Comparing Floor Cleaners

• 1). Look for floor cleaners that are safe and effective for your floor's surface. Floor cleaners come in both abrasive and non-abrasive formulas. Abrasive cleaners work by scouring dirt from the surface area. Use abrasive cleaners when you need to remove tough stains or set in soil.
  
  When cleaning wood or ceramic tile floors, always choose a non-abrasive cleaner. Non-abrasive cleaners may contain alkali, bleach, ammonia or other cleaning agents. Always read the manufacturer's instructions to ensure that a floor cleaning product is safe for your floor's surface.
  
  
• 2). Compare floor-cleaning products based on home and environmental safety factors. Most floor cleaning products contain some toxic elements. The harsher the cleaning agent, the greater the potential risk of household and environmental hazards.
  
  Low-level pollutants contained in floor-cleaning products have the potential to contiminate surfaces. Run-off from these products can also potentially impact soil and water sources around the home. The University of Illonois Extension Office recommends that you select the least-toxic alternative, when simple soap and water will not do.
  
  
• 3). Select floor cleaners based on recommended application. Read the product instructions. Determine the amount of time and effort you will need to invest in using a product. Some floor cleaners require vigorous scrubbing, while others suggest that you leave the product on the surface for a certain period of time, in order to increase its effectiveness.
  
  When reading product instructions also consider: Does the product need to be diluted or mixed before use? How is the product applied to the surface? What other materials (bucket, mop, cleaning rags) will be needed?
  
  Some floor cleaners require that the floor be rinsed after use. Do not use these products on wood floors.
  
  
• 4). Compare the economic value of floor-cleaning products. In order to calculate which product is the best economic value, determine how much of the product you will use for one cleaning application. Divide the total weight or volume of the container by the amount that will be used for a single application. Figure the price per use by dividing the price of the product by the total number of uses.