Traditional damp mopping remains the best way to clean many types of floors. While flat mops like Swiffers are great for daily cleanup of dust and light soil, only a good, thorough weekly damp mopping with a proper cleaning solution and a mop can really provide the deep-down cleaning a floor needs.
Cotton string mops are full of germs.
Microfiber flat mops paired with dual compartment buckets are an effective way to clean for health and sanitation. Together, they prevent surface and mop head re-soiling. The dense microfiber blend promotes deeper penetration for cleaner surfaces.
On hard, non-porous floors, you can follow up your cleaning with a disinfecting solution, whether that's an EPA-registered wipe or spray disinfectant (follow the application instructions on the label), isopropyl alcohol (at 70 percent concentration or higher), or a diluted bleach mixture (the CDC recommends 5 ...
Favorites include pine oil mixed with water for disinfecting properties or a simple mixture of water and vinegar and lemon for that clean smell. There are many different types of mops that pros use, such as the sponge mop or a traditional cotton string style mop.
The flat head microfiber mop. That's right! It's time to toss out every other floor mop you have ever owned and you'll soon know exactly why! This floor mop is what the pros use in almost every case and there's many reasons why.
As with all types of floors, use a dry mop or vacuum to remove solid dirt, dust and hair, and make sure you clean under furniture and along baseboards. Use warm, not hot, water because hot water can damage laminate floors. Use diluted household bleach and water (4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water).
But as a rule of thumb, you should mop your floors at least once a week—especially in areas that are more likely to get stains from drips and spills, like the kitchen and bathroom. “Of course, you need to vacuum or sweep the floor before mopping,” explains Leiva.
Using excess water
A common mistake is thinking that wet is clean! On the contrary, when cleaning a floor, you should try to use the least amount of water possible! After dipping the mop in the bucket, wring it out until it's almost dry!
One of the best reasons to use a floor scrubber, is that floors are drier. Using a mop allows floors to stay wet for a time, causing a safety danger. Slip-and-fall lawsuits cost companies millions of dollars each year. Floor scrubbers completely suck up all the dirty water and helps prevent this.
Dry Your Floors
If they dry poorly, you will have streaks and other marks littering your newly mopped floors making them look dirtier than ever. If you plan on letting your floors air dry, you mustn't walk on them until it is completely dry.
Mopping Sanitizes Your Floor
As such, the germs accumulate and build up quickly, especially during hot weather and flu seasons. Thus, regular mopping is crucial in keeping your home sanitized. A clean floor translates into a cleaner house, and a clean house means a healthier and happier home.
If you use a bucket of cleaner it is a good idea to rinse and dry the floor to be extra sure all of the soap residue is off and not hanging around too long to create a film. Alternatively, you can use a dry mop method where you spray diluted cleaner from a spray bottle on the floor and wipe with a mop.
You can also use the vinegar and water solution in a spray mop. Air dry. There's no need to rinse your vinegar-mopping solution from your floors.
A few tips as you clean: don't soak the floor with mop solution and you don't need to rinse the floors after using this vinegar cleaner.
The only vinegar that works for cleaning floors is distilled white vinegar. The simple kind. It has an acidity of 5 percent which is perfect for cutting through grease, grime, and dirt. It is also cheap enough that you can use tonnes of it in cleaning all your surfaces, and still not break the bank or your budget.
To disinfect, use an EPA-registered disinfecting product or a stronger bleach solution. Clean the surface with soap and water first. Always read the label of disinfecting products to make sure the products can be used on the type of surface you are disinfecting (such as a hard or soft surface).
Fabuloso® Antibacterial in Lavender Scent is an all-purpose cleaner that cuts through grease, and kills 99.9% of bacteria*. It transforms your home with a fresh, lasting lavender scent, and deodorizes and sanitizes as it cleans†.
Cold germs can live on surfaces for up to one week, but they lose effectiveness after the first 24 hours. Cold germs on your hands can live for up to one hour. The influenza (flu) virus can live for up to 24 to 48 hours on hard surfaces. The coronavirus can live from a few hours to a few days.
Any high-traffic areas in your home should be wet mopped once a week. Rooms in your home that are not frequently used—such as a guest room—do not need to be mopped weekly. Mopping every other week or monthly should be sufficient.
Believe it or not, there are a few types of flooring that cannot be cleaned with liquids, so you better not get them wet! In addition to this, it's generally fine to clean floors with just water, if the surfaces in question are only slightly dirty (a bit of dust or some light soiling).
Mop water is full of germs and dirt, so the worst thing you can do is to dispose of it in a place where you're apt to drop a toothbrush. Dump it into a toilet or down your shower drain instead.
Using a dry mop first will make wet mopping easier and ensure a cleaner floor.