One question we get asked about quite often is; 'What should I use to clean my floors'?! So we wanted to share with you the knowledge we have gained from running our ethical cleaning company and from formulating our natural floor cleaners.
Do different floor types require different cleaning products?
Well, yes and no is the answer to this question - if you can call that an answer? There are so many different types of hard flooring, some are more delicate than others and therefore do require an extra bit of care to be taken when cleaning them. Now when I say 'cleaning them', I am talking about a good ol' fashioned mop and bucket washing of the floors, although spot cleaning is another way of cleaning hard floors, but we'll get to that a little later on.
As we were initially formulating our floor cleaners for daily use in our cleaning company, we needed a range of floor cleaners that worked extremely well but that could also be used on ANY type of floor, from wooden, to laminate and even delicate granite or stone, and that is exactly what we did. Our floor cleaners are PH neutral and only use the most gentle ingredients, so therefore are kind enough to be used on the most delicate of floors but they don't compromise on the effective cleaning quality at the same time! I know what you're thinking; what kind of wizardry is this?! Well, it's the beauty of plant power my friends, that mixed with some curiously clever science.
Floors such as specialist wooden floors, or some stone floors that might be sealed with a special resin/lacquer may require a specific treatment from time to time in order to preserve them - this would be recommended by the people who fit the flooring. However, any of our floor cleaners should be suitable for the general cleaning of them when diluted as instructed.
The floor cleaning know how...
Before
Make sure you hoover your floors thoroughly before you start washing them and pay particular attention to any corners or edges, as your mop is a sneaky tool that likes to grab hold of any crummies left around the edges of your room, or that are sat hiding in those cheeky cracks, and no one wants to chase moist crummies and wet hair around the floor. Trust me, it's not as fun as it sounds.
If using the mop and bucket 'deep cleaning' method then grab yourself a clean mop bucket and a clean mop (reusable cotton mop heads are great because you can use these over and over again and they can be chucked in the washing machine between uses to make sure they're fully clean and ready for the next floor washing session). If using one of our elmkind floor cleaners you will only need 1-2 (10ml) caps full of your ready to use product, pop this into your mop bucket and add very hot water, filling it just half way (don't forget to take a moment to fill your senses with the heavenly aromas that come from the beautifully natural essential oils used in both of our floor cleaners - now that's what we call mindful cleaning) - Tip: The hotter the water the better, if using boiled water just let it cool slightly for a few minutes before adding to your bucket. The faster the flow of water, the more bubbles you will create, so go nuts and get your sud on!
During
A general rule when washing your hard floors is to make sure you don't slop down too much water. You want to make sure your mop is really wrung out, aiming for more of a moist mop than a sopping wet mop. This is because most floors have small gaps in them (whether you have wooden boards or vinyl tiles) and water will sit in and fill up any gaps in the floors, which over time can start to lift your flooring and cause you problems later on, not to mention the absolute germ fest that will start to accumulate in those moist cracks - Eww!
Keep rinsing and wringing out your mop after every couple of strokes to ensure you're removing the dirt and not just spreading it around the floor. If you're floors are particularly muddy/dirty then it may be advisable to change your water midway through cleaning - generally if the water is starting to look quite brown you're not going to be getting the best clean possible, do yourself a favour and get a fresh bucket, your floors will thank you for it.
- For heavily soiled areas try mopping all floors, then changing your water for a clean bucket with solution in and then going over the floor a second time doing a final sweep, which will rinse off any left over dirt.
- For lightly soiled areas mopping just the once and leaving to dry should leave them spotless and smelling fresh!
After
Avoid walking on your newly mopped floors until they are completely dry otherwise this will leave prints on your pristinely cleaned flooring - Tip: Plan your escape route before you start as you don't want to be backed into a corner... literally. Once dry, grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy your hard work, and the wonders of a beautifully clean floor surface. Left with nothing but a calming feeling from the herbal happiness that surrounds you, or an uplifting sense of zesty enjoyment if you opt for the Lemongrass option. Either way, total bliss is headed your way my friends, lap it up.
"Spot cleaning?!" I hear you ask...
Yes spot cleaning! Have you ever cleaned your floors only to find muddy little footprints on them the next day?! Or perhaps you've had an energetic cooking session that has left more food at your feet than you'd like to admit?! Yeah, same. Then spot cleaning is your new best friend, and here's why...
We don't always have time to 'wash' the floors, am I right?! So instead when your floors just need a quick spruce up to remove any obvious spots of dirt (or food), then why not try the spot cleaning method by using a PH neutral all purpose cleaner like our natural Lavender & Tea Tree scented one, to spritz those areas with lavender goodness and wipe clean with a reusable cloth? Our powerful all purpose spray will make light work of any stains and marks on your floor and will leave them as if you've spent hours scrubbing them, sounds great right?!
As the all purpose cleaner is gentle yet powerful, subtle but hardworking, it will clean up those floors easily but it can also be wiped without needing to be rinsed off afterwards. Just make sure that your floors aren't particularly slippery because if they are prone to being slippery at the best of times then you may want to rinse with a damp cloth to avoid any unwanted accidents!
Also perfect for any smaller areas like W/Cs or cloakrooms where you don't want the faff of getting a mop and bucket set up for such a small area #savewater .
Thank you for reading we hope you have enjoyed our latest blog post.
To help you on your way to achieving the cleanest floors in the UK, we're offering you 15% off our entire floor cleaning collection for a limited time only! See below for details.
Use code CLEANMYFLOORS at checkout.
Offer expires on 30/06/21.
Happy Mopping Folks, you've got this!
- Stay Kind ✌️
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