Much will depend on type tiles on the floor as to how well they hold onto dirt. The porcelain tiles seem to not be as bad as some of the other tiles that are very porous.

When my children (5) were little I kept the floors swept off and on during the day and mopped before I went to bed at night. Always wiped/mopped spills right away. I never liked having my babies grimy/gritty from floor dirt.

The most likely cause of so much dirt is the dogs. They are notorious for tracking in dirt. You might want to keep the area free of dogs and see if that helps.

If you are talking about dirty grout, then it is most likely the tiles were grouted with a soupy grout that dried with many pinholes/porous that grabs and holds dirt. As the grout dried the air had to escape and did so by going up through the grout leaving pinholes.

Hell, no. Mopping once an evening is more than enough.

Wipe up spills as needed, and relax. A too clean (or sterile) household is actually detrimental to a baby's health, preventing them from building up their immune systems.

But one thing I did when mine was young - I put a vinyl mat under his high chair. I shook it outside after every meal, and machine washed it every day or so.

With two - perhaps a vinyl shower curtain under both the high chairs? They're cheap.

Thank you both. I do try to wipe up spills, but there are always these mystery spots, and you're right, it's probably mostly from the dogs. Mary c, a vinyl shower curtain- what a great idea!

I wouldn't buy a PVC shower curtain if I were you with two young babies around. Do a Google search on PVC (Polyvinyl chloride). This is the most common and cheap form and can be hazardous to your indoor air quality. I did a quick search and posted one link for you.

The world isn't what it used to be either - with all these super bugs and such. I'm more cautious about keeping my children's environment clean than I'm sure my mom and my grandmother ever were (or needed to be).

Many people (including Dr. Oz and CNN's Dr. Gupta ) talk about the importance of indoor air quality and trying not to track toxins into our homes. Our children crawl on these floors and stick everything including their hands in their mouths. While I'm not afraid of a little dirt - I am concerned about other things they could be ingesting like the fertilizer and pesticides in that dirt.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Toxins Released from PVC Shower Curtains

I wipe up spills, dog mud,etc when they happen. I sweep then Swiffer Wet-Jet once a day.

If you have kids, it's always bad. It will get better as they get older. Someday your child will be able to wash the floor for you-perhaps for a couple of bucks or part of allowance chores. It always gets better.