You know how much we love getting into all of those nasty little nooks and crannies to clean the areas that most homeowners ignore. But you can think of cleaning light switches, window tracks, and laundry room baseboards as advanced cleaning. If you haven’t tackled the basic-level cleaning tasks, then your house is still going to feel like a hot mess. 

That’s why we recommend starting with the basics. And there’s one part of your home that has more surface area for germs and bacteria to cling to than anything else.

We are talking about your FLOORS!

Seriously, if you aren’t cleaning your floors the right way, you are wasting your precious time. 

Your floors are filthy. Period.

That’s not a knock on you – it’s just the facts. If you aren’t cleaning your floors regularly and correctly, your floors aren’t any cleaner than a public restroom or supermarket. Every germ that’s on those floors is getting tracked into your house via shoes.

And do you want to know something gross? Your family’s shoes are dirtier than most toilet seats. If you wear your shoes in your house, just think about all of the places you, your kids, and your pets have walked over the past couple of weeks. Now imagine all of that being transferred to your floors. 

Studies show that the soles of our shoes track millions of organisms into the house. In fact, 39 percent of shoes have clostridium difficile (C-diff), which is not pretty. And that’s just one type of bacterium we’re bringing into our homes daily.The point is, you need to clean your floors correctly. So let me show you how to mop your floors the House Work way.

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The House Work Mopping Method

What You Need: Spin mop, Hot Water, Tide® Powdered Laundry Detergent
How Often? At least once per week in highly trafficked areas

Step 1: Vacuum

Never mop without first getting all of the dust and crud out of the way – and don’t go reaching for the trusty broom. I repeat, no brooms allowed! They just kick more dust into the air and undo all your hard work! Instead, grab the vacuum and use a floor attachment to canvas the area. 

Step 2: Mop

Now that your floor is free of dust and debris, it’s time to mop. For hard floors, fill the bucket up to the line with hot water and add 1 teaspoon of Tide® Powdered Laundry Detergent. Dunk your mop and then push the foot pedal 7-10 times. You don’t want any drips at all.

Mop your floors, making sure to change out your water when it starts looking dirty. You’re not cleaning anything with dirty mop water. Let your floors dry fully before putting any furniture back.

Step 3: Vacuum

Once the floors have dried and you’ve put everything back in place, go back over your floors with the vacuum one last time for good measure. This will pick up anything that may have been stirred up during the process.

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