[Don_S]

I am purchasing a brand new home.  It is 50% larger than my current home and somewhat daunting.  I have given up a lot of yard work and taken on a lot of inside cleaning.

I have about half an acre of floor tile.  OK, exaggerating but a lot!!!!  I have a soft-bristle floor brush for my vacuum.  That has worked well in the past.  I plan on using a roller/sponge mop for wet cleaning.  In the past my small floors were done on hands and knees. Not going to happen here.  Is there a better mop recommendation?  What should I put in the cleaning water?   Due to the size of the floors I do not think disposable items would be a good idea. My mother is on her third Swiffer WetJet and only has a small patch of vinyl to clean.   Their design is horrible.

I will also have a walk-in party shower. 6''x7' with a bench along the 7' wall. When I shower at night, I am tired and want to go to bed.  When I shower in the morning, I am usually going somewhere and need to get gone.  I want to enjoy this shower and not dread using it because of the after-shower clean-up involved.  Any suggestions?

FYI, all grout is the self-sealing good stuff. I think it is called Power Grout

[Photon46]

Well, you've got the worst of the battle won since you've got well sealed grout! My wife & I have tried about every type of mop and I've not found anything that I like better than old school floppy wet mops. Sponge mops with wringer heads fall apart and shred too quickly and they don't cover a very large area with every swipe. We've been using these two products for the last six months, no complaints:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2VQMKU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V8ET3Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lots of people like mop systems like these, but they are just over complicated and prone to breaking IMO. Plus the handles seem cheap and too small for someone my size.

https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Home-Stainless-Rolling-Microfiber/dp/B01M05YI9F/ref=sr_1_35?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1499631016&sr=1-35&keywords=kitchen+mop+system

As for your walk in shower, if you want to keep it really clean, there's no substitute for the old on your knees with a brush scrubbing. No easy way out on that one. One thing that does help to keep work to a minimum is to keep a shower squeegee in your bathroom and use it every time you shower. It only takes 30 seconds or so to give a quick wipe down to most of the shower walls and it makes for way less soap/water scum and mildew to clean.

[srb]

I use a steam mop to clean tile floors.  Mine is a canister type with a hose which has a little more versatility than an all-in-one steam mop because it can also be used on other things that are difficult to clean (toilet seat hinges, among others) and has a larger water tank capacity.

They use a microfiber pad that's machine washable and steam mopped floors dry in a fraction of the time.

My Eureka 370-A Enviro-Steamer is apparently no longer sold, but there are other similar units available from Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, etc.

 

Steve

[Don_S]

Photon46,
I get that sponge mops disintegrate.  Probably especially true with abrasive grout.  I have used the microfiber floppy mops to clean my mother's garage floor and plan to do the same at my new home.  The reason I don't like them for inside is the lack of control.  How do you get edges without slopping baseboards?  They also do not apply much pressure.  I don't care that garage floors are not pristine but sometimes find spots on my kitchen floor vinyl that require some muscle.

Good squeegees are hard to find.  I do not like the black-edged ones because they can color grout.  HD used to have one I liked a lot (HDX brand) but it seems like it has been discontinued. I will need a larger one for my new shower.  I was hoping someone could recommend a cleaning product or scum prevention product. 

Steve,  Very interesting.  I will look for something like that.  Do you use it every time or something else in between steam cleaning?

[srb]

Steve,  Very interesting.  I will look for something like that.  Do you use it every time or something else in between steam cleaning?

I use it every time.  Most dirt is removed with lighter pressure compared to non-steam mops.  Most come with two microfiber pads and buying an additional two helps insure having a clean supply between machine washings.

Local stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, Target, etc. are probably an easier return vs Amazon if for some reason it doesn't meet your satisfaction.

