Printed 2024 Cleaning Calendar now available | Get them HERE

Cleaning Floors
Bathroom | Common Areas | Kitchen | YouTube

How to Clean Your Floors like @GoCleanCo

March 16, 2022

We don’t need to tell you that your floors are DIRTY. You can see it and feel it. So if I only have time to clean one thing, I choose my floors. There’s nothing worse than stepping on rocks/crumbs or bathroom germs and tracking them throughout the house. Not to mention all the germs and bacteria from outside that we track in via our shoes.

In this guide, I’m going to give you my best tips for cleaning any type of flooring for a spotless shine.

When you buy through our links, we may earn a small commission.

Dirty Floors, Dirty House

Your floors are only as clean as the shoes that walk on them. So unless you’re taking your shoes off at the door 100 percent of the time, there are germs and messes being tracked inside.

In one study, eight different people’s shoes ( as well as two dogs’ paws) were tested for bacteria. They found 66 million organisms in these tests. Not only that, but 90 percent of the time, bacteria from shoes is transferred to hard floors in a house. And if you’ve got carpet, it’s even worse. That’s because the fibers of the carpet actually soak up and hide the bacteria.

If you can believe it, floors are dirtier than toilet seats. And if you have young kids and toddlers who play on the floor, they’re being exposed to every public restroom, subway station, and supermarket aisle your shoes have traversed.

In other words, clean ya damn floors, you dirty bastard!

Hardwood, Laminate & Tile

Start in one corner and move your way around the room in a circle. Don’t be afraid to get on your hands and knees for this part! (Did you know that at GoCleanCo, this is the only way we clean bathroom floors?!) 

Step 1: Move any furniture, toys, coffee tables, etc., that you can and vacuum (USA) (Canada) the floors and baseboards. Don’t be afraid to really get in there in all the cracks and crevices.

Tip: For immovable furniture, use a Swiffer® to brush out any debris underneath or a stick vacuum to suck up any crumbs.

Step 2: Use a spin mop or your hand and a damp cloth with powdered Tide® (1 tsp) and hot water (1 gallon) to wipe the floor. You can add ⅓ cup of bleach if you’d like to disinfect it, but beware, it can leave streaks. Never use bleach on marble. Place any furniture back into place once the floors dry.

Tip: if your floors appear streaky, double-check that you have wrung out your mop well. If they are still streaky, you may have used too much tide. If this is the case, get a fresh bucket of hot water only and go over the area again until the streaks are gone. 

Step 3: Once your floors are dry, go over them again with the vacuum. That’s how we ensure that there is not one speck of dust left. Skipping this step is tempting, but you’ll regret it! There’s nothing better than doing a job to completion and then admiring your hard work.

Step 4 (optional): Use Windex® and a cloth to polish glossy tile.

Grout

If you have tile and are wanting to do a deeper clean than described, you can add a grout scrub between steps 1 and 2.

For porcelain or ceramic tile, use a concentrated mixture of Powdered Tide® (2-3 tsp), bleach (1 cup) and hot water (¼ gallon or 4 cups). The more concentrated, the faster and better the product will work and the less scrubbing you will need to do. Use a scrub brush and some elbow grease to work the product into the grout.

Tip: Be careful not to get bleach on or near any rugs, carpets, or good clothing as it will cause staining. However, once it fully dries, there is no threat of staining.

DO NOT USE BLEACH for natural stone tile as it may cause permanent etching. Although natural stone is beautiful, you are limited in the products you can use to clean it. Use a concentrated mixture of Powdered Tide® (2-3 tsp) and hot water (¼ gallon or 4 cups)..

Finish by rinsing the area with hot water. 

Tip: If you are unsure about a product’s safety, first test it on an inconspicuous area

Carpet & Area Rugs

Begin by pulling out any furniture along the walls. Then use a vacuum with a crevice tool attached and run it along the edges where it meets with the baseboards. Over time, debris gets pushed to the edges because most carpet vacuums can’t get close enough to pick up dirt from the cracks. 

And finally, start at the furthest end from the door and work your way backwards using a carpet vacuum (with a beater bar) to vacuum the carpet and any area rugs. This ensures you don’t wreck your beautiful carpet lines with footprints!

Tip: If your vacuum doesn’t have great suction, first make sure the canister is empty and check that the filter and beater bar are clean.

And that wraps up cleaning your floors. It’s a fairly simple way of maintaining a clean home. I try to do this once every two weeks, but of course, as we all know, life happens and this isn’t always realistic. As long as you do your best with your time, you can hold your head high and feel proud!

Basic Training for the #CleaningArmy
Check out our brand new 75-minute interactive course that walks you through the specifics of cleaning every room in the home. This course includes videos, checklists, and step-by-step breakdowns. Consider it your training for admission into the #CleaningArmy!

For a list of our favorite products, click here.

– Kasey @gocleanco

Recent Posts

Thank you! A confirmation email will be sent to your email

Clean up your inbox.

News, ideas, and recommendations delivered to your inbox. Absolutely zero trash piling up in the corner.

We're big on Instagram.

