Mopping

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kim on September 13, 2008 at 7:10pm

I guess none of us know how to mop. Lol

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Patty Wysong on September 13, 2008 at 8:36pm

I've used Pine Sol and it works good on ceramic tile. I've also used it on wood furnishings, so I *think* it'd be okay on wood laminate flooring. It doesn't leave my floor sticky, just squeaky for a short time. I think it was 'squeaky clean'. LoL

It's so aggravating to put time into a chore and find out it's not done quite right! Maybe someone else will chime in who has wood floors like yours...

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rebekah on September 14, 2008 at 10:16am

My favorite soap to use on my floors is Murphy's wood oil soap. It smells wonderful. I use very little because it's concentrated (NEVER more than 1/4 cup and typically less) for a whole big bucket (probably about 3galons or so). I should probably mention that most of my house is finished wood. It's really pretty, but OLD and all bowed in funny places. Lots of "good character" creaking, lol. My kitchen and bathroom, though, are roll-out linoleum and I use the same soap on both with equally happy results.

It is my opinion that there are four key ingredients to a quick and easy (and effective) mop:

1) HOT water. This is the most important thing. The hotter the water, the less soap you need and the faster it will dry. The floor will be cleaner, it takes less scrubbing to get muck off the floor and the heat causes the "damp" to last for half as long. This is probably the #1 thing that needs to be done.

2) Less is more when it comes to soap. You should use the least amount of soap you can get away with and still have a clean floor. Your home isn't a hospital so disinfecting the floor really isn't necessary. Getting clean is the goal. Too much soap means that your "clean" floor will NOT shine and it will be sticky. (Especially if you are using Mop n Glow. Mop n Glow is a floor treatment and shouldn't be used unless you can afford the time to let it dry completely before letting people walk on it. It includes wax and is meant to coat your floor. I can't tell you how many times I've had a lovely, shiny floor....except for the kitty-paw prints right through the middle of the room.) If you use too much soap you will be stuck having to do a rinse-mop and, if your kids are anything like mine, that is too much time! You want the floor washed and DRY before the little feet come through leaving footprints!

3) Not using too much water with each trip to the bucket. Unless you have a really bad spot (like...congealed banana under the high-chair area) you really should wring your mop out until it's just damp. This accomplishes two things. It keeps you from having puddles all over the floor, and allows the mop to do a better job actually scrubbing. Combining this with #1 will ensure that your floors dry MUCH faster.

4) Keep a rag or a sponge on hand for the bad spots. It takes much longer to stand there with a mop and try to get the right leverage and pressure to get something gunky off the floor than it does to grab your backup rag, bend over and give it the ole' "fingernail behind the rag" treatment. This has saved me lots of frustration.


In all honesty, in the years I've been mopping, nothing seems to work as well as a rag, a scrub-brush and hands and knees washing. It does take longer, though, and if your kids are anything like mine, it's just not practical. A bucket of water making a circuit around the room with mom looks like a game. As such, I rarely do it my preferred way, and typically leave my mop-bucket in the sink while mopping my floors. If I have the uninterrupted time, though, I can do my whole house (kitchen, diningroom/living room area and bathroom) in less than an hour. No matter which method you are using, though, the above rules generally apply (except for #4, obviously).

Also, though it seems silly to mention it, start in one specific area every time and make it a routine. I like to work from the sink out so that my last trip to the sink includes a quick swipe over any footprints I've left and I can leave the mop at the doorway and go keep the kids occupied for a minute while it dries.

One more thing. I have been known to use bleach and water or bleach, dish-soap and water and it is a perfectly effective cleaner. HOWEVER, I don't recommend this on wood. It can really screw up the finish and here, anyway, it seems like it makes the wood look dry.

Hope this was helpful!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suberina on September 15, 2008 at 7:40pm

Wow...talk about the light bulb going off...thanks so very much ladies I sincerely appreciate the great advice. I'm re-mopping as we speak and thought I'll check to see if anyone responded. Thanks again.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Suberina on September 19, 2008 at 9:02am

Its so funny you should mention Dogs...When I was mopping last night the dog ran thru my freshly mopped floor...I was like ugggh they should have mentioned "lock the dog in his cage befor mopping" as on of the steps ha ha ha. PS Marianne I don't even want to start with a rag...I will never finish mopping, but you're right it was residue.

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This