Making 'clean' floors *feel* clean?

[xkatx]

I'm wondering... I swept and vacuumed the floors earlier today - it's just basic, boring lino. I then mopped the floors. After the floors dried, they still felt kind of funny. They looked and smelled clean, but didn't feel clean. Almost felt like the floor had a fine something on it - like some flour sprinkled ever so lightly all over. Not just in one place, but all over all the floors. Any idea on why this is happening? I have been using cheaper no-name all purpose lemon cleaner for the floors - same stuff I've always used, but last time I went shopping for cleaning supplies, I was running short on cash and got the el-cheapo stuff. I have done this in the past with no problems. I filled the mop bucket up as much as I always do, and used the same amount of cleaner I always have used - not sure off hand, but again, nothing changed as I've always used the same amount all along. The floors just feel kinda icky. Any ideas? Could it be the cheap cleaners? The mop? The floors themselves? It's just kind of annoying, as I know for a fact that I swept and vacuumed well, then mopped it up as I have time and time again. Might sound weird, but hoping someone has some ideas!

[Michael A. Ball]

Without special equipment/procedures, you can only remove so much; and even then, there are limitations, technically.

Once your floor dries, run your index finger tip over a few inches. If it picks up anything, that shows how much cleaner your floor could be. In most cases, it is detergent residue, from overkill.

Detergent manufacturers write the directions so the consumer will use as much product as possible. In most cases, that amount is far greater than what is actually needed to do the job.

That problem is almost always compounded by the fact that people use too little water in their mop bucket. So, dirt that is picked up gets re-suspended and put back on the floor more evenly. A gallon of mop water will only hold so much dirt, regardless of how much detergent is used or how expensive the detergent is.

What about rinsing? With a few exceptions, healthcare facilities use no-rinse products. Some dilute as much as 1:512 (product:water)

So, do the finger tip test, and if you find more than you can stand, use more water and/or less detergent--until you get the results you're looking for.

________________________ Whatever it takes.

[FreebieQueen]

[Dottie]

We have a water softener so I can only use a fraction of the recommended amount of detergent when I wash clothes or dishes or mop floors. I have been using those disposable floor wipes sold at Dollar Tree for quick cleanups and they do clean the floor but leave a residue ... don't know what it is. Anyway, I mop with water and white vinegar to remove the residue. My husband won a Scooba - the robot that mops floors. It does a good job but you have to take out all the chairs and stuff ... and it takes at least 45 min. to do my eatin kitchen.... anyway, the cleaner that came with it costs too much to buy (in my opinion) and I use vinegar and water in the Scooba and it cleans very well. I use it about once a week to really clean the floor. The floor wipes are for quickies...

FreebieQueen wrote: