4 DIY Floor Cleaning Mistakes

"True, chemist-developed floor cleaning formulas are made from the cleaning ingredients that work best on those surfaces,” says BISSELL Principal Chemist Jay Kellis, who has designed floor cleaning solutions for more than 15 years.

In this article, Kellis explains why it’s not advisable to clean floors with vinegar, dish soap, laundry detergent, and water alone. (Hint: use a chemist-developed cleaning formula if you want to avoid having hard floors marred by water spots and carpet that’s sticky with soap.)

Mistake 1: Cleaning floors with just water

Rinsing dirty floors with water may be better than doing nothing at all, but not by much.

Detergents bind to and loosen dirt and oils on carpets – without them, messes aren’t easily washed away. So, carpet stains and stuck-on spills are likely to stay put when there’s only water in your machine’s clean tank. (The same is true for cleaning upholstery – water alone won’t cut it as a cleaning agent.)

On hard surfaces, water is equally ineffective. “If you move your CrossWave® wet dry vacuum across a hard floor with just water, the water will bead up without wetting and covering the surface,” says Kellis. What’s more, when the water finally dries it will leave behind water spots. When you use a hard floor cleaning formula, the solution goes on in a thin, even coat and spills and debris are easily washed away.

Mistake 2: Cleaning floors with dish soap

Using the wrong type of detergent is also bad for carpets and hard floors. Both carpet cleaning and dish washing formulas contain surfactants, which are cleaning agents that remove oil and grease. But carpet cleaning formulas are also designed to work on tracked-in mud, grass stains and other everyday messes.

And, there’s an even bigger reason to keep dish soap out of carpet cleaners and wet dry vacuums: foam.

Dish soap foam coats carpets with a sticky residue that holds fast to dirt and debris, says Kellis. When dish soap gets into your carpet cleaner, it can clog the machine and cause motor corrosion, among other concerns. 

Mistake 3: Cleaning floors with vinegar

Don’t add vinegar to your floor cleaning machines. Using corrosive vinegar in a carpet or floor cleaner can cause permanent damage to your device – possibly stopping it from working altogether. And the vinegar will leave a smell you’ll never get rid of.

What’s more, without detergents, vinegar cannot lift oils and stains. Although germs don't like vinegar, Kellis says it doesn't sanitize the way a specially crafted sanitizing cleaning formula can.

So why do so many people continue to clean with vinegar? This diy method may persist because vinegar can cause a chemical reaction, which creates the false perception that it’s working. (Think back to science class, when your teacher made a bubbly solution by combining vinegar and baking soda.)

Mistake 4: Cleaning floors with laundry detergent

Laundry detergent is designed to clean the same fibers commonly found in rugs and carpets, such as polyester, nylon, or cotton. But sticky laundry soap is a “dirt magnet” when left on carpets and floors, attracting debris and making it hard to remove.

The difference in performance comes from how the cleaning machines work. In washing machines, laundry detergent is thoroughly rinsed from fabrics, which is why your clothes emerge clean and ready to wear, says Kellis. Floor cleaning machines spray cleaning solution then extract it, sucking back up most, but not all, of the liquid. As a result, floor cleaning formulas are designed to be safe and beneficial even after you’re done cleaning. For example, slow-acting ingredients can keep working overnight, make freshly cleaned carpets look even brighter the next day.