Mopping a floor is not that difficult. You take a mop, fill your bucket with water and soap and start scrubbing, right? Well, but why does your floor still look dirty even after mopping?
The truth is you could be making some mopping mistakes. No need to worry. Here are a few tips on how to mop your floor efficiently and effectively.
Avoid Using Too Much Soap
Contrary to what most people think, using lots of soap is not the answer. Soap only lifts dirt and oil into water, making them suspend in water. Therefore, the more soap you use, the more your mop gets saturated with dirt. So, if you do not remove all the soapy water from the floor, the dirt remains, forming streaks on the floor.
Vacuum Before Mopping
You might think vacuuming before mopping is double work, but it is not. It may be tiring and annoying, but the results are much better. If you mop without vacuuming, you can leave dirt on the floor, especially if there are loose debris.
If possible, avoid using a broom because it spreads dust particles in the air.
Use Cold Water to Mop
As much as it is tempting to use warm water while mopping your floor, it is not recommended. Warm water evaporates quickly, leaving soap residue on the floor. This makes your floor sticky and streaky. So, it is best to use cold water for it hardly evaporates.
Refill the Bucket
When your water starts to change color and look murky, it is time to refill your bucket with fresh water. If you clean with dirty water, you risk moving the contaminants around your floor.
Note that the number of times you get to swap your water depends on your floor type.
Wipe in one Direction
If you want to mop right, avoid mopping in swirls. As much as it is tempting, mopping with no direction uses more water, and itās hard to track where youāve already mopped. Also, if you keep repeating the same point, you may leave streaks on the floor.
Therefore, pay attention to the Direction in you push your mop. For stubborn stains, use a clean cloth to scrub it instead of mopping the area repeatedly.
Avoid Manually Drying Your Floors
Even if you āre in a hurry to use your space, donāt manually dry the floors to rush the process. On average, a disinfectant can kill microorganisms on the floor after at least 10 minutes. So, if you use a towel, you risk leaving the contaminants.
You can try opening your windows for more air circulation, and that might help the floor dry more quickly.
Wash the Mop Pad After Use
Finally, clean your mop pad after use. If you have disposable mop pads, you can dispose of them off. For reusable pads, you need to clean them immediately after use.
If you are going to use a washing machine, wash it separately from synthetic and cotton products. This is because cotton and manufactured products have fibers that might get stuck on your mop and thus make it even dirtier.
