Ladies and Gentleman -  Happy New Year!  A new year is upon us – and thus another cleaning challenge.  For me January presents a particular challenge for my hardwood floors.  Our holiday house guests have departed, and our family room, kitchen, bathroom, dining room all need a good sweep and wipe down.  Here are a few things to note as we get started –

 

 

Working with Casabella – I take a two–step approach to maintaining my wood floors using three Casabella products: 

• Quick ’n Easy Full Upright Sweep Set

• XL Microfiber Spray Mop

• Height Adjustable Butterfly Floor Duster

Step 1 – Lets start with the sweep set

What I like to do is take on each room individually.  For instance in the Foyer near the front door, make a small pile of dirt and dust particles with the broom.  One thing to note about this broom – DEFINITELY A DISCRIMINATOR – you do not need to bend over while sweeping.  This is a full length broom made for men (and women) who may be 6 FT++.  Same with the dustpan – with a soft ergonomic handle, you can sweep the pile into the dustpan once again standing straight….  When you are done sweeping up piles, snap the broom to the dustpan and store it in your closet (free-standing!!)

Step 2 – Break out your Butterfly Floor Duster

Your back will love you AGAIN as this product is also Height-Adjustable – no bending required.  I will gently run this microfiber cleaner across my downstairs floating from room to room on the hardwood.  The pivot heads on this assembly can maneuver themselves 180° to get into the tough crevices such as where my bottom stairs connect to the foyer area – I would normally be relegated to getting on my knees with a rag to get in this area….  What I love most about the microfiber is I am using no chemicals – this is very important for my hardwoods –they are highly sensitive to harsh cleaners!!  Final point, when you are complete with the microfiber dusting of the floors, simply take the head cloth off and pop it into your washing machine for re-use.  Quick and painless!!

Step Three – “a wet wiping” 

XL Microfiber Spray Mop

So we got the large stuff with the (broom and dustpan), we contained the small stuff (dust) with the floor duster; now we will take on the stubborn scuff marks, dog tracks, and muck stains that have been lingering since Christmas!  The tool we will use is the Casabella XL Quick Scrub Spray Mop.  This is the first double sided microfiber head that I have ever used – you might ask – why two heads –

 

One of the surfaces is smooth for a light wipe, the other is slightly abrasive enough to get up a boot scuff, but gentle enough not to hurt the wood finish.  

 

First step with the XL Quick Scrub is to fill the container with water – I use distilled water but tap is surely fine.  Next step is to go from room to room spraying a light mist onto the hardwood and using the microfiber head – attract the filth and uncover some of the hidden stains that can easily blend into the wood finish…

When you come across anything sticky, gooey and cumbersome – swap heads to the scrub side.  There is no “Elbow Grease” required with this mode – a few light passes over the grime will be all it takes.  The agitation from the scrubber gives just enough friction with the water to completely engulf the stain – to absorb the residue, simply flip the head – spray and wipe!!

Before these three products entered the Men Clean household, I would normally do this chore in about 1.5 hours using pedestrian broom, dustpan, rag (by hand) and water with a tiny bit of wood cleaner.  Now with this three step process, I can knock out our downstairs in 20-25 minutes, never bend over, and use no chemicals at all!  

Most of all – if you have a bad back, or strained back – this pedigree is for you – no bending over, simply stand upright and complete the job hassle free!

 

 

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