I am continuing something I brought up on the kitchen's thread which I don't want to send off on a tangent - my stone flooring which is a lovely light travertine.  On all the areas that are walked on frequently - especially the track from the back door to the hall, the grouting and the indents have become discoloured - I do use a scrubbing brush with a little washing up liquid in the water - also occasionally Flash.  I have used a grout cleaner on small parts then rinse and rinse as much as I can.  I am very aware of chemicals remaining on the floor for my dog's feet.  I have also used a urine remover for my frequent widdler - 

I just wondered how other people cleaned their floors and whether a steam cleaner if more effective?

Bicarbonate of soda might be worth a try. Or a mix of lemon juice salt and water

Forget steam cleaners, they are useless -there was a thread about it not long ago. They will only remove light dirt.

I wash all my floors with Mistral, so I know it is dog safe. :)

Look at HG specialist products to remove dirt and old polish then start again with one of their protective coatings.  See this and this.  We used their stuff for years on our slate floor in a previous house and it really is worth the time and money.  I never found it a problem with the dogs as the more aggressive cleaning products are all finished with fresh clean water.

Once you've got a good finish on the floor you can simply touch up worn areas as needed to prevent staining and just use their normal shine restoring cleaner

* I promise I don't work for HG but we've had a lot of natural stone floors over the years and every installer has raved about, and recommended the HG range of products...

I'd also suggest using a Turtle Mat near your back door to absorb water and muddy paw prints - I've found them worth their weight in gold - a quick check should bring up a lot of old threads about these together with some alternative suppliers x

I got over that by using dark coloured grout on our slate floor tiles

Thanks Marianne - I didn't think to search about steam cleaners - I won't go to that expense then.

Thanks for the tips dogs a babe - will look out for that product - it sounds just the thing.  I do have a turtle mat but it is too slow.  Next time I go to a bigger show I am going to buy a longer one - at the moment I put down towels for when the dogs come in after being washed but it doesn't stop my husband walking right through the house with his shoes on!!!  If I am not about when he walks them he never cleans them either - so I think I need turtle mats right through!

I recently did the get on my hands and knees scrubbing with lots bleach!  Floor never looked so clean!

Not sure about bleach on stone - but there is nothing like it for removing stains - or the colour out of your clothes!