacement pads other than what came with the mop. That was my first mistake. I asked our house cleaner (Yes, the dirty secret is out. My husband has blessed me with this service ever since I was sick while expecting Miss A. However, we are trying to wean ourselves off her services and so here I am. I don't want to be ashamed of a gift from my husband.) to use this rather than her mop and so she did. However, she only uses the one pad throughout the whole house. I figured this was the culprit for the not so clean floors.
Rather than disgust you with my experiment and results lets just say that four more replacement pads are on their way and I need to figure something else out in the mean time. ha ha ha!!
I also realized we are in a new stage of life where the floors need to be cleaned more than once a week. I am thinking that I will do floors Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I did them today relatively fast, much to my surprise! I think 45 minutes or less to vacuum (YAY! Miss L is no longer freaking out about the vacuum - she just leaves the room) and mop. That's if everything is off the floor, too.
In the end, I also think it helps to have tools that you like to use and are fun... like a steam mop, a BlendTec, KitchenAid mixer, pretty pots & pans, etc.
What are some of your favorite tools to use around the house?
Buzzing through my morning reads and up you popped.
ReplyDeleteMicro fiber cloths! Sold in a pack at the Arrowhead Costco. No more going through paper towels, the colors are great, and no need of spray/yick for dusting. :)
Haha! Oh yeah- I use two steam mop pads for my tiny kitchen alone. I also love my ecloths. Sammy (or Noah) and I double-team the floors, too. I sweep and he uses the dust buster to suck up the dirt piles before we mop. My other favorite tools? My Bosche mixer/processor and my Wusthof knives. Git er done!!!! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI don't use a lot of tools...to clean my floors, I use a sponge, and get on my hands and knees. My vacuum was $89 at Walmart. I wash my dishes by hand with a wash cloth. I cook and bake all day long and don't use a lot of tools, just a fork and wooden spoon. I suppose my Pampered Chef garlic press is one of my favorites, but I'm pretty old school about "tools." I agree with the floors - it's not a once a week job with two little ones (and a dog) in the house. Now that our house is up for sale and in constant "showing" mode, I wash my floors daily, or every other day. It's a pain, but they shine!
ReplyDeleteQ - I love micorfiber!! We have a stock pile of them from Costco, too!
ReplyDeleteRen - I'd like to convince Miss L to use our "dust buster" but it is too loud for her and has nothing to do with it.
Lara - Thanks for sharing! I just like how different people like to do things different ways. Old school or with more tech stuff. Either way there is a lot to learn and a lot of room for grace to figure out what works for you. I am pretty sure that I will be on my hands and knees to get a really good clean here soon. It just is a little harder when both knees are bad! LOL!!
I forget did you get the Oreck steam mop or the Shark?
ReplyDeleteWe got the Shark for the time being to see if I even liked to steam mop. I do. :) We will see how it holds up. When we come in the market for another one I may take you up on your ofer to test drive the Oreck ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the Shark :-). Steam mopping is awesome. I love that it uses no icky chemicals.
ReplyDeleteoh and of course if in the future you need to test drive it, let me know :-)
ReplyDelete