How do you successfully mop a floor?

Question

My parents are gone for the weekend..

So, I thought I'd clean the house...

I've noticed that our tile and vinyl floors or really dirty...

And I've never mopped before, I'm more of the vaccuming/dusting type.

So...I don't want to just assume how to do it and s***w up.

What product do you use, is there a certain way I should do it, how long does it take to dry, how long do you let it sit?

I know it may seem stupid to ask, but how do you successfully mop a floor?

Answer 1

Pine-sol will work, it should have instructions on how much to dilute. otherwise there should be some generic mopping cleaners you can use.

To mop, just mix up the cleaner w/ water in the mop bucket, dip the mop in, squeeze out extra water (either with the mop bucket's press, or you might have one of those special mops that lets you squeeze it out with the mop) and run it across the floor. Use some pressure to help pick up the spots. When the mop starts to dry, re-dip it in the mop bucket. Let it sit until the water evaporates (I'd guess 30 minutes or so depending on temperature, how much water you used, etc.) That's about it.

Answer 2

It depends a bit on what kind of mop you're using. My favourite for a big floor area is still the old-fashioned string mop but you must have a bucket with wringer attachment to wring it dry into. There are also the Vileda 'string' mops which are okay but too light to really scrub with. Use any general cleaning product like Murphy soap, Mr Clean, Fantastik, Pine-Sol, even vinegar or a bit of ammonia, or dish soap if that's all you've got. Bleach is usually unnecessary. Use very hot water and not too much cleaner. Dip the mop in the water, wring it as dry as possible. Sweep the mop across the floor from side to side, moving towards you. Don't push it back and forth. You will feel the mop get a little harder to push as it gets dirty. Squish it around in the water, wring it dry and wash again. If you have a sponge mop such as a Bee mop, same basic principle but you'll have to push that back and forth, that's the only way they work. When the water gets too grey, change it. Dump the dirty water down the toilet. If you go easy on the cleaner, there is no need to mop again with water only. Microfibre mops are good, with those you may not even need anything but water unless the floor is incredibly dirty. Dampen it, mop, rinse, wring, repeat. I always find that it helps a lot to vacuum first. That way the mop doesn't have to pick up hair, pine needles, etc, but only needs to get the dirt that's actually stuck to the floor.

Whatever type of mop you use, it should be damp, not wet. If you leave little pools of water behind when you mop, the mop is too wet. A floor should dry within 15 minutes or so depending on temperature and ventilation. The mop should pick up whatever is on the floor in a couple of passes and that's it. You don't apply the cleaner solution, let it sit and then mop it dry unless, maybe, you have floor that's so incredibly dirty that it has to soak a bit to dissolve the dirt. If I had a floor that dirty, I would mop it once without worrying about how dirty the water was, then go over it again with clean water. When you're done, make sure to set the mop somewhere to dry properly, particularly with string mops. They can get mildewed if they don't dry well.

Answer 3

a bucket. dish soap.a rag. get down on ya hands and knees and wash it.

a mop leaves it a mess.yuck

Answer 4

Sweep for and throw out dirt.get a pail and put pine-sol or floor cleaner that you have in bucket ,about a half cup or so,put hot water in half way to the top,dip your mop in and squeeze out water and start in one corner by moving your mop in circles and back and forth scrubbing, and continue doing this until the floor is complete.The whole thing should only take about a half hour or so.sweep floor after you mop.Good Luck!

Answer 5

Find your parents utility bucket and their Pinesol or Lysol floor cleaner.  There are other cleaners you can use also like Murphey's or Armstrong.  Just look for something that says floor or all purpose cleaner.

Add about 1/4 cup to the bucket and fill with hot water.

Get your mop wet in the bucket and wring it out with the built in wringing mechanism.

using a back and forth motion clean the floor.  After cleaning about 3 square feet, rewet the mop in the same manner as above.

Most cleaners do not need a rinse step and if you wrung the mop head out properly there should be no need to dry with a towel.  Just stay off the clean surface for about 30 minutes so you don't leave footprints.

And great job for helping out!!

Answer 6

presoak and then mop.rinse with clean cold water.the cold water will help to break down the floor washing solution  your using.