January Cure- Assignment 5

Ahhhh, the weekend.  Promises of more fun and less work- unless you're like me and signed up for the January Cure.  Then weekends are less for fun and more for working.  This weekend's task is a two-parter.  The first one is easy.  Buy some flowers, or a plant, or go gather some pretty branches from your yard, and bring a little life in your home.  Then, put on your big kid pants because it's time to clean the floors.

All of them.

And really well, too, not a quick vacuuming because company is coming over in five minutes and there are still goldfish crumbs on the floor.  Clean them like you mean it.  Like you'd actually eat those goldfish crumbs that are way beyond the five-second rule.

Yes, she always gets her vacuum out when I get mine out.  Once she's old enough to plug one in, she'll have her own real one.

I have a toddler and a dog.  On one hand, there is rarely food on the floor since any dropped food is promptly devoured by the dog.  On the other, there's a whole lot of outdoors being tracked into the house on a daily basis.  We often take off our shoes in the entryway, but we usually put on our "they look clean" shoes in our bedroom since, well, that's where we keep most of our shoes.  Suffice to say, I clean our floors often.  I vacuum the rugs twice a week, sweep daily, mop weekly and once a month do a deep clean.  (I'm a blast at parties, I swear.) 

Extra lucky for me, not only have the floors undergone a recent complete floor cleaning, but that whopper of a snowstorm that hit the Northeast and meant I had a free day to get a jump start on the floors.  I swept.  I vacuumed.  I steam mopped.  I regular mopped.  I peeled stickers off the hardwood floor.  I'd say a fun time was had by all but the toddler did get mad she couldn't hear the television over the vacuum.  Me too, kid.  Me too.

I recently switched from Method hardwood floor cleaner to Bona.  I love Method products because they're chemical free. Two of the four in our house regularly eat off the floor.  (I'm not naming names here.)  But while the Method floor cleaner was great on the wood in our condo, it's left a noticeable film on the floor in this house.  I heard great things about the Bona hardwood floor kit and decided to give it a try.  It's only been a few uses and I can definitely tell a difference.  I do want to try their floor polish though since they still look a little dingy. But even if I end up trying something else, that mop is staying in my arsenal.  It's surprisingly nice to use for a assemble-it-yourself mop.

For a deeper clean, I use the Shark Steam Mop.  I use it both on tile and our hardwoods.  You should always check it make sure you wood floors can handle steam before using a steam mop though.  In an inconspicuous area, place a drop of water on the floor.  Leave it for a minute or two.  If it's still there, your floors are sealed and it's okay to use.  If the water absorbed into the wood, steer clear.  Even the brief wetness of the steam could lead to floor damage.  (Or consider using a steam mop on a wood floor a terrible idea overall and ignore the crazy lady on the internet.  You do you.)

As it is, I'm glad to have week one in the books, and I'm still going strong!

(Full disclosure:  I used a few Amazon Affiliate links in this article, which if you buy through my link I'll receive some slice of the proverbial pie.  Or maybe actually pie, I'm not sure since my mom hasn't bought anything yet.)