Looking for some floor cleaning tips because you are fed up with dirty looking floors, even though you just mopped them?
Got carpet stains that you just can’t get rid of?
Fret no longer! These 11 unusual cleaning tips will help make your floors shiny and spotless!
It doesn’t matter if you have wood, laminate, vinyl, tile, or carpet – these tips will help with all your floor cleaning problems!
Table of Contents
Clean Floors
I have a little bit of an obsession with my floors! My whole house could be perfectly clean, but if the floors are dirty, then the whole house feels dirty to me.
In my post about Quick Cleaning, I talk about your stress triggers – dirty floors are MY stress trigger!
All these tips are things that I have tried myself over the years and they all work really well. Most of them don’t require special ingredients or equipment, so you will have your floors sparkling in no time!
Dirty Floor Prevention
The cleaning tips below are all ways to clean up your dirt floors, but we can save ourselves some of the work, by preventing the floors from getting so dirty in the first place.
Here are a few ideas to keep your floors looking cleaner for longer.
Door Mats
A good mat at each of the doors to your home will help trap the dirt before it even makes it inside the house! Look for a heavy duty, weather-proof mat for outside, and a lighter-weight utility rug for inside.
Furniture Pads
Use felt pads on the bottom of chair and furniture legs. That way when the furniture is moved, it won’t scratch your beautiful floors!
Shoes Off
This is a controversial one in my house! I believe that you should take your shoes off as soon as you come into the house. It stops the dirt and grime from the outside world being tracked all over the floor.
However, my partner hates to be barefoot and keeps his shoes on all the time (yes, his feet get stinky!). Whatever your personal preference, taking your shoes off at the door, definitely cuts down on the dirt!
Floor Cleaning Tips
So let’s get started on our list of floor cleaning tips. You might have heard of some of these tips before, but I’m betting that there are a few new ones here too!
Microfiber Mop & Spray
We’ve always been taught to use a mop and bucket full of water to clean our hard floors. But if you don’t rinse the mop out frequently or change the water often, then all you are doing is pushing around dirty water! Gross!
Instead, you could try using a microfiber mop and spray bottle.
I LOVE the O-Cedar Microfiber Mop. It’s double-sided – one side is great for “dusting” the floors and the other side for mopping.
All you need to do is spray some cleaner on the floor, and then wipe over it with the microfiber mop.
For the cleaning solution I use a mixture of:
- 1 part water
- 1 part white vinegar
- 1/2 part rubbing alcohol (or cheap vodka)
- a few drops of my favorite essential oil (optional)
I hook the spray bottle in the waistband of my pants – spray, swish, spray, swish. I can do my whole kitchen in a minute or two. And once I’m done I just throw the mop head into the laundry!
Easy, quick and environmentally friendly!
Squeegee for Pet Hair
If you have pets, then you probably have to deal with pet hair! I’ve got 4 dogs and 4 cats, so it’s a never ending battle!
I have a robot vacuum cleaner that vacuums every day for me, but sometimes it just can’t get all the hair out of the carpets (especially when the seasons are changing and the animals are shedding a lot).
Instead I use my window squeegee to get the hair out of the carpet! It works wonderfully well! It’s also great on sofa and other soft furniture.
You can use it dry, or spray a tiny amount of water on the carpet first, and then drag the squeegee across it. You’ll be amazed at how much hair it will pick up!
Tennis Ball for Scuffed Floors
Hard floors can look lovely, but one thing that doesn’t look so good is nasty scuff marks all over them! Linoleum is especially prone to this problem.
The easiest way to deal with the scuff marks is with a tennis ball. Simply rub the scuff mark with the tennis ball… and it will disappear like magic!
Whatever you do… do NOT use a Magic Eraser on linoleum or waxed floors! The Magic Eraser will remove the shine and you’ll end up with dull spots all over your floor (I know from experience).
Black Tea to Shine Wood Floors
Black tea is useful for 2 different purposes with your floors.
First, it can be used to cover scratches in wood floors (or any kind of wood). Just use a black tea bag and boiling water. Let the bag sit in the water until you reach the desired color (the longer it sits, the darker it gets). Then use a cotton swab to apply it to the scratches. The tea will then stain the wood so the scratch is less noticeable.
