Anyone who thinks they can mop perfectly is living in denial. Sure, some people are indeed expert moppers (I don’t think that’s an actual word, but you get my point).
Nonetheless, many people cannot mop the floor like they are supposed to.
So it’s time you learned how to mop your floor like a pro, and to accomplish this, you need to pay heed to a few steps.
Those steps are as follows.
Prepare Your Home For Mopping
You will defeat the purpose of mopping if you fail to remove objects or neglect to vacuum or sweep the floor.
Without sweeping/vacuuming, you will just be pushing the dirt around your home.
So, if you don’t intend on making dirt trials on the floor, then sweep the floor first.
Choose The Mop That Goes With You
This is quite important, to be honest.
While choosing the mop, you need to take a few things into consideration. such as the amount of effort you would be putting into it and the type of tiles you would be mopping.
Speaking of varieties in mop, here are a few:
Sponge mops
If you have hardwood or laminate floors, then a sponge mop is for you. It is gentle as well as self-soaking.
Strip mops
Also known as mop pads, these highly sought-after pads are quite versatile and effortless. Just throw the pads in the laundry once you are done using them.
String mops
If you prefer the old school, then this mop is for you. Designed for industrial purposes, string mops usually soak up tons of water, consequently demanding plenty of wringing as well.
Spray mops
If these are not your preferences, then you can opt for spray mops.
Commence Operation Mopping
With the mop and detergent preferences done, it’s time to get down to the business.
But before that, you have to take a bucket and fill it with water (preferably cold water) up to 4 gallons.
Now add a cleaning product, which could be detergent or any other cleaning product (it is better to use one with a neutral pH). Just make sure that you follow the guidelines of the manufacturer.
Take necessary precautions before you start mopping, like using wet floor signs covering the mopping area and the entrance to the same.
And so it begins, start with the farthest corner of the room that you are about to mop, then move back. Make sure you are moving back towards the direction of the door.
Speaking about the bucket, keep it to your side where you won’t trip over it accidentally. Also, the part of the floor where you keep the mop bucket needs to be dry.
While mopping, remember to push the mop from side to side like you are making a figure 8, and these strokes get overlapped when you move back and forth.
Just don’t go for backward forward motion.
A couple of things to remember:
I almost forgot: When you start mopping from the farthest end, you should start with the baseboards.
This prevents your walls from getting splashed.
When one of the sides of the mop gets dirty, switch to the other side, or else the dirt will find its way back to the floor.
While mopping, rinse the mop in clean water and without twisting the head or forcing the ringer, squeeze as much water out as possible.
Your aim should be to preserve the integrity of the fibers.
While rinsing, the water will get dirty (couldn’t be more obvious), so change the water as much as needed.
I am sure the floor is completely clean and dry by now. Just make sure of this before you replace the furniture or any other stuff.
To speed up the process, you can turn on a fan or open a window.
Now I seem to remember that you placed wet floor signs earlier, well it’s time to remove them.
Afterward, rinse out the mop head, the mop bucket, and the sink. Remember to store the mop correctly so that it can dry thoroughly and with ease.
Must Read This Article: O-Cedar Spin Mop Vs Hurricane Spin Mop.
Conclusion
A “napkin test” would definitely come in handy. All you have to do is swipe the floor (occasionally) while mopping.
This would tell whether the floor is clean or not. Although the ultimate test (agreed by many) is the “white sock test”.
Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, proper treatment of mop post-mopping is important. Yeah, it is fun to just throw the mop once the job is done, but it is really important to clean the mop pads with bleach and warm water.
Doesn’t matter which method you apply to clean them; the only thing of concern is that they need to be clean and dry at the time of storage.
After all, it’s simple math: Clean the mop pad, clean your floor.
Read Also: Best Spin Mop.