Whether laminate, parquet or tiles – you can find out here how to clean floors properly and which cleaning agents help.
Mopping the floor: The best tips
Not only dust and crumbs soil our floors, but also the dirt on our shoes and the rubber abrasion of the soles. Therefore, we recommend weekly cleaning.
- Correct preparation is important before floor mopping. To avoid having to move wastebaskets and chairs back and forth or even just wipe around them while mopping, they should be put upright.
- Before we really start mopping the floor, we should vacuum the coarse dirt with a vacuum cleaner. Tip: Vacuum cleaning – do not sweep, as loose dirt on hard floors is thus whirled up and distributed.
- Once the loose dirt is removed, we can wipe the floor with a damp cloth. For this we need a mop or floor wiper and mopping water. Particularly with laminate and parquet flooring, care should be taken not to wipe too wet. Too much moisture can cause the floor to swell or even lead to mould. (In general, we can avoid mould in the apartment if we ventilate properly).
- Then wipe the floor dry with a dry mop.
Useful Home Remedies
Dry cleaners are not only expensive, but also harmful to our health and the environment. If you don’t want to use chemical clubs (such as all-purpose cleaners) for floor mopping, you can also resort to numerous home remedies:
- Vinegar: This household remedy is a real all-rounder. Simply dilute vinegar or vinegar essence with water and use on smooth floors. By the way vinegar also removes lime without any problems.
- Detergent: Another alternative to chemical clubs is detergent in the cleaning water. To dry the floor, a floor wiper wrapped in a microfibre cloth is suitable.
- Fabric softener: Fabric softener in the mopping water ensures a special shine on laminate and etc.
- Curd soap: Instead of buying expensive cleaners, curd soap can help with tile cleaning. Simply soften incrustations with the soap and water and scrape off with a plastic spatula. Then rinse with clear water and dry. Curd soap or neutral soap are also suitable for use on laminate.
Cleaning tiles
Even though tiles are generally not as sensitive as wooden floors, there are different materials and surfaces, each of which requires a certain amount of care. What you have to pay attention to and which household remedies help, you can find out here: Cleaning Tiles.
Special feature: Cleaning parquet
- When cleaning parquet flooring, sweeping before wiping is better than vacuuming, otherwise scratches may occur.
- When wiping, the damp cloth should first be wrung out so that not too much water gets on the floor.
- The mop should be made of cotton at best.
- Aggressive cleaning agents should be avoided completely.
- For a beautiful shine and to protect against dirt, the parquet should be sealed with wax after a few years.