Why can't I get my floors clean?!

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

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finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 11:54 am

I just spent an hour cleaning - kitchen counters and walls, dishracks, in and around the toilet including the toilet scrubber, moved a mountain of things to clean behind it all - and it seems that no matter what I do I can never get my floors clean. I sweep, and then I sponja, and then I go over it all with a shmatta, and today I even did the shmatta on my hands and knees hoping that would make a difference, and still little bits of hair are left behind. What more can I do? :-(

kalsee

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:01 pm

First of all, make sure to sweep very well before you use any water.
Second - get good shmattas (microfiber ones are my favorite lately- cost about 10 shekel apiece, last for a while)
Third- use floor polish after washing once in a while

finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:04 pm

I try to sweep well, but that brings another question - how do I get all the crud out of my broom? That's even more of a losing battle.

kalsee

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:12 pm

Do you finish up the sponga with a shmatta? can you try removing all the water with the sponga stick, and then go over the floor with a dry clean shmatta?

brooms- you ned to replace the bottom (10-15 shekel) every month or two.

kalsee

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:14 pm

Really, I sympathize! it took me a while to figure out how to do my house so that it comes out the way I like.

finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:18 pm

kalsee wrote:

Really, I sympathize! it took me a while to figure out how to do my house so that it comes out the way I like.

Well most of my problem is that I never learned how to clean and now I'm just unmotivated. But I'm not working much now, so there's no excuse IMO for a dirty house - and it's too small for me to justify hiring a cleaner (who I'm sure could make quick work of my 25-square meter apartment and would resent me hiring her for like an hour). So I get to figure out how to be Suzy Homemaker myself.

Like, see, I had no idea that you're supposed to replace the broom every MONTH. Now I want to go amother, because I'm rather mortified to admit that till now I only replaced it before Pesach. embarrassed

Any other tips people want to give me? I know how to wash dishes and do laundry and clean counters and toilets, and I do pretty well at removing visible dirt/ickiness, but... that's about it. :-(

mommyla

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:19 pm

Vacuum? I've had vacuums with floor settings that worked really well, better than sweeping.

finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:25 pm

mommyla wrote:

Vacuum? I've had vacuums with floor settings that worked really well, better than sweeping.

I would love to vacuum rather than sweep. For some reason it seems that nobody does it here. Where do they even sell vacuum cleaners in Israel?

babysmum

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:34 pm

Don't be mortified for not replacing your brooms. Many of us don't and for sure not EVERY month. I used to replace them every 3-4 months only but now I have these plastic brooms that the sheitle machers use. They are great for hairs and dust and they don't hold on to dirt.

June

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:35 pm

I have the same problem. those little hairs just do. not. go. away.

I don't replace my broom head so often either. I think I'm on the same broom since I moved here (we went away for pesach, so I didn't think of replacing the broom embarrassed

).

I find that my handheld vacuum does a great job sucking up whatever my broom doesn't get. (my husband actually got it for my birthday last year, and I've been blessing him ever since)

kalsee

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:36 pm

esheschayil wrote:

Any other tips people want to give me? I know how to wash dishes and do laundry and clean counters and toilets, and I do pretty well at removing visible dirt/ickiness, but... that's about it. :-(

you can change your broom less often but it just doesn't work as well.

my best tip is getting rid of stuff/clutter as much as possible.
When the room is empty and clear , it's much easier to clean.

Bedrooms- strip the beds, put away anything that's hanging around, wash windows and mirrors, dust closets/dressers/shelves.
Sweep the floor, sponga.

dining room/living room- remove all chairs to another room, clear table/coffee table , dust bookcases/shelves/pictures
clean under couch/under couch cushions
sweep well, sponga

There was a thread a little while back in the Aliya/Israeli section where I posted all my sponga tips.

I can post more if you're interested Smile

Hatzlacha!

finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:36 pm

June wrote:

).

I find that my handheld vacuum does a great job sucking up whatever my broom doesn't get. (my husband actually got it for my birthday last year, and I've been blessing him ever since)

So, June, where do you get a handheld vacuum?

And, is my house really as bad as I think it is? LOL

June

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 12:43 pm

I think he got it in Rav Shefa - in that electronics/appliance store there. I use it for EVERYTHING! my bathroom in particular gets full of hair, so when it's not steamed up from the shower I run my vacuum all over to pick it all up. I sometimes (ok, all the time) eat at the computer while I work, so I use it to clean up all the crumbs. it's also very useful for spaces that are hard to reach with the broom.

don't worry - your house looked fine to me! and the second night of yom tov, too Very Happy

finallyamommy

Tue, Dec 09 2014, 1:01 pm

kalsee wrote:

Hatzlacha!

Oh, wait, I just saw this. Yes, I'm interested! Dusting shelves means, what, with wood cleaner stuff and a rag? And what about sponga-ing under the dresser, which is next to impossible to move?

And what am I supposed to do with the pile of "stuff" in the corner of the bedroom that doesn't really have a place because we don't have enough storage space for it? (ie a stroller that we got for free that I ain't getting rid of even though we don't have kids yet because who passes up a free stroller) - I promise I am NOT a hoarder, it's only essential or future-essential things, and only for free, that I stock up on.

And how much should I be bugging my DH? He is worse than me (I don't want to go into detail since I'm not anon) but he davens 3x a day with a minyan, learns in the morning, and then works 12-hour days, so I don't really like making him do things around the house if I don't have to, but does that mean I should pick up after him rather than telling him to when he leaves his socks on the floor?

ra_mom

Wed, Dec 10 2014, 7:42 pm

esheschayil wrote:

If you have trouble with sweeping, definitely use the vacuum cleaner. I like to have our floors vacuumed once a week.
If hairs are the only problem , and you do not have access to a vacuum cleaner, consider getting a rubber broom, as used in hair salons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvnmYZfAPmI
If the floors are not getting clean, consider getting a scrub brush on a long handle. I scrub the (non wood) floors along with a bucket of water and cleaner once a week as well, after vacuuming/sweeping.
http://www.amazon.com/Libman-N.....10208

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Sep 06 2018, 12:30 am; edited 1 time in total

etky

Thu, Dec 11 2014, 3:23 am

esheschayil wrote:

I would love to vacuum rather than sweep. For some reason it seems that nobody does it here. Where do they even sell vacuum cleaners in Israel?

I do. Took me over 20 years to figure it out. Talk about slow learners.....
I find it works much better than sweeping, especially for hairs, BUT you have to have a good vacuum cleaner and it should have a head that can get into corners or at least an attachment for that.
My latest use for the vacuum is believe it or not, cleaning my window screens.

etky

Thu, Dec 11 2014, 3:34 am

You're right btw that no one really does that here.
At first I felt subversive defying cleaning 'orthodoxy' but once I saw how well it worked- and it is much quicker and easier IMHO - I was hooked.

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