What to add to water when washing floors to make them shine and smell fresh

There is no need to buy special products to remove dust and dirt from floors: you can use regular dishwashing liquid instead. “It’s safe, it’s effective, and besides, is there a house where it won’t be?” says Robin Murphy, cleaning professional and cleaning company owner. She explains that such an alternative easily dissolves dirt and, being gentle in composition, is gentle on all surfaces.

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How to dilute: one or two drops per liter.

Should I wash it? Yes.

Do you want people to say about you, “You can eat off the floor of his kitchen?” » Next you need floor disinfectants, and one of the most convenient, effective and inexpensive is rubbing alcohol. “It helps remove dirt and odors and is also a powerful germicide,” says cleaning company employee Kathy Cohun.

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How to breed: a glass of medical alcohol for five liters of water.

Should I wash it? No! Streak-free floor cleaners are often alcohol-based, and not rinsing them will only help them do their job better.

Looking for easy floor cleaning products? Watch out for the vinegar! Its main weapon is acidity, which allows it to dissolve dirt and clean the surface. And don’t be afraid of the vinegar smell, it will disappear very quickly.

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Attention! There are floor cleaners that can damage certain types of flooring, and vinegar is one of them: it can damage granite, marble, polished and unfinished wood.

How to breed: 100 ml of nine percent vinegar for four liters of lukewarm water.

Borax (also known as sodium tetraborate or borax) is the sodium salt of boric acid. It can replace professional floor cleaners because borax is a powerful substance similar to baking soda, but more alkaline and has a mild abrasive effect. As Murphy explains, Borax can remove even tough stains and inhibit mold growth.

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How to breed: two and a half tablespoons of borax per four liters of water.

Should I wash it? Yes. Borax can leave streaks, so you should wash the solution off with clean water.

Check out this tip: Sometimes floor shine products can make other things shine too. If you need to refresh discolored porcelain, soak it in warm water, adding half a glass of sodium boric acid, and after 30 minutes, wash the porcelain with dishwashing liquid, but without a sponge.

Essential oils are excellent aromatics for cleaning floors. They also have other superpowers: for example, wild orange oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and also easily removes grease or glue, and tea tree oil can destroy bacteria and viruses.

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How to breed: 40 drops per bucket of water (you can mix different essential oils to create a unique aroma for your home).

Finally, don’t ignore all-purpose floor cleaners that are already formulated to perform a specific task. Remember to read the label carefully: make sure the floor cleaning water additives you buy are suitable for your apartment. Also, don’t make a few common mistakes, that’s what we’re talking about.

Studies show that microfiber removes significantly more bacteria and dirt than cotton: 99.5% versus 68%. In addition, cotton and cellulose sponges take a very long time to dry, so a mop made from such material can turn into a breeding ground for microorganisms that love a humid environment.

It’s not enough to choose a microfiber mop, you need to wash the head every three or four uses. You can disinfect the fabric by placing it in a solution of water with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide for 15 minutes.

This will make sticky floors a dirt magnet: dried moss left on the surface will be instantly activated by moisture and attract dust and debris. It’s very easy to avoid this: Melissa Homer, an expert in large cleaning companies, advises reading the label carefully and following the instructions printed on it.

Unfortunately, there are surfaces that do not tolerate water: untreated wood, oiled and waxed parquet floors and unglazed tiles. These coverings should be vacuumed or swept regularly, and if washing is necessary, you should choose special products and dry the floor as quickly as possible.

As Melissa explains, cleaning floors is less about applying soapy water and more about removing it. “Water lifts dirt. If you don’t remove it, it will dry back down, undoing all your hard work,” says Homer. This can make laminate and hardwood floors look dull or streaky, so rinse the mop under running water and run it over the floor after using the detergent.

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