6 Floor Cleaning Tools for Every Home

Clean flooring not just upgrade the look of your space – be it your home or your office.  It actually does more than just that.  If done correctly and more regularly, any risk of contamination from dirt, dust or germs from the floor can be reduced.  Also, as you clean your floors, you can remove spills or anything that can cause accidental slipping.

While doing a daily deep cleaning of your floors every time may be the most ideal thing to do, it may not be necessary.  A daily maintenance like dusting can help you save on time and physical energy.  And, you know what can save you even more time and effort? Yes, floor cleaning tools.  We have gathered a list of some must-have floor cleaning tools for your home:

The Floor Cleaning Tools

Long-handled Broom

This is the most basic of the basic floor cleaning tools that every household or office must have.  The broom will be your daily little clean-up partner for sweeping dust and dirt off your floors.  There are several types of brooms that you can choose from depending on the kind of floor that you have and the type of sweeping that you need for your area.  You too also have to consider bristle strength and the material used in your broom as it might not be suitable for your floors. 

There are those synthetic types of brooms that are widely used in homes for their soft bristles cannot scratch your tiles.  But for cement or wooden floors that require a more aggressive sweeping, the corn broom would be more appropriate.

Vacuum

This will cut your cleaning time in more than half and will be very useful if you are to clean your carpets.  Its suction and a dirt cup or bin allows you to move from one area to another faster.  You can also use the vacuum on upholstery.

Vacuums now also come in different types and with different accessories.  There are those that come with a dusting brush, a crevice tool and microfiber dust pads.  You can also go with a vacuum that has a power cord that extends longer so you wouldn’t have to stop, unplug then plug to another socket.  But if you want it to be handier without all those dangling cords, then you can go for the cordless ones.  You just have to make sure that you charge it to its full capacity so you wouldn’t have to stop midway.

Mop

For your beloved tiles the mop is your best partner.  You have the dry mop – that one with a flat head that you push over the floor.  It usually comes with a swivel that allows you to push it into areas with limited access such as under the bed and tables.

Then, there’s the wet mop that you dip into water.  Years before, you would have to bring a bucket to dip and soak your mop into and you wring out the excess water by hand.  But now, there are types that already come with a built-in bucket and a wringer device so you wouldn’t have to do it by hand and get it dirty.

Just remember to wash the mop heads after you’re done cleaning and let them dry completely before storing them.  As most mops have a replaceable mop head, then make sure to replace it every six months.  

Steam Mops

This type of mop uses steam to sanitize your floors as you go over them.  It has a water reservoir that heats up water to nearly 250o F.  It then sends the steam down to the mop head and soaks it.  It then works like a conventional wet mop but since it’s heated, it can kill most of the germs, bacteria and dust mites on the floor.  So, your floor is not only cleaned, it is also sanitized at the same time.  You wouldn’t have to worry about chemical residues as steam mops sanitize with water.

Steam mops though are not meant for all floor types.  You have to check if your flooring material is suitable for steam as some can be damaged by steam cleaning.  It also wouldn’t work if your floors are heavily dirty or soiled. Also, before you begin your steam cleaning, you have to prepare the floor by sweeping or vacuuming all the surface dirt first.

Hand Broom

This will come in handy when all you have to do is a quick clean-up and of certain areas only. You can choose a hand broom that has a pointed tip that can reach crevices and edges more easily.  There are also some hand brooms that boast of double bristle technology having soft bristles to gather fine dust and hair, and they also have firm bristles for those large particles.  Most also come with a dust pan to which you can attach the hand broom for easy storage. 

Dust Pan

You wouldn’t want to sweep dust all the way out of the house.  You have to collect it in the area you are sweeping and dusting so you can contain dirt in that area alone.  This is what a dust pan can help you with.  The larger dust pans look like a shovel as it has an extended handle to match your broom.  There are also dust pans that look like large scoops to match your hand broom.   Go for dust pans with a rubber lip that guides dirt into the pan and not under it.

Do you know of any other floor cleaning tools that you can add to the list?  Please let us know in the comments below!