I can not for the life of me seem to be able to keep my kitchen floor clean (OK it MAY have something to do with having 5 kids but...) I will scrub the floor and leave the room and the next time I go in there it is nasty again. I could honestly spend all day just scrubbing the floor again and again if I want it to be clean. Short of prohibiting my family from entering this room what do I do??? I hate to have a grungy sticky floor all the time.

By Mommyathome on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 03:29 pm:

We have a "no shoes worn in the house" rule which really helps with dirt on the floors. Keep some special "kitchen wipes" (baby wipes) to keep in the kitchen, low enough for everyone to access. If there is a spill or a splash, make sure each person knows that they need to use a wipe to clean it up immediately! You can also buy the clorox clean up wipes but they are much more expensive. For the kitchen we just buy the store brand wipes.
Make sure the kids know that it's important to you to keep the kitchen floor clean. Maybe they just don't realize that it bugs you so much that it gets dirty fast.
Other than that....just hang a sign in front of the kitchen "no people allowed"

By Mommyathome on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 03:30 pm:

Let me clarify something. For kitchen spills on the floor etc., we use baby wipes. For the counter tops and stove top and things like that we *do* buy the regular clorox wipes! But, for the kids.....they get to use the cheap stuff

By Feona on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 06:09 am:

The only thing I can think of is the no shoes.

Also you can give a chore to an older child to take a rag and wipe the marks up every day. The damp dishrag can be dragged around with her or his bare food. Should take one minute. Should be a little cleaner.

Five children I can imagine the floor mess.

By Audreyj on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 09:40 am:

No Shoes.

My kids love the clean the floor, we have an inexpensive tile in the kitchen so I just give them a damp rag and let them wipe, wipe, wipe.....AJ

By Mrse on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 10:28 am:

I actually have the same problem, 5 people in the house, 2 dogs one of which has dug a huge hole in the back yard, and loves to lay in it. My floor is huge, and it of course is white tile, which to get really clean I have to get down on my knees to scrub. The dog in the house started because we moved to town, and our dog would run to the fence and bark at people going by all the time. Wish I was strong eneough to say no shoes,no dogs.

By Trina~moderator on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 10:31 am:

UG! I hear ya! I only have 2 kids and my kitchen floor is rarely as clean as I would like. Shoes or no shoes, it doesn't make a difference. It's more crumbs, food and spills. I'm constantly sweeping, vacuuming and spot cleaning but it never seems to end! I try to mop/steam the floor 2 or 3 times a month. I thought it would get better as my kids grew older but it hasn't made a difference. Grrrrrr!! So, I'm trying to relax and not let it bother me so much. Some day my kids will be gone and my floor will be spotless, BUT I'll miss the dirt and chaos. *Heavy Sigh*

By Momaroze on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 10:09 pm:

Ditto Trina!

By Dawnk777 on Saturday, August 7, 2004 - 10:15 pm:

With 4 people and a dog blowing fur, it's hard to keep a floor clean! We sweep the basement steps often, but there are still black fur balls in the corners. She's not blowing coat so badly anymore. For a while, if you swept, it seemed like within hours, there were furballs blowing across the floor again.