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HomeSafeHome:  Tired of a dirty floor....  |
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craftystranger
True Blue Farmgirl
525 Posts
Barbara
Franklin
NC
USA
525 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 12:29:16 PM
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Okay for some reason the builder of my home put a very light color grout with the beige tile in our kitchen. Now if you do not look at the edges you would think that we have brown grout. We have 2 dogs and a cat. I have been reading about the swifter issue and will not use mine anymore. So I brought the steamer from the garage and started cleaning the tile. The tile looks great but need to use some sort of product on the grout. I'm not afraid of elbow grease. What have you used that has worked?? Thanks, Barbara
Don't forget to laugh! |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 9:43:34 PM
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Hi, Barbara, I found this via Google. Sounds like it might do the trick. I'll quote here for convenience:
It took me years to discover how to clean tile floors in a way that was easy and that didn't harm my family, pets and the colored grout. I finally settled on using powdered oxygen bleach. Little did I know that this choice would put me way ahead of the current green movement.
Oxygen bleach is nontoxic, doesn't produce harsh fumes, and is color- and fabric-safe. It removes all food and grease stains with no or minimal scrubbing. The oxygen ions attack the stain molecules, breaking them into pieces that rinse away with little effort.
To clean floor tiles, mix any high-quality oxygen bleach with warm water and stir it until it dissolves. Then pour the solution onto the floor tile so the grout lines are flooded with the solution. It's best to apply the oxygen-bleach solution to dry grout so it soaks deeply. Let the solution sit on the grout for at least 15 minutes. If it completely soaks into the grout, add more solution, making sure there is always plenty of the cleaning liquid on the grout.
The longer you let the solution sit on the grout, the less work you have to do cleaning tile flooring. The oxygen ions work for up to six hours. To get maximum cleaning results, it helps to scrub the grout lightly after 30 minutes. Always pour new solution onto the grout as you scrub.
An oxygen bleach solution will remove red wine stains in minutes. Beet juice is not a problem. I've not discovered one stain it can't remove. Friends have tried the tile cleaning machines, but they say the oxygen bleach does a much better job. You have to always scrub a little, but that's how anything gets clean.
Once you have clean floor tiles, you can keep the grout looking like new by adding oxygen bleach powder to your mop water. Apply a liberal amount of mop water to the floor, scrubbing the tile surface with the mop. But leave the mop water in the grout joints without rinsing the floor. The oxygen ions clean the light dirt in the grout without scrubbing. Come back 30 minutes later and rinse the floor with clean water. If you do this each time, you'll never be on your hands and knees again with a scrub brush.
It's always best to work on stains while they're fresh, if at all possible. But tile floors that have been dirty for years will come clean in no time if you use oxygen bleach. |
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Heartbroken farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
604 Posts
Annette
rio vista
Ca
USA
604 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 08:41:19 AM
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Wow, I was going to say I use a hand held shark steamer, clorox clean up spray, and a grout brush. Thanks to Mara, I learned a new trick! Thanks for posting! My house not only has tons of tile floors, but the kitchen counters, backsplash, 3 bathroom floors, walls, counters, and showers are all encased in 3x3" tile with light grout. Cleaning it takes me two days!!!
The tears I shed then, watered the flowers I harvest now.
www.broken908.blogspot.com
http://forums.familyfriendpoems.com/broken908
"The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values."-Dean William Ralph Inge |
Edited by - Heartbroken farmgirl on Mar 02 2011 08:42:32 AM |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 3:35:23 PM
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Wow, thankx for the tip! I have minimal tile and grout at the moment, but white linoleum that is a pain in the rear to clean. I'll try this and see if it helps, but will definitely be using it on the tile and grout I do have!
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
www.artfire.com/users/BlondeNakCreations |
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Sharon Denise
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
Sharon
Temple
TX
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 06:57:48 AM
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I'm sorry to jump in with a question, but what is the issue with Swiffers? We use them all the time, and now I'm worried! :-/
"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning."
~Louis L'Amour |
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Heartbroken farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
604 Posts
Annette
rio vista
Ca
USA
604 Posts |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 1:56:40 PM
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Sharon,
Just a few posts down is a thread in homesafehome entitled *to swift or not to swift*. It is full of alarming info about the swiffer wet mop, and your animals.
