apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I know it may sound anal, but I always get down on my hands and knees with a rag and clean it that way (after a brooming). It's just about as fast, and you get a much better result. Of course, I live in a one bedroom apt, so I don't think I'd be likely to do it in a bigger house.

Excellent tip!

I discovered something similar while living in south Florida amongst a large Cuban population. They mop their floors with a broom handle that has just a bar across the bottom which they use to push around a rag. They sell these t-shaped contraptions in ethnic markets. Though I guess a broom would be easier to come by in some parts of the world.

$35 for a broom? the whole reason that this method - and the "ethnic" t-bar is used is because it's cheaper.

what's next? a blog about the amazing wonders of a manual can opener?

It's done this way also in the Netherlands, although definitely not by everyone anymore....
And I agree with amt230, that getting down on hands and knees does a better job. Talking about anal, when I REALLY want to clean the kitchenfloor (other than a cosmetic clean-up every other day) I do it like this: vacuum, mop (on my knees), dry the floor with an old handtowel en then vacuum again, because the mopping often releases some extra dirt...

The quick clean-up is to simply vacuum the floor, then spray it with a cleaningspray, and mop the floor with that broom and rag... I am coming to the States in October, and I am thinking of getting some cleaning stuff from Mrs. Meyer's, to have a nice smell when I do that quick clean-up...

Petra

I'm prefer a simple sponge mop with removable sponge that you can just ring out in the sink...good for scrubbing and easy to rinse our frequently...I just leave a path to the sink.

I'm with LaYa--doesn't it seem a bit peculiar to tout the advantages of cheap&green while suggesting that we go out and buy something new and expensive? The truly "rustic" isn't really for sale.

I do this with a rag and a swiffer. I have a spray bottle full of diluted floor cleaner and I just spray and mop, then wash out the rag when I'm done. It beats going out and buying a separate mop.

I do clean my kitchen floor with just a rag by hand, but my kitchen is tiny and that floor always gets the dirtiest.

I'm with F.Glass...I'm from S. Florida and all we use is the "Latin" style mop and an old rag. Every now and then I use an old tshirt. Make a hole in the middle and wrap it around the mop. When I'm done cleaning just wash it in the sink!!! For the showers instead of using hand-held brushes which you have to get really close to the cleaning solutions, I use a broom. Its AWESOME for it!!!

I am another wash on hands and knees person. For heavy duty cleaning I do a hand held scrub brush in one hand to scrape up dirt and and a rag in the other to wipe it up. For light cleaning though I wrap a damp rag around a swiffer pole and periodically spray the rag with cleaner as I wipe up. Thinking about getting the swiffer-sweeper-vac. Anyone use it? Thinking it would deal with the problem of sweeping leaving dust behind, and mopping leaving crumbs behind...argh!

hands n knees baby, hands n knees

$35 is not a cheap solution. & anyone who's ever used a broom w/ a wood handle knows the pain involved. & oh the splinters!!

libman makes a great mop for under $10. it is self wringing. the fabric is antibacterial for avoiding that smell. & the mop head can be thrown in the wash.

I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this.

thanks apartment therapy for highlighting yet again how little domestic training I received growing up.

d'oh!

I like a swiffer with a rag or microfiber cloth. You can secure the rag to the head just like the disposable swiffer cloths, but you don't have to spend $5 for 16 or whatever they cost. The swiffer head is great b/c it's narrow and pivots 360 degrees.

I agree... hands and knees...

Swiffers with a rag, microfiber cloth or even sturdy, fluffy paper towels can work pretty well (though I wouldn't use the paper towels on wood, or on a high-gloss floor since they might scratch). As Bolder mentioned, the head is narrow and pivots nicely (although if the cloth is too clingy when wet they're prone to flipping).

This is the way my mom and grandmother did it when I was growing up. My aunts still do it this way. Old towels do a great job.

Do we really live in a world where people have to share tips on mopping ones floor? I mean, seriously. It hasn't really changed that much over the last century... why is this suddenly a great new discovery?

I have a black cat and white tile floors in the kitchen and bath, so it's hands and knees for me as well! Until now, I thought I was the only one.
Oh, and AT won't be extolling the virtues of the manual can opener unless it retails for $50 plus.