Don’t you just adore a sparkly clean bathroom? I love the way a spotless floor looks, but the way it makes me feel is even better. It’s satisfying to know that there aren’t any germs lurking. When it comes to cleaning the floor, I do have few pieces of advice to get it just right.

First off, make the floor the very last thing you clean. You don’t want your toilet wand dripping on your newly scrubbed tile! I always clean the bathroom top to bottom. Go for countertops and mirrors first, followed by the shower and toilet. Then you’re ready for a grand finale—the floor.

How are we going to get that floor “white glove” clean? Easy. It’s two steps.

Step 1: Dry clean.

You need to get rid of dust, hair, etc. The old school way is a broom and dustpan, but why would you go to that trouble when you don’t have to? Swiffer, or similar products are an alternative. A vacuum without a beater bar works beautifully as well.

Step 2: Wet clean.

You know, mop. But which tool and which cleaner should you use?

The Tool

• A rag. Yep, if you wash them between each use, cleaning on your hands and knees with a towel is truly the best way to get every little speck off the bathroom floor. Perhaps you could envision yourself as a modern day Cinderella while performing this task? I say no thanks, but if only the cleanest will do for you, go for it!
• A mop. You’ve got options. My advice is to go with a removable mop head that you can throw in the washing machine.

The Cleaner

One cleaner does not fit all! What you use to clean your floor depends on which type of floor you have. To maintain that showroom finish, I highly recommend that you use the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner. Some household cleaners may actually void our warranty.

• Vinyl. When in doubt use Armstrong’s Once and Done.  Remember that today’s vinyl do not have to be waxed.  Never use a product that put a shine on vinyl. It will only build up and cause a cleaning nightmare.
• Tile. I like using citric acid when the floor is extra dirty. It’s all-natural and really cuts the muck. Because citric acid is so strong, I highly recommend that you check your manufacture’s suggestions before using it. If it’s safe for your particular tile, mix 1-cup citric acid to 1.5 gallons of water and scrub away. (Remember, more is not always better!) Give the floor a rinse with clean water afterwards. Stonetech by Dupont is also a great option.

I do have a final note on tile. If your grout is extra grungy, you can scrub till you’re blue in the face and you still won’t get the look you’re after. You need the help of a professional steam cleaner. After their visit, you’ll need to complete the easy job of sealing your grout. (link to grout blog)

*This post was written for the 2010 Bathroom Blogfest. A list of all the bloggers participating follows. It’s a well-rounded group of folks who promise to provide you with some great info. Enjoy!

Renee LeCroy is the Flooring Expert at Don’s Carpet One in Birmingham, AL. For 17 years, she’s been the consumer’s in-store advocate, decoding the flooring industry and offering insider advice. Contact Renee via email.

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Blogger	Blog Name	Blog URL
Susan Abbott	Customer Experience Crossroads	http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/
Paul Anater	Kitchen and Residential Design	http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com
Shannon Bilby	Big Bob’s Outlet	http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/
Shannon Bilby	Carpets N More Blog	http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/
Shannon Bilby	Dolphin Carpet Blog	http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/
Shannon Bilby	From The Floors Up	http://fromthefloorsup.com/
Shannon Bilby	My Big Bob’s Blog	http://blog.mybigbobs.com/
Toby Bloomberg	Diva Marketing	http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/
Laurence Borel	Blog Till You Drop	http://www.laurenceborel.com/
Bill Buyok	Avente Tile Talk Blog	http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/
Jeanne Byington	The Importance of Earnest Service	http://blog.jmbyington.com/
Becky Carroll	Customers Rock!	http://customersrock.net/
Marianna Chapman	Results Revolution	http://www.resultsrevolution.com
Katie Clark	Practial Katie	http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/
Nora DePalma	American Standard’s Professor Toilet	http://www.professortoilet.com/
Leigh Durst	LivePath Experience Architect Weblog	http://livepath.blogspot.com/
Valerie Fritz	The AwarepointBlog	http://www.awarepointblog.com/
Iris Garrott	Checking In and Checking Out	http://circulating.wordpress.com/
Tish Grier	The Constant Observer	http://spap-oop.blogspot.com
Renee LeCroy	Your Fifth Wall	http://yourfifthwall.com/
Joseph Michelli	Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog	www.josephmichelli.com/blog
Veronika Miller	Modenus Blog	http://www.modenus.com/blog
Arpi Nalbandian	TILE Magazine Editor Blog	http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian
Maria Palma	People 2 People Service	http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Reshma Bachwani Paritosh	The Qualitative Research Blog	http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/
David Polinchock	Polinchock’s Ponderings	http://blog.polinchock.com/
Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond	Scarlet Opus Trends Blog	http://trendsblog.co.uk/
David Reich	My 2 Cents	http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Sandy Renshaw	Around Des Moines	http://www.arounddesmoines.com/
Sandy Renshaw	Purple Wren	http://www.purplewren.com/
Bethany Richmond	Carpet and Rug Institute Blog	http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/
Bruce Sanders	RIMtailing Blog	http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/
Steve Tokar	Please Be Seated	http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/
Carolyn Townes	Becoming a Woman of Purpose	http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/
Stephanie Weaver	Experienceology	http://experienceology.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Flooring The Consumer	http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	Simple Marketing Blog	http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/
Christine & Ted Whittemore	Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog	http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/
Christine B. Whittemore	The Carpetology Blog	http://carpetology.blogspot.com/
Linda Wright	LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms	http://lindaloo.com/