If it's gotten to be a bit sticky underfoot, it may be
time to mop. While there's nothing complicated about
mopping, the right equipment and technique will make
mopping more effective and less of a chore.
!! Steps !!
Clear the area. Remove whatever tables, chairs, throw rugs and other
obstacles are on the floor.
* Send anyone likely to walk over the floor out of the area. That
includes children, spouses, housemates, pets, and guests.
* If you're cleaning any of those things, too, clean them first.
That way, if any debris falls on the floor, it'll fall before you
clean.
* If you'll be cleaning counters, tabletops, or other surfaces,
clean those first.
* Sweep the floor or vacuum the floor first. It may seem redundant
to clean something you're about to clean, 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.
Place the cleaner of your choice into the bucket and fill with
enough hot water to cover the head of the mop completely. Leave
enough of the bucket empty to allow yourself to add the mop and to
keep the wringer up out of the water, if it is built into the
bucket.
* Use the cleaner according to the instructions on the package or
bottle. Usually, that means just enough to make it suds up a bit.
Don't use more cleaner than you need. It will not add much benefit
and it could leave a residue or damage the floor.
* It is possible to user ordinary dish-washing detergent. Just a
squirt added to the water is adequate.
* Dip the mop in the cleaning solution and let it absorb the cleaner
thoroughly. Sometimes a stiff, dried-out mop will need to soak for
a little while to loosen up.
* Wring the excess solution out of the mop. You want it damp, not
soggy.
Start in one corner of the room. Move the mop around over the area
you want cleaned. When you have covered a small area, or when the
mop looks dirty, dip and wring the mop again and move on to the
next area.
* For polyurethaned hardwood floors, run the mop with the grain of
the wood.[1]
* For textured floors, move the mop in small figure eight
circles.[2]
* For persistent dirt, you may want to visit an area twice. The
first time, leave the mop a bit wetter than usual and use it to
dampen the area thoroughly. Let that sit for a few moments while
you dampen the next area. The extra time gives the cleaning
solution time to dissolve the soil. Then, dip the mop again and
wring it out more thoroughly. Go back over the area to pick up
the water and loosen any especially stubborn dirt.
* Continue across the whole floor in this fashion.
* Work back towards a door and avoid stepping on the areas you have
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 these tracks.
* Let the mopped area dry thoroughly. Opening up doors or windows
for circulation will speed the process. It's generally not
necessary to dry a floor manually unless the surface shows streaks
badly. Just let the air do the job.
* Replace any furnishings you removed from the area.
Hang the mop up to dry out when you are finished. If you leave in
the bucket, it will rot and start to smell bad. Hang it with the
wet end down and hang it somewhere where a bit of water underneath
won't hurt.
* Dispose of dirty mop water in a toilet. It's a better place to
put something that might have solid sediments, and you won't have
any dirty sinks.
* 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 residues of dirt and cleaners don't sit in the mop all the
time.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* If heels have left scuffs 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* If mopping doesn't thrill you, put on the music and think of it as
a free workout.
* You can extend the time between real mopping sessions by spot
mopping, mopping only the visibly dirty spots and/or traffic
patterns. You can even scoot a moistened rag around with your foot
to clean small areas or spills easily.
* Change the dirty mop water a lot; if you see it's dirty, change
it, otherwise you end up mopping your floors with dirty water and
that's not the point of mopping.
* In narrow stretches such as corridors and hallways, mop the
baseboards first and then the middle.
!! Warnings !!
* Do not use acid cleaners, such as vinegar, on stone floors.
Marble, granite, and slate can be damaged by the acid.
* Never mop waxed hardwood floors as the water can damage them.[3]
* 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. It will do a better job anyway.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* A mop
* A bucket
* An appropriate floor cleaner
* Something to wring the mop, usually built into either the bucket
or the mop
* Hot water
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Make an Earth Friendly Automatic Mop
* How to Remove Scuff Marks from Floors
* How to Clean Linoleum Floors
* How to Sweep a Floor
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
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