Steve

[Photon46]

Not sure how big a squeegee you're in need of, but this works for us:

https://www.amazon.com/Casabella-44037-Silicone-Squeegee-White/dp/B002ISX3OW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1499635542&sr=8-10&keywords=oxo+shower+squeegee

The deficiencies you note in floppy mops are irritating, someone needs to invent a better product. Using a sponge mop once in a while around the room perimeter would be an option. Finding the right cleaning agent is most of the battle to get around the lack of pressure when using floppy mops. We don't have pets or kids, so our floors never get too messy.

[Don_S]

Steve,

So far I like these two.  I did a search for 4-stars or more on Amazon then picked ones that had a heavy portion of 5 stars.  And yes, I then look for a local supplier so return is easier.  I just purchased a patio chair cover from HD for only $.66 more than Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZWQ43Y/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1ARK1NH7C0DIT&colid=3B8UPX13SMBG3

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XB1TZXV/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=ITVDONZK6WF74&colid=3B8UPX13SMBG3

I want to clean the floors before I move in because the casual mopping the cleaning ladies are doing is not getting off all the dust being made or the last of the film from grouting.  My floors do not look nearly as good as the leftover tile with respect to clarity and sheen.

Why is it so hard to design a good squeegee?  I got one from Quicke with a flexible handle.  It was impossible to keep the proper angle on the glass.  What were they thinking?  I trusted them to know what they were doing but quickly found out my confidence was misplaced.

[aldcoll]

As far as a squeegee goes the wife pricked this one up a Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Large clear non marring.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-all-purpose-squeegee/1042147855?Keyword=squeegee

And since I have a more standard non party rinse station my concern is the glass Sliders.  Fortunately I can take them out to the garage for a twice a year heavy clean and Rain-X. Multiple coats.

We have rough water that a softener helps and as it is humid here for 8 months a year we leave the slider open a little to help with air flow.

And yes I get to do the routine clean on the walls and all

Alan

[GentleBender]

Congrats on the new home Don_S. Our home is all tile and laminate floors so we use a Dyson vacuum, then steam mop. You can get away without steam mopping everytime if you don't have animals or children. I use a daily shower clean spray after showering to prevent scum and hard water stains and have been satisfied with the results. Cuts down on cleaning tremendously and you don't even have to use it every time.

[Don_S]

As far as a squeegee goes the wife pricked this one up a Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Large clear non marring.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-all-purpose-squeegee/1042147855?Keyword=squeegee

And since I have a more standard non party rinse station my concern is the glass Sliders.  Fortunately I can take them out to the garage for a twice a year heavy clean and Rain-X. Multiple coats.

We have rough water that a softener helps and as it is humid here for 8 months a year we leave the slider open a little to help with air flow.

And yes I get to do the routine clean on the walls and all
 
Alan

Thanks Alan.  I will keep the squeegee in mind if I order anything from BB&B.  It is not available in my local stores.  Only $6.99 is a steal since it is $10.51 at Amazon.  Amazon is frequently not the lowest price.

[Don_S]

Congrats on the new home Don_S. Our home is all tile and laminate floors so we use a Dyson vacuum, then steam mop. You can get away without steam mopping everytime if you don't have animals or children. I use a daily shower clean spray after showering to prevent scum and hard water stains and have been satisfied with the results. Cuts down on cleaning tremendously and you don't even have to use it every time.

I will try the spray.  I have a Dyson and a Soniclean.  I have a second-party floor brush for the Dyson.  It does not fit well and falls off sometimes but otherwise I like it better than the monster head Dyson makes.  Soniclean works great on carpet but does not really "dust" hard floors.  It only sucks up chunks. But the Soniclean is so much more fun to use.  I hate the Dyson and would not recommend it to anyone.  When I use the extension wand and hose on hard surfaces, the vacuum cleaner body launches itself into furniture and cabinets. The hose that is alleged to stretch to 18' is so stiff it pulls the vacuum over or makes it slide on hard surfaces once the hose is stretched even a little.

