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*Hardwood Floors*
Our new house has hardwood floors. I've never had hardwood before and I have no idea how to properly take care of it. I've been mopping it and using wet Swiffer cloths between mopping but it just never appears clean for very long. I know that part of this is due to Bo's messy eating habits (which are beginning to be much better!) but it seems like even just walking on the floor leaves residue and footprints.
1. Do you have hardwood? If so, what do you use to keep it looking nice? How often do you clean it?
*Pet Urine/Odors*
In the last week, we've also had a problem with one of our kitties -- Wilson. Wilson is by far our most sensitive kitty and there have been many changes in his life over the past few months. However, it was only recently that he decided that our new couch in the living room would be the perfect litter box. Thus far, he's had three "accidents" on the couch. We've cleaned the couch with the carpet cleaner and used Nature's Miracle
on the spots. I've kept the area covered with foil when we are not in the room and we've put the kitties in the storage room during the night to avoid nighttime issues.
on the spots. I've kept the area covered with foil when we are not in the room and we've put the kitties in the storage room during the night to avoid nighttime issues.2. I am looking for products that remove the urine odor from fabric as well as any and all suggestions for keeping Wilson off of the couch and discouraging him from using the couch as a litter box. All suggestions and advice welcome and appreciated.
*Stainless Steel*
I feel like I should give you some motivation to answer my questions and share your advice -- so here is my cleaning tip for the day. By far the best cleaning tip I've found recently involves caring for stainless steel appliances. All of our appliances are stainless and I love the look -- when they are clean and Bo hand-print free. However, I found many of the stainless steel cleaners left a residue and didn't keep our appliances clean for very long. After much internet research, baby oil was recommended. I wash the appliances with warm water, dry, and then apply a layer of baby oil on a clean cloth diaper. I wipe all of the appliances with the oil and then go back and buff with another clean cloth diaper. The results are absolutely amazing!!
Friday's Feature at Sticky Feet Part Deux is Ask Jamie. Feel free to email me or leave a comment with any question you would like for me to answer. Anything is fair game!
18 comments:
I love love love my Scooba (iRobot makes it) for cleaning tile, and it's supposed to be safe for sealed hardwood too.
We used Boundary cat repellent with some success on our couch-loving, puking kitty.
Good luck!
I grew up with lots of carpet, but moved South & we have lots of tile. Tile + kids in FL (and no dog) = CRUMBS, sand, & dust tumbleweeds! I bought a Hoover Floormate Hard-Floor cleaner, and this does the BEST job. Swiffer is sticky and dries out before you get anywhere; mops do not pick up the grit and drag the dirt around. This Hoover does not kick the dirt around like a reg. vacuum will, and has a WASH trigger then suction to squeege it up. The amount of food and gray water you will dump out is...enlightening. It also has a DRY VAC fenction that is use in worst spots (under the table! Near the sink!) 1-2 x per week and then I do a full sweep/wash once a week. :) You must use the brand-specific cleaner w/ it and I think it is hardwood safe (or they make a specific one for hardwood). My friend ordered online and got a version with an ATTACHMENT HOSE for grout and spot cleaning--and I am jealous of that! GOOD LUCK!
Per our hardwood floor guy & pur cleaning lady (who comes tomorrow!!!!) 1 part vinegar 3 parts water, spray & wipe. I use our swiffer w/ a bounty paper towel.
Good luck!
The key with hardwood floors are to use as little moisture as possible. The swiffer wet stuff always left my floors dull and sticky. I use a dry swiffer to take care of pet hair, and I spot clean with a barely damp cloth as needed.
I'm with Jen - vinegar and hot water gets my floors very shiny, clean and streak-free, with no cloudy residue. And its way cheaper than any other hardwood floor celaner you'll find out there. And there is the environmentally friendly part, too. A triple threat!!
For cat pee, Nature's Miracle is the best I've found. I also bought a UV light for finding the spots because once they've dried, the only other way to locate them is to crawl around on my hands and knees sniffing. When not pregnant I can handle it, but since I've been pregnant that job is out of the question for all sorts of reasons.
Something that I haven't tried with my cat but that my parents used to use with their pets was an alarm that goes off when anything jumps onto the couch/bed/whatever. It is a little box that you put on the surface which responds to motion. The loud noise startles the pet and usually it only takes a few times. But, it might also startle Bo, so it might not be the best idea for you guys.
I agree with Cassandra, Nature's Miracle is a great product ... I would recommend the unscented. I grew up on a ranch and we once had a skunk spray into the house ... we used their Skunk Odor Remover (which is now their Pet odor Remover) and it completely neutralized the odor.
