Which Mop?
ByI need a little help in the mopping arena.
I won’t show pictures of all the mops that haven’t worked for me…but if I were to do that, there would be a parade of them.
They either work one time and then stop working…or the little top spongy things gets crusty and gross after I’ve mopped with it twice. Or the head falls off after a few uses.
Maybe it’s because I’m buying cheap mops?
Spending lots of money on a mop doesn’t really make me feel joy or excitement.
Wonder what kind of mop June Cleaver used? Maybe I should wear my high heels when I mop? (I don’t own any high heels.)
We’ve now chucked all of our mops and begun using a bucket of warm water (sometimes with Basic H) and an old wash rag on our hands and knees. It beats anything else we’ve ever tried.
Except for the “maybe we just won’t clean our floors” idea. That doesn’t seem to work either.
What kind of mop do YOU use? Have you found one that really works for you?! WILL YOU COME OVER AND DEMONSTRATE IT FOR ME on all the levels of my house (every Tuesday)?
P.S. Most of my house is has hard wood floor if that makes any kind of difference in your advice. Thanks!
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More backwards Works for me Wednesday here.
Have you heard of a Shark Steam Mop??? A good friend of mine just got one and she LOVES it. I’ve been waiting to get one as it is a little pricey. But she loves it and has hard wood floors and says it does a great job on them. The best part, I think, is that since it uses steam it’s ready to go whenever you need it. It takes about 30 seconds to warm up and then your ready. So, if you’ve just got one spot, you don’t have to fill up a whole bucket. Plus, you don’t use cleaning supplies which is green on so many levels and not to mention non toxic. Here’s the link:
https://sharksteammop.com/contents/index.aspx
They sell these at Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & beyond and lots of other places. If you ever get Bed Bath And Beyond coupons for 20% off this would make it a lot cheaper.
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We use Bruce. No he is not a faithful butler. We found Bruce at Lowes after my SIL recommended it. You can check it out here: https://www.bestfloorcleaners.com/Detail.bok?no=23.
I did break my first mop by scrubbing too hard, but they replaced it for me and it has worked well. But I still use my fingernail to get up stuck on stuff because no amount of scrubbing with any mop with get off dried gunk – I’m just saying . . .
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I just use my sponge mop on my hardwoods. I did them once on my hands and knees (kneeling on a garden pad) and decided I wasn’t going to do that again, lol!
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Ok, I live in Peru and their method here actually works really well. They have mops, but the sponge heads have no way to squeeze out the water. So they buy large cleaning cloths (maybe 2′ by 2′) and cut a slit or X in the center. Then they dunk the cloth down in the mop water (water with Pine Sol or soap or vinegar), ring it out, then slide the rag down the mop handle and flop it over the head and proceed to mop with it, so the front edge is folded under and the back edge trails out behind. When the front part is dirty, they spin the cloth to use the other side before removing it and dunking it again. I know it seems a little more work-intensive, but your mop head never wears out or gets disgusting, the cloth can be tossed in the washing machine and easily replaced when it is worn from scrubbing. Plus, since the mop is never dunked in the water, it won’t leave a heavy trail of water on your wood floors, which means you don’t have to come back and hand-dry it.
Hope that helps!
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I too have struggled with finding a good mop and am finally a happy mopper! I have mostly hard wood floors, 2 sons, a husband who excavates (as in digs ponds – lots of muddy shoes and clothes) and a shedding basset hound. I have 2 hot pink cloths that stick on a green mop. They are made by Orange-glow and came in a box with some cleaner that was just so-so. These cloths are great – I mop and then drop them in the washer. The real trick though is what to mop with! I boil a family size tea bag in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and then add more water and a little vinegar. I dip my cloth in the tea and stick it on the mop handle. I carry the tea around so I can rinse out my rag in it. I know this sounds crazy but it is the best thing I have found. I got both the tea and vinegar ideas from a book called something like “The Queen Cleans Everything”. Some kind of acid in the tea is good for the wood and helps with scratches and wear, while the vinegar is a well known cleaning agent. I hope you will try it – I am really happy to have a mopping solution that doesn’t leave a film on my floor. So many times I would mop and later that day see footprints all over the floor. One last thing – I have a swiffer vacuum that is lightweight, bagless and plugs in to the wall to charge. What ever the vacuum doesn’t pick up the swiffer sheet will get. I do this generally twice a day to keep the dirt (and horrid dog hair) at bay. Happy mopping!
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Check out Don Aslett. I have been using their mop for almost 20 yrs.!
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I have a Libman wonder mop and love it. My mother-in-law cleans professionally and it is all she uses!
