Mop a Floor

While vacuuming and sweeping will keep your floors clean, you’ll eventually need to mop them as everyday grime builds up. Mopping is a relatively simple process. You need to prepare the area you need to mop, mop it, then let it dry.

Steps

Preparing to Mop

  1. Remove all obstacles. Move whatever tables, chairs, throw rugs and other obstacles are on the floor you’re going to mop. Be careful not to drag furniture like tables and chairs to avoid scratching the floor.
    • If you need to clean any of these objects, clean them first. That way, if any debris falls on the floor, it'll fall before you mop, rather than after.
    • Make sure that anyone who’s likely to walk over your floor is aware they need to avoid doing so until it dries. In the case of animals, you might need to move them to a separate room until the floor dries.
  2. Sweep or vacuum the floor before mopping. It may seem redundant, but mops generally do a terrible job of picking up crumbs, dust, hair, and other solid debris. If you mop an unswept floor, you'll just end up pushing this stuff around. Moreover, dust and dirt can leave scratches on the floor if not removed first.
  3. Mix your chosen cleaner with warm water in a bucket. You should add enough water to be able to completely submerge your mop. However, keep in mind that the water level will rise once you add the mop. If your bucket has an integrated wringer, make sure it’s not submerged in the water.
    • Always refer to the instructions printed on your chosen cleaner. Different cleaners are suitable for different floors; you don’t want to use the same cleaner on wood floors as you would on stone.
    • It is possible to use ordinary dish-washing detergent. Just a squirt added to the water is sufficient.
    • You can prepare a second bucket to wring out your mop. This will keep the dirty and clean soapy water separate.[1]

Using the Mop

  1. Dip the mop in the cleaning solution. Let the mop absorb the cleaner solution thoroughly. Sometimes a stiff, dried-out mop will need to soak for a little while to loosen up.
  2. Lift the mom, letting it drip for a few seconds before slopping it on the floor. Keeping your mop wetter will make the mopping process more efficient.[2] Letting the mop drip a few seconds before mopping will ensure there isn’t an excess of water spreading over the floor.
  3. Mop the floor in small sections. A section should be about four to six square feet. You should only swish the mop three to four times to cover this area. You’re spreading the cleaning solution over the floor, rather than trying to scrub the dirt off.[2]
    • For polyurethaned hardwood floors, run the mop with the grain of the wood.[3]
    • For textured floors, move the mop in small figure eight patterns.[4]
  4. Wring your mop out. If you decided to use two buckets, make sure to wring your mop over your empty bucket. The mop should have little to no water left at this point.
  5. Run the wrung out mop over the wet floor. You should only swish the mop over a wet spot three to four times. If you pass the mop over more than this, you’ll just end up spreading dirty water around.[2] Wring out the mop after this.
    • If the floor is still wet after you’ve passed the wrung out mop over, wring it out and do it again.
  6. Soak the mop in the cleaner solution and mop the next section. Repeat these steps for each section of your floor. You might need to move the buckets, keeping them close enough to efficiently wring the mop.
  7. Work your way back towards a door. This will ensure you’re not stepping on parts of the floor you’ve just cleaned. Any fine dust clinging to the bottoms of your shoes will stick to the floor and become mud. If you do step on an area that is wet, run the mop back over it to clean up your tracks.

Letting the Area Dry

  1. Let the mopped area dry completely. Opening up doors or windows for circulation will speed this process. It's generally not necessary to dry a floor manually unless the surface shows streaks badly; just let the air do the job.
  2. Replace any furnishings you removed from the area. If you haven’t cleaned the bottoms of chairs and tables, you may want to do so with a wet paper towel. Otherwise, you might track dirt and dust back onto the floor you’ve just cleaned.
  3. Hang the mop up to dry. If you leave the mop in the bucket, dirt and grime will cling to the fibers and it will smell. Hang it with the wet end down; make sure to hang it somewhere where dripping water won’t damage the surface.
    • Dispose of dirty mop water in a toilet. Your kitchen sink is usually where you prepare food; you don’t want to get the grime that was on your floor in your sink.
    • While not strictly necessary, it's a good idea to rinse your mop and wring it thoroughly once more before hanging it up, so that the dirt and cleaner won’t stay on the mop.



Tips

  • The use of good doormats, inside and out, can help prevent a lot of dirt from getting tracked in, in the first place. So does the practice of not wearing shoes indoors.
  • String mops, especially those made of natural fibers, are still some of the best out there, though a simple sponge mop may serve better if you are in a particularly small space.
  • If heels have left Remove Scuff Marks from Floors on a floor, try rubbing at them with the non-marking rubber sole of another shoe. It's not always effective, but it often lifts the scuff like a big eraser.
  • A mop with a lot of material on the end of it, such as a large string mop, will be heavy when it is full of water. Choose a size that will be manageable for you, especially if you don't have a lot of floor to cover.
  • In narrow stretches such as corridors and hallways, mop the sides first, then the center of the floors.

Warnings

  • Do not use acid cleaners, such as vinegar, on stone floors. Marble, granite, and slate can be damaged by the acid.
  • Avoid wringing the mop with your hands. Besides a lot of unpleasant dirt, mops can pick up shards of glass and other debris that could cut your skin. Get a bucket or a mop with a built-in wringer or now there's a wringer that fits on your sink, bypassing use of a bucket - search online for it; "sink mop wringer". It will do a better job anyway.
  • Never mop waxed hardwood floors as the water can seep between the boards and damage the wood.[5]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-mop-a-floor/#.WNxvQ5ArLEY
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.creeklinehouse.com/2015/02/clean-floors-believe-not-theres-right-way-mop.html
  3. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/more-techniques/clean-hardwood-floors
  4. ↑ http://www.cleanfreak.com/how-to/wet-mopping.html
  5. ↑ https://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/tricks-to-clean-any-type-of-floor
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