Need Ideas About Cleaning Pergo and Ceramic Tiles (+Grout)

Vineager and water, the best,,,,
No chemicals, vineager is an acid and cleans without noxious fumes. Workes well for mirrors and windows too.

I have a steam shark, hardly use it, except in the bathroom, shower and grout around the toilet.

You can use a solution made of 1/3 hydrogen perioxide, 1/3 white vinegar, and 1/3 distilled water. Mix in a spray bottle or put it in your wet jet. It dries super fast with no streaking and it really does clean. The only annoying thing is the vinegar smell but that fades pretty quickly too. As for grout, I agree with one of the other moms, hard bristled scrub brush is the only way to go. I would also make sure your tile and grout are sealed (makes cleaning a little easier). They need to be sealed every year or so. There is spray sealant or stuff you brush on.

Please do not use Swifter Wet Jet, you can check on the recent reports that it is one molecule away from anti-freeze. Experts are thinking it is why some babies and animals are getting sick. There is a new product called WowGreen, I have heard great things about. I am getting some this week and can let you know how it does on Pergo and tile. It is emzyme based and much healthier. You can call Debbie at ###-###-#### for more information.

I think the steam would be perfect for the tile and grout (so long as the grout is sealed0, but I'd be wary of using it on the Pergo; Wouldn't it damage the finish and the bonding of the laminate?

Usually when there are streaks, it is because there is still some dust or residue left on the floor. If you use the Swiffer more often it might help, or you can wipe the floor with a microfiber cloth or chamois.

Hi, I don't know about the prego, but the tile and grout, sorry to say but I think your best bet is get down on your hands and knees and scrub, I use a pretty hard bristle brush with just hot water and a little dish soap (you may want to skip the dish soap) I invested in the "shark" I saw it on an commercial working wonders just using steam and I have not gotten the same results, not even close to what they said it could do. I use the shark once a week and scrub every 3 or 4 months, if you come up with something that works wonders please let me know...... I have been doing this for 5 or 6 years.....
M.

I have the SHARK Hard Surface Steam Cleaner and love it! I use it on my pergo and tile floors. The steam is nice because you don't have to use any harsh chemicals or cleaners. It comes with a couple of attachments like the mop attachment and a brush attachment. The brush works unbelievably well on grout. When we moved into our home last year, the grout was GROSS! It was obvious the grout had never been cleaned. I used the brush attachment and the grout now looks new!!! I must say, though, when cleaning grout, it takes time. I had to do it in sections, but it was well worth the time and effort to make my floors clean. And mopping is a breeze. I think it's a good investment and we use it all the time. We bought it at Lowe's, on sale, for about $80. I think the regular price is about $100. Hope this info helps!

I think the steam vac thing that sterilizes is a Shark. If you get it, let me know how it works. I didn't like the vacuum, but I LOVE the idea of sterilizing my floors. I think it's in the $80 range.

I just finally ripped out my carpet in my main living area before my second child. Thank god as he is a spitter, unlike my first child. My mother has hardwood throughout her house and is very careful about harsh stuff to keep the floors lasting and looking good and plus her grandkids and her dog are on the floor a lot. We both have a power mop floor mate. Its pricy but so worth the cost. Its total love and when i clean the floor and see the dirty water i know my floor is very clean. Its shocking to see what i thought was clean truly wasn't. The mop also has a brush to attach for tile floors. I also have a microfiber hand mop for inbetween cleanings and spray "Bona" on it. Its hard to find as I have only found it at Ace. Is great for the quick clean up/dust and gives it a great shine. My kids are never sick. Sometimes I just use warm water in my floormate and that cleans well. I would be lost without it. I have never used the swiffer and have no plans to from all the bad reviews.
I have to wild boys and keeping up with their messes is a chore and having hardwood is the best and its easy to keep them clean with my routine and floormate. Its great for those big spills too, as it cleans and dries the floor too. My son spilt a huge bottle of bubbles at my mom's. Talk about a mess. She got the floormate out and gone in mins. Bed Bath and Beyond has them and if you get the 20% coupon in the mail its so worth it.

Good luck! Wish there was a magic wand I could get instead to clean my house. LOL Floormate is close enough. LOL

Hi J., I did hear that steam mops work the best. I did by one, the shark, you can get it at Target for like $80, however it doesn't get the grout as clean as I was hoping. The floor gets nice and clean and it looks good after. Maybe the more expensive ones work on the grout better. Good luck

I have 2 suggestions...have a look at your cleaner. I switched to vinegar and water and haven't had a problem since. You could wash with your preferred cleaner then mop over with a vinegar/water rinse. Also, if you run over the floors with a swiffer(non-wet jet) type mops while it's still damp it will get rid of streaking.

J.,
Home Shopping Network (www.hsn.com) just had one on special for $69...I have one and it's awesome to know your floors are incredibly clean without the chemicals!!

we have the shark steamer. it has attachments for the floor and many other attachments to use on many other things. we love it and use it for everything! all it uses is hot water.

sometimes we spray a vinegar solution down on our floor, though, to give it a nice shine too that just the water does not do.

Hi J.,

I have the Shark steam cleaner and I have both wood laminate (pergo) and ceramic tile and grout. I think the steam cleaner does a pretty decent job on the pergo, but it does leave streaks, I think because one is supposed to use distilled water in it, but I only use tap water and I think its the minerals in the water that actually streak. It does not do a good job on the grout, but I like it for the tile, but again there's a slight haze that is noticeable afterwards. I like the magic eraser for grout. Also, I recommend reading the reviews for the steam cleaners on Amazon before buying one. Many people say the shark leaves streaks, but I think there are others that are supposed to be better. Good luck!

-H.

Vinegar and water is the best. Get a spray bottle and do 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water and spray on the floor and then mop it up. I use a mop that has a microfiber cloth on the end, that way it can be removed and washed after each use. It works great on laminate floors as well as ceramic tiles, mirrors, stove tops and just about anything else. It is totally safe to use and so economical and verstile, you will not need to buy any other sprays