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I love the micro fiber mops, mine has a velcor head with at least 3 different heads, one for mopping, one for dry dusting and one for scrubbing. Just get them wet with what ever you use (I use mostly plain water) velcro it on, rinse as needed. when you are done, just throw it in the washer.
here are 2 kinds I have used http://eurobrite.com/microfiberproducts.html
http://www.shopmicrofiber.com/Microfiber-Mops-and-Pads?leadsource=PS120&s_kwcid=star%20fiber%20mop|1026640219&gclid=CLiA-4Xe0pkCFQEeDQodbDbk3g
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I looked for years for a mop I liked, and what I use now is the Swiffer mop, but with microfiber cloths from the dollar store as heads. I just run them under hot water, wring well, and attach them. The first time I used this, I couldn’t believe the amount of dirt plain old hot water and a microfiber cloth got off the floor. Now I wouldn’t use anything else!
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I use the bissel steam cleaner. Love love love it! My dad got it for me as a birthday present (my request!). Don’t use Orange Glow on your wood floors. It leaves a build up that makes your floors look dull so you have to keep using Orange Glow more and more which just makes it worse and worse! If you are set on using something, try Bona, which is a non toxic wood floor cleaner. Good stuff! =)
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I use the Real Simple mop available at Target. It’s a sponge head covered with microfiber. The heads fall apart every few months, though, and though they’re supposed to be machine washable, it seems to hasten their demise. The map does have a scraper/scrubber doohickey in the handle, though, which is nice.
I’ve got my eye of the Shark steam mop too. Nice to hear the good reviews…maybe it’s a good use for my 30% off coupon at Kohl’s!
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I have a hoover floor mate that is far better than any mop I have ever used. I love that it sucks the dirty water back up into the machine. It vacuums, washes, and dries the floor by allowing you to suck up any extra water.
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Libman Wondermop! It is the best mop out there. I use hot water and vinegar for the regular clean, add some castile soap if things are really grubby. If you have trouble with ants, adding some borax to the hot water will help keep them down.
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Forgot to mention, I fill the tub with the water and cleaner instead of using the bucket (not all the way, of course) and then I scrub the tub after mopping and drying the floor.
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I think the scooba idea would be good for you since you said almost the entire house is hardwood. My husband agrees that there shouldn’t be much water on hardwood floors!
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I use a Libman Microfiber Mop/swiffer. I have looked for 18 years for something I’d like. I like the swiffer Idea but wanted natural cleaners and didn’t like the waste of the wipe everytime. I have many children and dirty floors often. I can wet this with really hot tap water and then wipe. Or I use a industrial spray bottle with a mixed solution of Green works or vinegar and water. I can spot spray or with linolium; spray, wait and then mop. I have 2 mop heads so, I can use one while washing one.
This has been the best solution to our floors. I know these are safe for wooden floors as long as you don’t soak the mop head with water. I found mine at Walmart. It wasn’t too expensive yet, not really cheap either. For this frugal mom; well worth the investment. I’ve had it for 2 years and still going strong.
Good luck with your search!
Shell
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I know this is a super old post, but I just had to chime in!
I have a Bissell Steam Mop that I LOVE SO MUCH!!! It doesn’t require any chemicals, just plain ol’ water. And the pads on the bottom are terry cloth, so they just require a toss in the washing machine and they’re good as new! So it’s a very “green” product. PLUS, it’s super easy to use, and my floors are CLEAN after I’m done. It does say that it can be used on sealed hardwoods, not sure if that would work for you or not. I use it on my tile floors mostly.
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I use the Norwex mop and I love it! It omes with a dry pad and a wet pad. You quickly sweep up with the dry and then put on the wet pad (which you dampen in the sink with only water) and then wash with that. The wet pad has silver embedded in the pad that acts as a disinfectant so there is no need to use bleach or soap. After that is all done, you can use the same mop to dust the walls and wash them too. We have 9 foot ceilings and have been able to reach all the way up with the mop. Just need to put in the wash when it’s dirty. go to norwex.com to find out how to purchase the mop.
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I love the clorox wide surface mop…it has a large surface area with a foam cushion, with a mircofiber cover. There are other brands with a similar concept. You just dampen the cover, put it on the mop. Then I have a spray bottle with about 2 tbls of murphys oil soap, the rest water. mist a small area of floor, then mop, and go through the wood floors this way. It really works well, drys quickly. Wood floors should not be mopped with a traditional mop as there is too much water, the less moisture when you mop the better. if water pools at all it gets between the wood flooring stips and makes your floors not last as long. Hope this helps
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When it comes to the advancement of cleaning your home one of the latest gadgets that people are going crazy over are steam mops. For a very long time, the unfortunate chore of cleaning your floors would involve getting on your hands and knees and really giving it a good scrub. How painful is that? But it was a sacrifice that had to be made if you wanted to disinfect and get into those areas that are hard to reach on your wood, stone, and tile floors.
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