The tears I shed then, watered the flowers I harvest now.
www.broken908.blogspot.com
http://forums.familyfriendpoems.com/broken908
"The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values."-Dean William Ralph Inge |
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craftystranger
True Blue Farmgirl
525 Posts
Barbara
Franklin
NC
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Mar 04 2011 : 04:20:56 AM
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Rosemary thanks for the information!! I will give it a go this weekend and let you know what I think. Barbara
Don't forget to laugh! |
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Judyr808
Farmgirl in Training
23 Posts
Judy
Hood River
Oregon
USA
23 Posts |
Posted - Mar 06 2011 : 2:07:10 PM
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I hope everyone understands orygen bleach is not regular bleach, it's like Oxyclean. I have used it and it does a really good job, and no bleach smell.
Judy
Love & Light |
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craftystranger
True Blue Farmgirl
525 Posts
Barbara
Franklin
NC
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Mar 07 2011 : 3:53:11 PM
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Well I did give it a try and may take a few times. Thanks so much for the info. At least when I get it as clean as I can - it will be easier to maintain. Here's to a cleaner floor...Barbara
Don't forget to laugh! |
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ChristyC
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Christy
Brackettville
Texas
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 1:10:58 PM
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| Ok, I have been reading the posts and saw the one about the swiffer but I can't find the original post, whats up with the swiffer? |
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ChristyC
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Christy
Brackettville
Texas
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 1:12:26 PM
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| oh, by the way where do you find oxygen cleaner? |
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craftystranger
True Blue Farmgirl
525 Posts
Barbara
Franklin
NC
USA
525 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2011 : 5:30:19 PM
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I used oxy clean with hot water. I think the trick is to let it set prior to scrubbing. Barbara
Don't forget to laugh! |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Mar 31 2011 : 7:27:51 PM
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I wish I could find the right thread, but a few farmgirls were talking recently about the new steam vac/mops things, like the ones made by Shark and a few other companies. On the strength of someone's recommendation (sorry, I forget who -- and I'd like to thank her!), I bought the cheapest of the Shark models and gave it a try on my hideously unclean kitchen floor. Next day I tried it on the fairly new tile floors of our upstairs bathroom, and it got the whole floor, corners included, pristine-clean. I hadn't realized how dirty they were. Yuck.
So this is the best $70 I ever spent. The thing is amazing. It's light as a feather, really "puts out," and the pads you use on the bottom are nice and big -- the whole surface is "active." When you're done, you throw 'em in the wash. There's a basic pad and another one for tougher cleaning jobs; I haven't had to use that one yet.
The steam sanitizes as it cleans, dries as it goes, and there is nothing left on the floor to be picked up (and later licked off of) pet paws or baby fingers, which is what bothers people about the store-bought Swiffer pads. I used to use a Swiffer with cheapie washcloths instead of the Swiffer pads, with a white vinegar/water mixture as the cleaning agent. Now I don't even have to do that.
I wonder if this might be a good thing for you to look into, Barbara. With the extent of tile florring/grout you have to keep clean, you might want a more substantial model than the one I bought (at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, for those of you who are keeping score). |
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Bensgrandma
True Blue Farmgirl
227 Posts
Alexis
White Oak
PA
USA
227 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2011 : 2:51:36 PM
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I'll have to try that. We have white grout in our bathroom and it is driving me nuts trying to kepe it clean. Oxy Clean sounds like it might work.
Want a laugh - when we were first married we had an old house that had a pink one inch tile bathroom. No matter what I did I could not get the grout white. So one day I took shoe polish and went over ever grout line. I had to let it dry and wipe the tile down. White grout! When my husband came home I was so excited to show him. He looked at it and said, "It's nice but the grout was gray."
Alexis
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HugsandStitches
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ACharmingExperience |
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Heartbroken farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
604 Posts
Annette
rio vista
Ca
USA
604 Posts |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2011 : 05:40:54 AM
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I have white bathroom floors downstairs (I just know a man designed it, a woman would have been more practical) and while I love my steam cleaner, the grout does need special attention. I will get some Oxyclean next time and try it. Thanks for the tips! (I have three cats and a dog, too).
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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Simply Silly
True Blue Farmgirl
78 Posts
Amy
Woodbine
Georgia
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2013 : 5:13:35 PM
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Hi girls, I found out how to clean white grout naturally. Pour hydrogine peroxide on the grout line and add baking soda as a paste. Leave it on as long as you can - overnight is great, but if you don't have that much time, leave it on for at least a couple of hours. Take a steam cleaner and steam clean the grout. My white tile is very white with no scrubbing and no chemicals.
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HodgeLodge
True Blue Farmgirl
662 Posts
Tiana
Berkeley Springs
WV
USA
662 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2013 : 7:01:11 PM
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Nice post Amy. I am going to try this at my moms when I go and visit her. I usually clean her bathroom for her, and hate the way her floors look. Thanks
Farmgirl #4817-The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion
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HomeSafeHome: Tired of a dirty floor.... |
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Tired of a dirty floor....