Currently, I live in a house that has 2200 sf of wood floor. What I notice is that the dust bunnies/dirt seems to move in the direction of the baseboards ... after being annoyed by this constant maintenance issue for the past year (compounded by the very annoying baby proofed electrical outlets)... I researched cordless vacs and came across a new Hoover Cordless Stick Vac ... problem solved ... this vac is GREAT and I highly recommend it.
Happy nesting ... can't wait to see pics of the girls.
I had the dull issue.. I can't stand the dull floor on the hardwood. For me it never felt clean if there was a dull streaky residue. So, after trying many different products, I finally came accross one that works great.. it is called Bon*a. The starter kit comes with a mop like thing, a dry rag attachment(that I don't use cuz I like the swiffer dry thingies) and a wet attachment for the mop and a bottle of cleaner. Basically, once the floor is dusted and/or vacuumed, sray the cleaner directly on the floor and wipe up. Easy and works great!
UGh.. I just typed in a response and it got deleted!
OK.. I had the dull floor issue and for me, a dull streaky floor is not a clean floor. So, I tried many many products but nothing worked. I finally tried this one product when someone suggested it for me.. it is made by Bon*a. The starter kit comes with a stick, a removable cloth attachment and a spray bottle of cleaner.
Basically, once the floor is dry mopped (I prefer the Swiffer dry clothes) and/or vacuumed, spray the cleaner down and wipe up. That easy and no streaks!
i know not what you want to hear, but maybe it's time for Wilson to go to a new home?! with the girls coming home in the near future, i'm not sure i'd want to be dealing with cat pee ANYWHERE! you're going to have your hands full and this may only be the beginning of Wilson's sensitivity with the changes yet to come. ;) i know how much you love your cats though.
The house that I just sold in Olney had over 1,000sf of hardwood. I tried everything until I found the Bona system. I used to buy it at Hurns but I noticed that Lowes and Kohls carries some of the products also. I had the mop with the dusting pad and the pad for using with the spray.
My mom always used a dust mop with pledge for our hardwood floors. The only problem is you can't walk around in socks or you'll fall. Our wood floors don't have the shine so I alternate between vacuuming and sweeping daily and the Swiffer wet jet twice a week.
The Roomba is great, if your cats don't shed too much. With two dogs we went through 3 Roomba's in a year, but all were under warranty and for the first year of LG's life I rarely had to vacuum for real.
I don't know about in the house, but we had problems with a neighbor's cat peeing on our front step and bush. I sprinkled cayenne pepper around the area and the cat stayed away.
I forgot to add that I use Method Wood Floor Cleaner (available at Target) it smells really nice (very mild almond smell) and same with above mentioned Bona just squirt on and mop. I found a mop at Home Depot that has velco attached pads that you just throw in the washer. I tried the Bona product and while it does have a nice shine, it made my floors very slippery ... even in bare feet ... the kids were having a difficult time not falling.
I also tried the Roomba (sweeper)... absolutely loved that too ... but the kids were enthralled by it ... and wouldn't leave it alone ... so it's in hibernation until they are a little older.
we used to lay a long piece of aluminum foil on the couch to keep the kitties off....might work...and my mother used to keep a spray bottle of water around and give them a squirt if they got onto the furniture. Negative reinforcement seemed to work....
Vinegar is suppose to help nutralize the urine odor so hopefully they aren't drawn to the same spot again and again. That is what I used on my carpet.
I can't wait to try your baby oil tip.
We had hardwood in our old house (I really miss it). I used the swiffer wet jet until my kids then I found it just didn't get the extra grime off the floor that came with the kiddos. I just used a little bit of avon bubble bath in some warm water with a vildea mop (the flat one) I squeezed out as much water as I could and that cleaned the floor really well... no streaks! (We did not have sealed floor and I never had an issue. I just made sure I wasn't leaving puddles of water anywhere... I do live in a fairly dry climate too so that helped with drying time!)
Um, are you for REAL?
Seriously, you are a hundred weeks pregnant with TWINS and you are writing a blog entry about cleaning tips! I thought I was anal, but I am hanging my head in SHAME! You take the (mint) cake.
Btw, I am so trying your stainless steel tip! Thanks!
And, I didn't register on your poll, but my guess is 7lbs3oz (Anna) and 6lbs7oz(Clara) and September 17th. :)
We have an 85-year-old house with hardwood floors that aren't sealed, and I never use wet products -- just sweep and spot-clean.
I can't believe you're doing so much cleaning. I could barely move at this point! No nesting whatsoever. I just sat on the couch and watched House marathons. Oh, those were the days...!
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