Adam Bjerk

How to Clean Floors

Nothing can enhance the beauty of a room quite like a well-kept, clean floor. Conversely, nothing can so completely destroy the feng shui of a living space like a nasty floor can, and having nasty floors is very easy. Floors suffer the treads and soles of our shoes – and God know where we’ve been! They also have to put up with our young (clumsy and insane) and our pets (drink out of toilet, drag butts). Together, we all conspire to grind filth and debris into the very foundations of our homes. This page is the antidote to our unclean ways. Here you’ll learn how to clean floors using methods that are both environmentally friendly and harmless to you and your family. Don’t hold it against us if our techniques are also inexpensive; we’re not cheap – we’re resourceful.

Below you’ll find the floors we have cleaned so far, but this list will keep growing in the coming months, so if you have a kitchen with cork flooring, or a slate-floored bathroom, check back with us from time to time. The list of things we have cleaned just keeps growing.

Floor Cleaning

How to clean linoleum floors. Linoleum floors have some serious upsides. Linoleum is made entirely from organic materials and is effectively recycled, making it one of the greenest flooring materials. Linoleum is also inexpensive. It is not the same nor as hardy as vinyl, which linoleum is often confused with. This is why our writer demonstrates how to clean these floors (his floors, actually) using apple cider vinegar. It may not have the vaporizing power of industrial cleaners, which can dissolve your linoleum over time, but it still leaves you with clean floors that shine…and smell faintly of cinnamon.

How to clean marble floors. If you have to clean marble floors, your life is probably going pretty well. Marble is the result of a geological miracle – intricately veined stone created by heat, pressure, limestone, and the gods. Unfortunately, this beauty is high maintenance. Marble floors are porous and sensitive, and acidic cleaners – even vinegar – will damage them. Thankfully, our writer leaves no stone unturned. This article covers the methods used for both light and heavy cleaning, with special attention to spills, stains, and scratches. You’ll also learn about the best tools for cleaning marble floors, as well as common (costly) mistakes.

How to clean tile floors. Tile floors, which inhabit bathrooms, kitchens, and large institutions, are usually cleaned with chemicals that are banned under the Geneva Conventions. Tile floors can take it, but can we? In this article, my friend Jonathan proves that all you need to clean tile floors is a mop, hot water, and little bit of nature’s very own citric acid. Citric acid is environmentally friendly and completely safe when handled properly. The author also explains why acidic cleaners are safer and more effective than base cleaners. If citric acid isn’t your thing, you’ll find many green alternatives here.

How to clean hardwood floors. Clean wood floors and fresh socks make conditions great for my favorite indoor activity: floor sliding. Can you beat 15 ft (with three stitches)? I keep my wood floors clean with a mild solution that is safe for the different kinds of wood in my house. I use organic dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle. Water is enemy to all wood floors, and the spray bottle helps to keep tendencies towards immoderation in check. Besides showing you how to clean green, this article explores many practical ways to protect and extend the life of your wood floor.

How to clean carpeted floors. Carpet is soft and luxurious underfoot, and it keeps hairballs and dust from caroming around your room. It’s also less devastating for maladroit individuals like me. The downside is that it can get downright filthy. There really isn’t a good way to deep-clean carpets without a noisy machine; however, our writer explains why soap is actually unneeded – why steam cleaning, or using a water extractor without detergent will clean floors just as effectively without detergent. What dark arts are these? Find out under the tutelage of our carpet cleaning master. If you’re dealing with carpet stains, try reading this article about cleaning carpet stains.

How to clean concrete floors. Probably the blue collar worker of flooring, concrete lies neglected in basements, garages, and other underappreciated areas around the home. Fear not – you can clean your concrete floors and pay it all back, and do it safely. In this article you’ll find the ins and outs of concrete floor cleaning: homemade cleaning solutions, the tools for the job, environmentally friendly concrete floor sealers, stain and spill removal – it’s all here. You’ll even learn why, in the name of self-preservation and biodiversity, you should avoid Grandpa’s concrete floor cleaners.

How to clean granite floors. My wife thinks that if stone floors were the mob, granite would be the Godfather. Marble and slate would just be capos, asking favors of granite, or begging granite for their lives. As tough as it is, you need to clean granite floors with mild solutions. Hot water (distilled) and a microfiber cloth are usually all you need. Read the article to learn about the other variables in cleaning marble floors. Green granite sealants and cleaning products, solutions to stay away from, what to do in case of spills – everything you need to know about the mob boss of stone flooring is outlined (in chalk) here.

How to clean grout. What? Grout isn’t a type of flooring. That’s right – this is just a bonus article for you. Grout is that concrete-like stuff between tiles of various sorts. It’s porous, and it isn’t all that easy to clean. Our writer tried the green cleaning staples of vinegar and baking soda, but they didn’t work. That’s when he elevated his game with some oxygen bleach. I know people get nervous when they hear “bleach”, but oxygen bleach is quite safe for you and the environment. If you want to learn how to clean floors that have grout, give this article a look.

Green Flooring

The term “green” can be a source of confusion and frustration. First of all, there are many variables that go into making a floor green. You have to consider the manufacturer’s reputation, the manufacturing process, distribution methods, whether or not the product contains recycled material or can be recycled in the future, the toxicity of the product, as well as how long the product will last and how much and what kind of maintenance it requires. This is just part of the equation. The best thing you can do is thoroughly research the type of flooring you want to install, as well as the company that is selling and distributing the product. If your floor is going be with you – or someone – for a lifetime, isn’t it worth the effort? Greenfloors.com is a great place to start, but green building supplies is a bourgeoning business. There are many sources for educational and cross-referencing purposes.