[Don_S]

I just ordered this:

https://www.amazon.com/SKG-Powerful-Non-Chemical-Accessories-Microfiber/dp/B06ZZWQ43Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499728284&sr=8-1&keywords=skg+steam+mop

[GentleBender]

We have the Multi Floor Dyson https://www.amazon.com/Dyson-206900-01-Upright-Corded-Vacuum/dp/B00SMLK2KW and really like it. My parents had a Rainbow canister vacuum we HAD to use doing chores growing up, I never want to use another. PITA

[gregfisk]

Don,

I see you just ordered a steamer and I hope it works for you.

I have tried several and like what was mentioned above. A good old fashioned commercial mop and bucket with ringer and to me it's by far the fastest and easiest way to mop a tile floor. I have a LOT of tile in my house, I use grease lightning diluted with water and it works very well. Especially in the kitchen where the floor gets grease on it, nothing else really gets the grease up that I have tried.

Regarding the shower we have a very large walk in with two heads and like what was also mentioned above. Use a spray cleaner and squeegee and that keeps the hard scrubbing down to a lot less times a year.

Good luck and keep us posted, I would be interested what you find.

Greg

[Don_S]

Don,

I see you just ordered a steamer and I hope it works for you.

I have tried several and like what was mentioned above. A good old fashioned commercial mop and bucket with ringer and to me it's by far the fastest and easiest way to mop a tile floor. I have a LOT of tile in my house, I use grease lightning diluted with water and it works very well. Especially in the kitchen where the floor gets grease on it, nothing else really gets the grease up that I have tried.

Regarding the shower we have a very large walk in with two heads and like what was also mentioned above. Use a spray cleaner and squeegee and that keeps the hard scrubbing down to a lot less times a year.

Good luck and keep us posted, I would be interested what you find.

Greg

 

Steve got me thinking about a steamer.  They had never crossed my mind.  Then GentleBender said he used one and liked it.  Ironic that I am trying to get rid of things before I move but all I do is add stuff.   

How would the steamer work cleaning a shower?  I just realized my shower is huge enough to use the steamer on the floor.  I could use the removable hand-held portion for walls and the bench. I would spray and squeegee for daily cleaning. I would love to try the shower's hand-held head but I am afraid I would get water everywhere.  I tweaked my elbow and my dominant hand does not always do what I ask it to. Other times it does but complains.  My goal is to angle the fixed head so it does not spray the door.  Not sure if I will be successful.

For periodic cleaning would spraying cleaner and then steam mopping hurt the mop?  It does not really suck water back up so I would think that would be safe.

[srb]

For periodic cleaning would spraying cleaner and then steam mopping hurt the mop?  It does not really suck water back up so I would think that would be safe.

Most of the time steam is all that's needed and then there's no rinsing required, but you can spray down most any cleaning solution you want (well of course not including acetone, lacquer thinner, etc. ).

I hope that model works well for you.  It looks to have a decent design and I like the fact that it's ready in 30 seconds.  I think mine takes closer to 3 minutes.  Hopefully you can complete a large room without refilling.

I'm sure a few of us are curious whether or not you'll become a steam mop fan as well.

Steve

[Don_S]

Steve,

The model I chose only had 20 reviews but 18 were 5-star and two were 4 star.  I was tempted by a larger, canister unit that I assumed had a larger reservoir but I kept imagining myself banging it into my new walls and cabinets.   

I think purchasing a new home makes one a little crazy about keeping it new. Yesterday I received 100 blue shoe covers. Buying a home sure changed my perspective about money.  Now $97 for a floor steamer is pocket lint.  Before moving in I am replacing the carpet, painting, adding more floor tile, and installing window coverings and garage cabinets.

Yesterday I got my new Cosco 3-in-1 hand truck.  Today I will order a new desk and one bar stool to check out before I purchase 3 more. None of my furniture works. Replacing it and landscaping will have to wait until I sell my current home. At this point my pocket has a hole in it.  Pretty soon there won't even be lint.   

[Don_S]

As far as a squeegee goes the wife pricked this one up a Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Large clear non marring.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-all-purpose-squeegee/1042147855?Keyword=squeegee

Alan

Thanks for the rec Alan. Price dropped to $6.99 at Amazon so I ordered two.