Those with tile floors...

[Mrs Mungo]

The entire downstairs of our new house (with the exception of the one bedroom down there) has travertine tile. I'm really unsure what the best way to clean it is. There's a LOT of it. I think scrubbing on hands and knees like I did in my kitchen is out of the question. Does anyone have one of those all-in-one vacuum/mop things or a vacuum that works well on tile? In short, what is the best way you've found to clean lots of tile? HELP!

[Cricket]

I have a regular sponge mop. Someone on this board said awhile back that the Swiffer Wetjet left streaks on tile. The cleaners I have used have all left streaks.

[Lady Katherine]

I had the best success with an old-fashioned string mop, a janitor's bucket with wringer, and diluted lemon ammonia. Sweep, then mop.

[Stephanie in FL]

I have always used a sponge mop with hot water and rubbing alcohol. It works beautifully. A gallon of hot water to 1 cup rubbing alcohol.

[Jann in TX]

I swept and then mopped--either foam mop or string.

I also DRIED the floor with an old towel. This lifted most of the dirt.

With travertine tile it is VERY IMPORTANT to treat the tile with sealer 1-2 times a year. The sealer is easily put on (just mop) and will make cleaning it sooooooo much easier. If you have grout that shows make sure it gets sealed too.

[Ferdie]

We have a large expanse of tile and recently bought a Scooba. It works great. Before that I used a Sh-h-h mop which worked great on the tile but didn't clean the grout at all.

[OnTheBrink]

I use a Swiffer Wet-Jet and I've not noticed streaks, but, my tile is not shiny, so maybe I'm just not noticing.

[Sunny]

We use a regular mop, on a sealed floor. I found that I need to sweep good first. My janitor friend gave me this technique they use for big gym's and large areas.
I slop on the water/vinegar floor in a big pile. Move it around and continue working around in a large area. Simply getting the floor plenty wet. (Don't get too close to the baseboards) Once I got the kitchen (for instance) all wet, I would start to mop it around and pick up all the water. Spot scrub if necessary. Usually, by that time the water/vinegar mix had eaten into the dirt, and all I needed to do was mop it up into the bucket. Change mop water and start in the next area. THis has been an easy way for us to get a large area done fairly easily and with the least amount of work. You do a lot of wringing, but as long as you have a good bucket with wringer, you'll be in great shape.

[Mom2jnb]

Hi,

We too have this....

I second the spongemop and ammonia/water. Dry with towel to pick up excess "dust" at the end.

Don't forget to seal. I usually do this in fall (Before our MI winters) and then in mid spring (before major rain/mud).

HTH,
Alison