Sigh. I haven't properly washed the floors since just before moving kitty here mid-Jan. My current floor cleaning method (Lysol multisurface + warm water in a spray mop) isn't cat safe (prev home was carpeted). But I can't afford to buy special cleaners.

So I'm leaning towards saving up for a budget steam mop. We have some kind of engineered fake-hardwood-looking flooring, and apparently you can use that on it with just water and a low steam setting?

Anyone have tips or advice?

@mechangel What sort of cleaning action are trying to achieve?
Disinfecting? Stain/spill removal? Mostly just light dust and dirt removal?

@Texan_Reverend disinfecting & light dirt removal. I do spot clean (moreso now since a wheelchair wheel tracked something across the kitchen 😂).

With @retrosponge diabetes I want to make sure the floors are clean for him to step on barefoot if he needs to. I always wear sandals in the house lol (I can't walk on hard floors). But also I like having a clean home, though it can get difficult when things flare up to stay on top of it.

I use a dry microfiber mop every day or two for dust, hair etc.

@mechangel @retrosponge Ok, then. The light dirt removal is largely going to be accomplished by the mechanical action of the mop plus any liquid, even plain water. So, the disinfecting is the key component to achieve in a kitty-friendly way.

My recommendation would be hypochlorous acid (aka HOCL) which is food safe and can be made at home with a device about the size of a kettle. It means a little cost up front, but it's much cheaper than stuff like Lysol in the long-term.

@mechangel @retrosponge Hospitals and restaurants use HOCL as a disinfectant which does not leave a residue or need to be wiped/rinsed off before food or hands touch the same surface.

It's useful as a hand sanitizer applied to directly to the skin, as it can destroy norovirus which alcohol sanitizers can't - along with all the other stuff alcohol sanitizers can. It's even an option for wound cleaning and care.

@mechangel @retrosponge To make HOCL solution, you need the generator, distilled water, non-iodized salt, and a splash of hydrogen peroxide to help stabilize it. The solution is not very stable and will break back down to saline in a couple weeks. It's very difficult to make shelf-stable for a particularly long timeframe which is part of why it's not on every grocery store shelf. So, making a weekly batch is a good plan.

If you decide to go this route, I can help you track down a generator.

@Texan_Reverend @retrosponge I'm not entirely sure about whether or not it's a good idea to make that at home, at least here -- in Canada, it's a regulated substance 😅
@mechangel @retrosponge ...it didn't even occur to me to check that. In the US, I can just get HOCL generators on Amazon.
@Texan_Reverend @retrosponge not something that comes up often 😄 but yeah weirdly, Canada has it classified as a pesticide/disinfectant -- and that while biodegradable, we still have to keep it away from waterways. It IS available here as a shelf-stable commercial product, but because it's regulated, all those products have to have been approved by Health Canada. And I've never seen home production talked about up here 😅