Dirty floors in a home can quickly become an eyesore, not to mention the fact that they can play host to harmful germs and bacteria. However, they can also be a bit of a chore to clean, and many of us put off doing it because of the effort it requires.
Here are a few tips for making sure that when you do get around to cleaning your floors, that it requires minimum effort and that your efforts aren’t wasted:
Vacuum thoroughly once a week:
If you’re going to get out your vacuum cleaner and spend time dragging it around behind you or lugging it from room to room, you must make sure that your efforts aren’t wasted by doing the job properly. Cutting corners will simply mean that you need to repeat the job far sooner than you should have to if you’d taken the time to do it properly in the first place. Get into every nook and cranny with the attachments and run the main suction device over areas thoroughly to ensure all the dirt and grime is picked up successfully.
Impose a strict ‘no shoe’ policy for your home:
You must make sure that this rule applies to everyone who enters your home, otherwise it won’t make any real difference. Outdoor shoes not only bring in dirt and grime from outside, but bacteria like E coli can easily be transferred to floors, and this can pose a very real threat to your health.
Place restrictions on where your pets can go:
Pets, while wonderful companions and great fun to be around, can be messy, and if they haven’t got dirty paws, then they’re likely to be shedding hair and dander wherever they go. Have places where your pets are not allowed to go to prevent you from having to continually clean the entire home, but make sure that their designated areas are also clean to avoid dander and dirt from being transferred from one room to the next.
Keep your pets feeding area as clean as possible:
Place your pet’s food and water bowls onto a mat or tray to prevent any spillages from landing on the floor. Then, all you need do is clean the tray or mat whenever it’s grubby, rather than the entire floor if kibble has been spilt, for example.
Do a little every day when needed:
Cleaning up spillages when they occur will make your cleaning life so much easier in the long run, and if you have areas of your home that you know get dirty every day, try to keep on top of things to prevent the dirt and grime from building up and becoming more difficult to eliminate.
Nobody is suggesting that your floors need to continually sparkle (or indeed, ever sparkle!) but keeping them hygienically clean is important and need not take too much time and effort if done on a regular basis.
