Cleaning tile floors (laminate, vacuum, ceramic, cleaner)

[Husker Fan]

What's the best way to clean tile floors? I have a small broom vacuum that seems to get the loose dirt, dust and dog hair up what would you recommend for cleaning spills, spots, etc.? I see "steam mops" advertised. Do they do a better job than just a damp mop?

[azcater]

We have a bunch of white ceramic tile in our house and I finally broke down and bought a hard floor cleaner to help me keep it clean, I love it!!! It scrubs and then vacuums up the water so you're not just swishing around dirty water on the floor.

Amazon.com: Hoover H3060 FloorMate SpinScrub 800 Hard-Floor Cleaner with Portable Detail Kit: Kitchen & Dining

[Master Shake]

Have you tried something like a Swiffer wet jet? Or any other wet-type mop? Just be careful of anything that adds wax.

[azcater]

I tried the swiffer wet jet, but it doesn't get in the grooves.

[Master Shake]

Originally Posted by azcater

I tried the swiffer wet jet, but it doesn't get in the grooves.

An old tooth brush and a little Mr. Clean will do wonders in the grooves!

[Home_Kid]

a iRobot Scooba. i love this thing.....
you need to vacuum 1st, then run Scooba

Scooba is a investment, but it frees up your time so you can do other things. it was well worth it for me. a iRobot Roomba 580 is next on my list, this way i dont even have to vacuum....

[smallvillefan]

I have a Swiffer Wet Jet and it leaves my tiles sticky for some reason. I love it for my laminate floors, but not so much for tiles. Anyone have good suggestions for cleaning travertine?

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by Husker Fan

What's the best way to clean tile floors? I have a small broom vacuum that seems to get the loose dirt, dust and dog hair up what would you recommend for cleaning spills, spots, etc.? I see "steam mops" advertised. Do they do a better job than just a damp mop?

Depends on the type of tile, Husker Fan.

I bought one of those Hoover FloorMates only to learn it is not recommended for Saltillo Tile . . . wanna buy it? Brand new, never used, not even once.

Good Luck

[joninaz]

Don't waste money on the Hoover Floormate.

It's not a bad machine, but is best for hard, completely flat floors like wood. It's pretty usless with tiles. The scrubbing brushes and suction area are fixed and don't adjust to different levels, meaning the grout lines remain untouched.

My place now has a lot of tile and I find the best method it to vacuum up the dust, then hand mop it. This gets the majority of dirt. It dries here in 7 minutes, so you can re-vacuum the newly energized stuff. I spill all sorts of things in the kitchen, so sometimes the floor needs some extra TLC. But really, a few squirts of 409, etc. will get up most anything.

[azcater]

my hoovermate floor mate comes with a grout cleaning attachment which I use every couple months. With a 2 yr old and very little time for cleaning, I'll take the extra help!