Dirty Kitchen Floors!

A dog is a fabulous vacuum cleaner :)

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I have 5 children and do day care. I learned quickly give them only small amounts at a time. Teach them to eat over their plate and use a napkin at every meal. Also, as the kids get to be about 2-3 years old-give them the Dirt Devil (Black and Decker makes the best hand held vac)! They have a blast! It is teaching them to help around the house with clean up. And, they do a great job! In addition, I keep a spray bottle with 1 cup water, 1 cup vinager, 1/4 cup amonia, and 1/4 rubbing alcohol handy-it is the best cleaner I have found. I was told it is the formula for the swiffer wet mop minus the scent--but I am not sure about that. Just my thoughts. ;)

1 mom found this helpful

We tossed an old shower curtain under the kids chairs before sitting them down then rinsed it off after.

I will add my vote for a stick vac... after trying a few different cordless hand vacs & never being happy with the job they did or enjoying the bending, I finally got a stick vac with a cord & I am so happy I did! I use an extension cord so I can reach my entire kitchen, and it just stays plugged in all the time, so I can grab it when I have a minute.

I have a little stick vacuum that I LOVE. It takes up the room of a broom, but it can also get the dog hair and crumbs off the kitchen mats and the rug under my dining table. If you shop for one, make sure yours can do carpet AND floors (ours is just vinyl), which means it will need a tiny little brush on the bottom.

As for the cleaning part, I have been borrowing people's steam mops to see which is the best because I would like to buy one. Last week I used a friend's Shark 3501, which is the ONLY one that has been able to get that ground in dirt out of my dimpled vinyl. (In the past, I'd have to get on my hands and knees with a Magic Eraser to get those little spots out.) I will be purchasing this one for sure. No cleaning supplies to purchase, no chemicals or dirty water...I'm sold!

I hear ya! I bought a Bissell Featherweight stick vac from Kohls for about $20 (on sale) that I absolutely love. I pull it out after every meal and suck up the crumbs. Our dog is shedding now too, so that thing is working overtime! For sticky spots or areas that need to be washed, I spray a little vinegar and water on the floor, then wipe it up with a towel on the end of my swiffer. It's quick and easy, and I'm not using chemicals.

i use a broom, and the dog.

seriously. do you have carpet where the food is? consider investing in a flat floor rug or replacing the floor with hardwood or something so you dont have carpet under your table. (our house was built with carpet under the kitchen table; that was the first to go TWO YEARS before we had our son. STUPIDEST place for carpet; second only to the bathroom.)

other than that; i think this is a normal and common challenge. i just gave up. i made the agreement that i would sweep once a week and thats it. any other time either my husband would have to do it, or it wouldnt get done (or the dog would clean up the scraps). just learned to live with it until that once week. its very defeating because its just like you say; you clean it and minutes later, something is spilt. yep. thats just the way it is with kids. sooooo the LESS you stress about it, the HAPPIER of a mom you will be.

I have a hoover for floor cleaning. I sweep first thing every day before doing anything else. I sweep in the afternoon during nap time. I sweep again at night either before or after the evening meal. Usually I am too tired after that to be bothered. I use the hoover for obvious messes any time they come up. Every few days I pull everything out of the kitchen and put the table out of the way as much as possible and use the hoover all over. I treat all my floors this way because I HATE dust and bits of paper and leaves and such that get drug in.

I have a small re-chargeable stand up vacuum for quick clean ups. Easier than crawling around!

I have a Eureka stick vaccuum. It's orange, I can't remember the exact name of it, but it is cordless, which makes it so much easier! I got it at Target. You don't have to unwind & wind the cord up everytime or worry about what you're going to knock over with it. SOoo easy! Loved the comment about the dog too. He gets most of our messes; even the occasional liquid spill. God bless that dog! hahaa =)

Seems we are constantly (after every meal/snack) on the floor with wet paper towels to get the crumbs. We have a large dog and that helps too! :-)

I have a Dirt Devil Stick Vac, the long handle comes off and it becomes a hand held and it has an extender attachment also. It works great and doesn't take up much room. It is very light weight and my son loves to push it around the kitchen too. I got it for under 25$ at Target.

This happens in my house too, it seems to be after every meal there's a mess of crumbs on the floor.
I sweep the floor with and old fashioned broom and then (this part maybe twice a week) I use paper towels with pinesol to clean the floor after sweeping. It looks great but no matter what you use you have to keep it up at least twice a week, kitchen floors are just messy since is such a high traffic area in the house.
I'll read what others say to get tips for myself! Good luck!

LOL... we have dogs, too. No food stays on the floor for longer than a few seconds ("It hits the ground, it goes to the hound!"). However, I do have to dustmop twice a day for all of the dog hair from the dog, and dirt and detritus that follows my 7yo around.

use what's called a splat mat. It goes under the entire table so when the kids drop things its easy clean up.

jajajaja...I loved Sara's comment. I have two little dogs and they are the best food retrievers you can count on. However, I think your little vacuum is not efficient enough to do the job. I have two boys ages 2 1/2 and a 7 months old and I was thinking on getting the "Dyson DC31 Animal Handheld Vacuum", but it is out of my budget. It is very pricey and I do not really have big messes on my floor, yet. Additionally, I have a Riccar handheld vacumm with a large attachable neck with a crevice tool that is wonderful for corners and under the appliances surfaces

we have a small dog and have never had a problem with food on the floor. :-)

I love the answers about a dog...lol...I have several small dogs, all poodle crosses so are non shedding and they sure love it when my 16 mo. grandson comes over cuz they get all the crumbs that are on the floor!

I was going to answer "dogs" (our solution), but see that several people beat me to it! Of course, then your next question would be.........what do I use to clean up the dog hair on the kitchen floor? Seriously, have you tried an old fashioned broom? I use a central vac floor attachment on the kitchen floor every night before bed, but for quick clean ups under the kitchen table or for situations with really big crumbs, I just use a good old broom and dust pan. Works pretty well. Might be easier on your back and knees than the Dirt Devil. I hate food under the table too, but I think messy kitchen floors are just part of the package!

I purchased a little mini dust pan & brush. Since my son, now 5, was 3 it has been his chore to use "his" dust pan & brush to brush up the crumbs on the kitchen floor and throw in the garbage. He does a great job!!! And the best part is it takes stress off me. Now that he's 5, I purchased a Swiffer dust mop. I have it set to a shorter level and that's his job. Once he's gotten crumbs picked up in his dust pan, he proceeds to Swiffer the kitchen, hall, and even bathrooms. He's so proud when he shows me all the dirt and hair he picked up with the Swiffer. In all honestly, this helps me out alot!