Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up

Now that my youngest is mobile-- and, thanks to the open-plan design of our house, cannot easily be confined with baby gates-- I've had to buckle down and get serious about keeping the floor clean. A few stray Cheerios can bolster his im…

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up
Now that my youngest is mobile-- and, thanks to the open-plan design of our house, cannot easily be confined with baby gates-- I've had to buckle down and get serious about keeping the floor clean. A few stray Cheerios can bolster his immune system, but anything more than that is too icky to contemplate. Then again, I'm not thrilled by the thought of him licking a chemical-laden floor either. What's a mom to do?

Buy the Bissell Steam Mop, that's what. This natural cleaning solution is awesome, whether you've got a baby crawling around or a gaggle of teens tracking in dirt. It steam-cleans hard floors using water only-- no cleaning solution required. Which means no chemicals. Plus, the mop pad is reusable so you can pop it in the washer with the next load of towels, cutting down on waste.

Sure, it's a little pricey, but think about all of those add-ons you'll never have to buy again.  And the thought of immaculate, chemical-free floors-- well, it's almost enough to get me excited about mopping.  Almost. -Julie

The Bissell Steam Mop is on sale now at Amazon - just $76, reduced from $99

More in LivingView all picks →

Hate sharpening your knives? OK, don't!

Hate sharpening your knives? OK, don't!

A sharp knife makes cooking easier. But as busy parents, we don't always have time to sit and sharpen our kitchen knives when kids and work and pets and everything else is pulling at us. So when Ninja says its NeverDull knife system is d…

ICYMI: Ninja's new NeverQuit Ceramic Cookware has dropped...and it's fantastic

ICYMI: Ninja's new NeverQuit Ceramic Cookware has dropped...and it's fantastic

If your cookware has seen better days—or you’re simply ready for an upgrade that can keep up with real life— Ninja’s new NeverQuit Ceramic Cookware is worth a look. This is not the delicate ceramic cookware that requires a special drawer…

The luxury sleep upgrade we're coveting right now

The luxury sleep upgrade we're coveting right now

If you’ve ever kicked off the covers at 2 a.m. because you’re too hot, only to pull them back on twenty minutes later because you’re freezing, Eight Sleep has a very high-tech solution to a very low-tech problem: getting comfortable in y…