The other way to use black tea is to shine your floors. Make up a large batch of black tea with boiling water. Once it has cooled, you can use it to mop your dark hard floors like normal. It will give them a wonderful shine, while also cleaning them!
Clothes Iron and Ammonia
I wasn’t sure this one would work until I tried it!
This cleaning tip works for both:
- stains on your carpet
- the ground in dirt on your linoleum or laminate floors
You will need the following items
- Ammonia
- Water
- White cloth or towel (not colored, as the color may transfer to your floors)
- Hot clothes iron
As with any cleaning method, it’s a good idea to test it first in an
First, you want to mix 1 part ammonia and 1 part hot water and dampen your cloth in this mixture.
Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then place a hot iron on top of the towel. Move the iron around in a circular motion – be careful, there will be a lot of steam!
Make sure you keep the iron moving and don’t spend too long in one place. You don’t have to burn your carpet or floor.
Keep going and repeat with a fresh dampened cloth if necessary.
Olive Oil to Restore Wood Floors
Over time wood floors can start to look scratched, dry, and… well… ugly! To restore them to their glory without using a bunch of harsh chemicals, you can try olive oil!
Yep, not just for cooking, olive oil can give your hardwood floors a new shiny and smooth finish.
Start by moping your floors as you normally would. Once they are dry get a spray bottle and mix together the following:
- 2 parts Olive Oil
- 1 part White Vinegar
- A few drops of your favorite essential oil
Very lightly spray this mixture over your wood floor a small section at a time (about 2′ or 3′ square). Use a microfiber mop to buff the floors until they shine like the top of a bald man’s head!
Just make sure that you don’t use too much of the mixture or your floors will feel oily. It’s easier to go back and apply a second coat, rather than try to clean up too much solution!
This also works great on wood furniture too!
Turn off Vacuum Beater Bar
I prefer to vacuum my hard floors, rather than sweep them. I get fed up of chasing that last line around with the dustpan!
There are special hard floor vacuums available, but really all you need to do is make sure you turn off the beater bar on your vacuum (that’s the fast-spinning brush bar!).
If not, then all you are doing is flinging the dirt and crumbs back onto yourself!
While we’re talking about vacuums. I also LOVE my robot vacuum. I schedule it to run every day, so my floors are always clean! Want to learn more about robot vacuums? Check out my Definitive Guide to picking the best robot vacuum cleaner for your lifestyle!
Dampen Your Dustpan
I mentioned that I don’t like sweeping and one of the reasons is because when you use a dustpan, the dust just goes everywhere!
One easy way to prevent this is to run your dustpan under cold running water before you use it. That way the dust will stick to the pan and not fly up into your face!
Just make sure you rinse the dustpan again once you are finished, or the dirt will dry onto your pan.
Homemade Grout Cleaner
Tile floors can look lovely, but they can also look gross if the grout isn’t clean.
There are many store-bought grout cleaners available, but it’s very quick and easy to make your own (and a lot cheaper too!).
For the full recipe and steps, check out my “How to Clean Grout” post. But basically you will use a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap. That’s it! Super easy and super effective!
Shoe Polish for Grout
Sometimes grout is so stained and gross, that no amount of scrubbing will get it clean. Sad, but true.
In that case, you can either buy expensive grout paint/sealer or you can use shoe polish!
Not black shoe polish, of course (unless you have black grout!). You can use white shoe polish! It’s easiest to use the type in the bottle with the sponge applicator on the top.
Just apply to the grout lines, let it sit overnight, and then polish the excess off the tiles the next morning. Simple!
Clean Baseboard with a Broom
OK, so baseboards aren’t strictly speaking on your floor, but dirty baseboards will make your room look dirty, just as much as dirty floors!
A quick and easy (and back-saving) way to clean baseboards is to tie a damp microfiber cloth to the end of your broom. Then all you need to do is run the broom around the edge of your room and… voila… clean baseboards!
Floor Cleaning Made Simple
I hope you found this floor cleaning tips useful and hopefully your floors will have just a little extra sparkle now!
Thanks a lot for these cleaning tips.. This is worth trying.. Great share!