Over the years I've tried many different mops and have had no complete satisfaction with any of them. I've tried various sponge mops.... and the one I liked best had a lil scrubby sponge on one side that was great for scrubbing up those difficult dried on spots from drippings that someone never wiped up. But of course after about a year I couldn't find that mop head anymore.... or any other one that would fit the handle. So I had to buy a whole new mop and I didn't like it near as well. I prefer a sponge mop to a regular mop... but the trouble with sponge mops is that they don't do edges well... and they don't fit in that space between appliances and cabinets either.
So I decided at one point to try a few regular mops.... but the kind with a built in ringer... you know the kind that slides down and your twist it. Well I think I've tried at least 5 different ones.... this is the type my hubby likes.... but I don't like them because they just don't scrub as well and they leave lil pools of dirty water in those nice lil indents... it seems like no matter how many times you go over the floor it's still there. So over the years this nasty gunk of dirty mop water builds up in those indents and the floor looks nasty even when it's just been cleaned. These also don't fit well between the cabinet and the stove because of the ringer.
I even tried a Wet Jet.... now this is great to grab for lil spills and quick clean ups. But my kitchen is a bit large and trying to clean a whole dirty floor with it left the same results with the indents as the other mops I have tried. Plus.... those "mop diapers" as I call them.... the disposable pads that velcro to the bottom..... and the cleaning fluid... can get pretty expensive. The solution bottle is made so that you can't refill it... they want you to spend your money on their product instead of buying a less expensive cleaning fluid from another company!
So last year I found a product called Flip It.... and I decided that I needed one. It has a dry vacuum on one side... then you flip it over and it has a wet vacuum with a scrub brush like a vacuum cleaner and a squidgy to dry the floor fast on the other. I treated myself to this wonderful product for Mother's Day! I thought my kitchen floor worries were over. Well the dry vacuum side does work but not on anything larger than say a grain of salt.... it's great if you spill flour, sugar etc... cleans it right up. But I always have to sweep anything else with a broom first because it just doesn't pick up any food particles larger than that. So I just gave up on the dry vac side pretty quickly except for the above type spills. Now the wet vac side I was very impressed with..... those lil indents are now clean, clean, clean! It got the gunk right out and since it vacuums up the dirty mop water there is none left to pool into those tiny grooves. The difference was amazing! And I can use whatever cleaning fluid I want in this because it had a refillable tank. It's like a carpet cleaner but for vinyl flooring. However.... my other problem with the Flip It is that it doesn't do edges well either.... so with my nice clean... and now white again floor... the edges are still gunky and I still need to go around the whole large kitchen floor and scrub the edges with bleach and a scrub brush... not that I do this.... but I *NEED* to do this. It's on that list of things I need to do should I ever find the time and energy and enough of the desire.... you know... you want it done.... but you can't muster enough want to do it today? There a deluxe model of the Flip It that maybe addresses the issues.... maybe someday I'll get one of those... and maybe it will be worth the extra money.
So after the dinner mess was all cleaned up... I had to grab my flip it... and go over the floor again because someone had tracked mud in.... and of course there were dinner drips. Then I get up this morning and it already needs another going over from the lil ones breakfast drips. I really think that the only way to keep this floor clean is to stand in the corner with chosen mop apparatus in hand and follow after anyone and everyone that enters the kitchen with it.... then maybe... just maybe that would do the trick.... but of course that is not going to happen. I now wish I had not given away my Wet Jet when I purchased my Flip It.... I guess I'll have to buy another one for the lil spills. Maybe I'll get a new one for Mother's Day??? But probably not....
By the way my favorite cleaning solution for the floor, appliances and other things as well is called Awesome.... you can get a spray bottle of it at Dollar General and Dollar Tree (Walmart might have it as well.... and other stores... I haven't looked elsewhere) for only $1. It cleans great! I buy the gallon jug of concentrate at Dollar General for $3 and use it to refill my spray bottle and in my flip it... I even use it in my carpet cleaner.
So happy cleaning to you all.... may your kitchen floors shine! And maybe... just maybe... I'll clean those edges today... but probably not...
~A lil Enchanted~
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