How to Mop a Floor

It's not a fun job, but it has to be done. Here's how to mop your floor so clean you could eat off it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Brooms
• Detergents Or Floor Cleaner
• Mops
• Vacuum Cleaners
• Water
• Buckets
• Water
• Vacuum cleaners

1. 

   Sweep or vacuum the floor clean of dust and dirt.

2. Sweep or vacuum a second time. Make sure there is no debris.

3. Fill a bucket with hot water.

4. Add a small amount of detergent, ammonia or floor cleaner to the water; the directions on the container should tell you how much to use.

5. 

   Dip your mop in the bucket.

6. 

   Wring out the mop using your hands or, depending on the type of mop you are using, with a lever near the mop head.

7. 

   Scrub the floor in straight lines if you're using a sponge mop. If using a rag mop, swirl the mop head in figure-eight shapes. Push the mop vigorously to remove stains or spots on the floor.

8. Rinse and wring the mop out in a sink or the bucket occasionally, and continue mopping.

9. Let the floor dry before walking on it.

Tips & Warnings

• If a sponge mop head is becoming crumbly or falling apart, change it. If a rag mop is dirty, rinse it and squeeze it out repeatedly until clean, or toss it in the washing machine as directed.
• Some modern floors, such as polyurethane-coated hardwood floors, should not be washed with harsh detergents. Check with your floor covering professional if you have questions.

[camora]

on 7/22/2009 I don't know what I was doing whithout your tips :)

[AnneZ]

on 3/13/2009 I love having a clean floor! Thanks for the mopping tips!

[karhan]

on 2/16/2009 I agree with LavenderCharm. I too use the Mission Mop (www.missionmop.org). In stead of rinsing the pad out in dirty water, I use one side of the pad, flip it over and use the other side...when both sides are dirty I grab another pad and do the same thing. I can wash my kitchen, dining room with one pad and bathrooms with another. I used the swiffer in the past, but this mop saves me a ton of money on costly pad refills.

[nmls29]

on 1/26/2009 Do you really want to eat off a floor that has been cleaned with ammonia or any other floor cleaner that has an ingestion warning on it?

[Soulsearcher83]

on 1/17/2009 It's amazing that you can do this a right way and a wrong way. Your tips make sense. Otherwise, you can waste time and energy. People might take it for granted but you can get sore mopping, especially if you are a janitor.