Let’s start by defining the word “mop”. It is an old-fashioned word that has been used for centuries and describes a household cleaning tool that swipes water all over the house.
Do most people never know that how to clean a house with a mop? Usually, mops are used by most homeowners to keep their floors tidy and sparkling after they have been scrubbed down.
Mops can be made of several different kinds of fibers and can be found at most home improvement and hardware stores.
Most mops only require the addition of water and a good all-purpose cleaner to effectively clean tiles and hardwood.
Cleaning your house with a mop
Mops are the perfect way to keep your floors spotless.
Even though sweeping and vacuuming can give your floor a great overall clean, there is still an accumulation of dirt and bacteria that accumulate on hard floor surfaces like tile, linoleum, wood, carpet, etc.
Not only this but these materials also trap hair though it may be microscopic or invisible to humans that pass by every day.
When you use a dirty mop that hasn’t been cleaned before moving forward, it won’t properly clean your floors.
But if you know what cleaning products work best for your specific material floors (wood vs carpet) and learn how to properly clean a mop by keeping it out of direct sunlight or extreme temperatures to prevent drying out; then not only will you remove the germs/bacteria/dirt from the surface of your floors, but also loose hairs by sweeping them up instead of leaving them behind.
A simple way of mopping your house
The first step to cleaning a mop is to fill up a sink or bucket with enough water so that the mop head will be covered once it is submerged inside.
Submerge the mop inside the water and use a brush to scrub across all of its surfaces, particularly those that are edgy like underneath the plastic bristles.
Then, take some cleaner (either bleach or dish soap) and saturate the edges of the mop by squeezing some into your hand then rubbing it on top of the waterline.
After that, you can wring out the excess cleaner into the rest of the clean water already in the sink or bucket.
Next, put another dose of cleaner on each part of your mop; agitate according to directions; rinse off; squeeze out excess moisture, and repeat this until no scent remains on your mop.
Timing of mopping
High-traffic areas in your home and commercial spaces, such as kitchens and bathrooms, need to be mopped every week.
Areas that aren’t used daily or that can tolerate a little extra time between cleanings, such as formal living rooms and guest bedrooms, should be mopped at least once every two weeks.
If you use a vacuum to clean your floors (which we recommend), do so once a week; this will not only make sure grit and dirt don’t accumulate over time but will also help you spot stains quickly.
Mopping of your hardwood floor
Check if your floors have been sealed. There are two types of sealing materials, one being polyurethane and the other wax.
If your floor is a type that has been sealed using a sealant, try cleaning it with mild or pH-neutral soap to avoid scratching it with harsher chemicals in natural cleaners.
Avoid using products with acidic additives on your floor because they cause wood to deteriorate over time.
Waxed floors should only be cleaned by doing a quick mop once a week, if at all – especially when wet, water can cause your wooden floors to warp over time!
Mopping in stone tiles
Many household cleaners say they’re safe to use on stone tiles, but the reality is non-acidic, non-bleaching products shouldn’t leave any residuals.
When you’re set on using an acid cleaner like vinegar or lemon juice, be sure to rinse it off well with lots of clean water before letting your floor dry naturally.
Clean your floor in the perfect direction
If you were painting, you would start at one corner of the room and make your way back towards an exit.
Just like when painting, for mopping floors it is important to begin in one corner and work your way out gradually along with some sort of path that will prevent you from stepping into the areas that have already been moped.
Once all corners have been moped, complete another full pass just to be sure that no spots are missed during the first round of mopping.
If any stubborn spots won’t get clean, re-mop them after completing a new section so as not to leave these spots on your floor for too long.
Squeezing your mop at last drop
To ensure a disinfected mop the next time you clean, after a hard day’s work, soak your mop head in a mixture of bleach and water to sanitize it.
Wait 10 minutes, then rinse and wring out any excess water. Never leave your mop sitting in the bucket to dry as this would invite bacteria and mold to form in the remaining moisture.
The simple preventive step of squeezing out every last drop should make cleaning easier for you as well as a cleaner because you’re doing all that legwork yourself!
Point to be noted
Don’t leave a mop soaking for too long. This can lead to viruses and bacteria growth because of the moisture and warmth.
Remember that mold is caused by excessive moisture that sits for too long, so avoid leaving it unkempt for days or weeks on end.
Ensure your mop is entirely dry before storing it away because tetanus spores are found beneath the surface of most mops, particularly older models!
If you don’t get rid of these spores ahead of time before using your mop, there’s a greater chance it will spread through your place rather than clean it!
Also remember to store your mop where children won’t be easily able to reach them because while bleach will kill mold, it can also cause harm if ingested even in small amounts!
Do not use a new mop head immediately. Give its fibers some time to soften up to achieve optimal absorbency.
You should also ensure that you squeeze out excess water from new heads before using them on anything other than low-pile carpets.
Does mopping clean floors?
Cleaning and mopping the floor is an important chore that helps make a house look and feel respectable and well-kept.
For many people, cleaning the floor is something they tend to procrastinate for days on end.
However, we don’t think it’s a good idea to take shortcuts when it comes to such an important part of living – especially because you can save time by ensuring your mopping job gets done properly once every week to ensure proper floor maintenance instead of daily cleanups which might not always be enough.
Why are my floors still dirty after mopping?
A lot of cleaners use an excessive amount of soap when mopping the floors. They believe that wet equals clean! However, this is not true.
Using too much soap leads to some issues. When more soap is used than necessary, it can lead to spreading some dirt or grime around instead of lifting it off the floor.
And while some residue might remain on the top layer of the floor, this will get quickly dry right back onto the floor once you let the area air out for even a short time. Your cleaning water dries up on the floor you’ve just cleaned.
What is the best way to clean mop?
After using your mop, make sure you thoroughly rinse out all your cleaning solution.
Place the mop in a bucket with warm water and a mixture of vinegar and bleach; soak for 30 minutes. Drain and repeat until water changes from murky to clean.
Conclusion
A clean home is something that everyone wants. It makes our home feel more comfortable, helps us relax, and makes our house a better place to live.
Mop home cleaning is very important for each family, every family should have a mop, if not, it’s a pity, as long as you mop home cleaning, then your home will be clean, and the environment of the home will be improved, so how to clean house with a mop?
A mop is a great tool to use when you don’t want to spend a lot of time maintaining your floors.
You can easily do this in less than an hour and it would leave no damage to the surfaces.
Sometimes we might feel lazy and we don’t want to do all the work we have at home and we might say that we don’t have time to do the chores which we need to do.
This is a great way to handle such situations and you can always use this when you feel like you don’t have time to do this.
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