I Tried the Viral “White Towel Test” on My Kitchen Floors, and *Yikes*

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For years, there’s been a moving joke successful my family astir nan cleanliness of my floors. At immoderate constituent aft I started having kids, I asked my sister if my location seemed arsenic cleanable arsenic it was earlier I had children. Her response? “Your floors aren’t what they utilized to be.” I burst into incredulous laughter. She didn’t mean it successful an unkind way, and I did inquire for her opinion, aft all. But ever since she shared her honorable thoughts (and nan profuse apologies that followed), I’ve teased her astir my “dirty” floors. 

The point is, they aren’t arsenic cleanable arsenic they utilized to be. Before having 5 kids and a mates of dogs, nan location was people cleaner, and I had much clip to mop. Although I do vacuum almost daily, I nary longer person babies crawling astir connected nan floor, and sometimes I skip bedewed mopping for a fewer weeks. (No judgment, right?). But erstwhile I do get astir to bedewed mopping, I’m ever chagrined by really soiled nan mop h2o is erstwhile I move it out. My O-Cedar Spin Mop helps by separating cleanable and soiled water, but I still consciousness for illustration nan floors aren’t arsenic cleanable arsenic they could beryllium aft 1 mopping session. 

That’s why erstwhile I saw this video from third-generation janitor and cleaning influencer Brandon Pleshek of @cleanthatup doing a cleanable level test, I knew I had to effort it (despite my fears). He utilized a white microfiber cloth wiped connected a mini conception of floor — dubbing it nan “White Towel Test” — to spot if location was still ungraded aft he mopped. I already knew that my room level wasn’t arsenic cleanable arsenic I wanted it to be, but this gave maine nan nudge I needed to get it there. 

I sewage to work. First, I decided to only do nan “working square” of my room level space, leaving nan eat-in area for different time. I pulled up my level mats and vacuumed thoroughly pinch my cordless Dyson, past sewage retired my O-Cedar Spin Mop, made my bleach and powdered Tide solution pinch basking water, and sewage to work. 

So, What Happened When I Tried nan “White Towel Test”?

To execute nan “white towel test,” I utilized insubstantial towels, wetting 1 and rubbing it connected nan level earlier starting to mop, past wiping nan damp floors pinch nan towels aft each of 4 mopping sessions. I saw a noticeable betterment successful each successive insubstantial towel, and aft a whopping 4 mopping sessions, I felt for illustration my level was sufficiently clean. (I do deliberation there’s immoderate dye connected my vinyl planking floors that must person travel up because location was an orange-ish tint to nan ungraded I picked up and it seems for illustration that was each that was near by nan clip I sewage to nan 4th mopping.)