Follow @GoCleanCo for seriously satisfying videos and top-secret tips. Don’t be shy, come say hi.

gocleanco
Nov 18
8333

I circled rollerblades in the Sears Wish Book every year…and every year my mother would patiently explain that we lived on an acreage with gravel roads and rollerblades do not work on gravel…and every year I would be so disappointed when they didn’t show up under the tree. 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️ #nostalgia #christmastime

gocleanco
Nov 15
8606

PSA: A lot of people don’t know you can do this when you order a gift off of Amazon. At check out, you can select that the item is a gift and then choose the option to add a gift bag and a custom message and this is how it is delivered! You don’t have to worry about the surprise being ruined if they open the box because it’s already wrapped and they can plunk it under the tree. Perfect if you have family far away that you won’t be seeing this holiday season. Saves ya time and energy in the chaos of the season. 🎁🎄🎅🏻🕰️🕰️🕰️ #christmastime

gocleanco
Nov 13
5817

Nostalgic Christmas!!!! Bring on the tinsel and the garland. I can handle it. 🤭We have some fun things planned to take you back to the days when we made ornaments outta fishhooks, so STAY TUNED ya filthy animals! 🎄🎁 ⛄️ 🎅🏻 🤶🏻❄️ ☕️

gocleanco
Nov 12
8441

Best part of getting my hair done is hanging with sister @hellohairhouse the results aren’t too shabby either

gocleanco
Nov 9
14531

Just out here doing the lords work. meganrreed_

gocleanco
Nov 4
5922

Okay my DM’s are full of people asking for this to live on the feed. Brew a cup of coffee. I use a @nespresso pod but any regular cup java will do. Add in one scoop of your fav protein powder (or do half if you find this too sweet). This-is-a-wing-it-to-how-you-like-it-recipe as most cups of coffee are. I used vanilla protein powder here with a sprinkle of cinnamon, tastes a Christmasy! My go to is usually chocolate protein because it tastes like a mocha. Froth it with frother and drink it hot or over ice. This gets me 26 grams of protein right in the morning which helps cause I’m not a breakfast person. I’m trying y’all. 💪🏻 🍑

gocleanco
Nov 1
13232

You asked and I delivered! You have been requesting I test the viral Tineco floor washers forever so here they are! Full break down of the S5 and S3 model in my stories plus they are both on sale at Canadian Tire and Amazon! @tinecoglobal #sponsored #floorcare #evolutionofclean

gocleanco
Oct 28
78370

Best one yet. 🤣😂🤣🤣 I told you guys he looks like @mrclean

gocleanco
Oct 25
3069

I have shared my new BLANCO sink and faucet but let’s talk about accessories, did you know BLANCO also has under sink organization systems? I completed my BLANCO UNIT with the BOTTON II, it tidies up the mess under your kitchen sink and it pulls out like a drawer; you can store your cleaning supplies in it and also has a handy dandy little handle so you can take your supplies with you around the house. I have a post up on their blog that goes into depth about BLANCO maintenance and care, and more tips in my stories so make sure you check them out. You folks had lots of questions about BLANCO last round and I am happy to help. Plus BLANCO customer service can answer any maintenance questions you might have. #sponsored @blancoamerica1

gocleanco
Oct 22
30164

You can’t win them all. 🐷🩰

gocleanco
Oct 20
4738

Ghosts have chores too! #happyhalloween

gocleanco
Oct 13
18777

It’s a blessing and a curse, really. #housework

gocleanco
Oct 9
8805

It is the final week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge which means we are cleaning the Common Area’s in our homes (that’s hallways, closets, mudrooms, porches and laundry rooms) we are ALSO taking our buckets, Aquablades, power washers and shop vacuums outside to clean up our outdoor spaces before the ❄️ hits. This is a big week. What’s the biggest disaster area that you need to tackle this week? I’ll go first. It’s my scary linen closet which currently it has a sign on on it that says CAUTION ⚠️ 😂 I also got a new leaf blower that I am very excited to blast some dirt and 🍂 with. Pace yourselves, WE GOT THIS! 👊🏻 #cleaningtips

gocleanco
Oct 8
17386

If you are sick of doing dishes, we got this off Amazon for Stella’s apartment cause she didn’t have a dishwasher and she would not stop complaining about it. The little window is so cute, you can watch everything that happening in it, it’s almost as dramatic as and episode of Love is Blind. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ from Stella! #amazonfinds

gocleanco
Oct 7
33040

Hiiiii 👋🏼 Sarah here. I’m the one behind the cleaning hacks, motivation, business tips, home design, decor and sometimes fashion advice and sassy commentary. Oh and I wrote some books in the early days too 🤓 How long have long have you been following along for the ride? Thanks for sticking with me 💕💕💕

gocleanco
Oct 6
7794

Takes me just as long to pick a blanket as it does a pillowcase. 🫠🤣 Everything is linked up in my Amazon Store front! Link is in my bio. Reminder it’s Prime Deals Days next week so expecting lots of stuff to be on sale next week! My rug is from @ruggable and is 9x12 and called the Kamran Hazel. #falldecor

gocleanco
Oct 4
16967

Entering spooky season but it’s just a regular Wednesday for us. Today I learned not everyone pronounces it 👻—GUR 🤣🤣🤣 #happyhalloween

gocleanco
Sep 24
9797

Heya. 👋🏼 Sarah here. We are wrapping up Week One (Kitchen Week—the most overwhelming) of the Fall Cleaning challenge. How is it going? What have you got done? My job during these Challenges is to motivate and help educate you on the most efficient and effective ways to clean so you feel confident about moving onto the next week with us! The Cleaning Challenges get easier each time we do them as it’s a scheduled, routine deep clean that helps you stay on top of things before they get out of hand. If you deep cleaned in the Spring Challenge with us, I know (based on the hundreds of DM’s🤣) that this week felt easier because you lined the tops of your cupboards with parchment paper in the Spring! I find it hard to put into writing how cleaning can make you feel SO GOOD, satisfied and proud of your home. I can’t explain the feeling feeling until you roll up your sleeves and get to work and feel it yourself. Once one room is done, please stop and stand back and survey your work. Take a minute to feel the accomplishment in your bones. This is hard but rewarding work and you CAN do it—I will cheer you on the entire way. Keep sending me your before and afters! They make me so happy and proud of each you, I feel like I am helping clean millions of homes around the world and that’s honestly pretty cool. 😎

©2023 Bleach Pray Love | Designed by Canned Spinach | Built by Oracast