How to Clean Up With a Mop & Bucket

Cleaning Cart with a Mop and Bucket

Before the days of the Swiffer Sweeper, people had to clean up messes in their homes with a bucket and a mop. Although there are methods to cleaning your floors that are easier and much quicker, they aren't always a better choice. Mops are also reusable, making them economical and better for the environment. If you have never cleaned up with a mop and bucket, now is the time to learn.

Things You'll Need

• Mop Bucket Water Cleaning solution Broom Dustpan

Instructions

1. First, sweep your floor with a dustpan and broom, picking up all of the dirt and pieces of trash.

2. Fill up your bucket with hot water. Hot water, rather than cold water, does a better job of cleaning floors.

3. Add cleaning solution to your bucket of water. The type of cleaning solution you'll use depends on the type of flooring being cleaned. Consider Murphy's Oil Soap for wooden floors or Pine-Sol for vinyl flooring. Read the label to see how much solution to add. It should be about 1/4 cup or less.

4. Soak your mop in the bucket. Wring out your mop.

5. Begin wiping the mop back and forth, starting at one end of the room and working your way to the other. When the mop starts to dry, dip it in the bucket again. Wring out the mop and continue mopping the floor.

6. Rinse the mop after cleaning the floor. Wring it out, set it out to dry and then put it away.

7. Empty and rinse the bucket. Don't be surprised to find dirt and hair at the bottom of the bucket.Use a towel to dry the bucket before putting it away.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are cleaning up a big spill, use the mop to soak up the liquid. Then squeeze out the liquid into the bucket. When all of the liquid is removed, clean the floor following the steps above.

• Don't use too much water on a wooden floor. It can cause the boards to warp. You may want to add some fans in the room to help the wood dry faster.