Okay, so today I finally tackled the floors. It was time. I decided to go with the full steam cleaner and vacuum combo.

Getting Started

First things first, I hauled out the vacuum cleaner. Checked the canister, it was pretty full from last time, so I emptied that out into the trash. You know how it is, dust bunnies everywhere. Then I grabbed the steam cleaner. Took it over to the sink and filled the little tank up with distilled water. I always use distilled, heard it's better for the machine, less buildup or something.

The Vacuuming Part

I always vacuum first. Makes sense, right? Get all the loose stuff off the floor before you start adding water and steam. So, I started in the living room. Went over the rug, then did the hardwood sections. Picked up a surprising amount of fluff and bits. Then moved into the kitchen. The tile floor there always shows crumbs, so I paid extra attention, getting right up to the edges of the cabinets.

Making progress:

• Emptied vacuum canister.
• Vacuumed living room (rug and hardwood).
• Vacuumed kitchen tile floor.

Time for Steam

Once the vacuuming was done, I plugged in the steam cleaner in the kitchen. Had to wait a minute or two for it to heat up – there's usually a light that tells you when it's ready. Then I started pushing it across the tile floor. Slow and steady. You can hear it hissing away. I really focused on the grout lines between the tiles, trying to let the steam get in there. Like people say, steam seems to do a good job on tiles, really gets into those little gaps.

I worked my way backwards out of the kitchen. The floor was slightly damp behind the steamer, but it dried pretty quick. You could definitely see the difference – the tiles looked brighter, felt cleaner underfoot. I didn't do the hardwood with the steamer today, just stuck to the tile and maybe some vinyl flooring in the small bathroom.

Final Thoughts

Took a bit of effort, switching machines and going over everything twice, basically. But honestly, doing the vacuum first then the steam clean feels like the right way to do it. The floors look much better now. The vacuum gets the loose dirt, and the steam gives it that deeper clean feel, especially on the hard surfaces like the tile. All done for now, feels good.