I have taken over the task of mopping the floor of my home for a few years. It is not a task that I particularly enjoy doing.
However the satisfaction and comfort of having a clean floor for my family overrides my initial adversion towards mopping thhe floor. Eventually after a few weeks of mopping, it became a habit.
Different people have different ways of mopping floors. Initially when pets are allowed in my home, the floor really gets dirty quickly.
If you are like me who initially do not like to mop the floor (to be honest very few people would ever like this task), you may be able to get motivated when you see your family members feeling comfortable in stepping into a clean floor after a tired day at work.
How I mop the floor
Usually if you see videos of how people mop the floor, they would use one bucket of water when cleaning agent to mop the floor. This may be applicable if the floor of your house is usually very clean.
For the average home in the city, wuth kids and/or pets, it is a different. The floor can get dirty quickly even though you mop every day.
Items required to mop the floor:
1. Use 2 buckets of water
Fill up the first bucket (the one with a wringer) with plain water (fill about 70 to 80 percent below the wringer’s height).
2. Fill up the second bucket with plain water mixed with your floor cleaning agent.
3. Use a good mop. I use the Scrotch brite yellow mop because it is light weight and cleans well.
Why I use 2 buckets of water instead of one bucket
If your floor tends to be dirty or dusty, if you use one bucket, all the dirty water will accumulate. When you rinse your mop and then use the mop to mop… You would find the later surfaces not clean enough.
By using 2 buckets, the first bucket helps you to rid of most of the dirt. Then you wring off the water from the mop and then dip into the second bucket of water that is cleaner.
How to mop the floor:
1. Dip the clean mop into the second bucket and then place the mop on the wringer of the first bucket to wring out the water.
2. Mop the floor as per usual.
3. When you need to give the mop a rinse before further mopping, take the mop and dip into the first bucket. Wring off the water then dip the mop into the second bucket and then wring off the water using the filter or wringer of the first bucket.
4. Continue to mop and repeat the steps until you finish mopping the area or the water on the second bucket turns real dirty, whichever comes first.
If the area is large, chances are you would need to change the water on both buckets more than once to ensure the floor is clean. Some people mop a large area using just a small bucket of water….which is not clean enough.
Cleaning the mop after mopping
I clean my mops after each mopping session. Basically I just use a mild detergent, body shampoo, Dettol or soap powder… Whatever I can find. Then I rinse twice with plain water and put my mop to dry.
By having the mop clean, it is ready to use the next time. You also need not clean the mop before using it the next time.
Well, this is the way I have used to mop the floor in my home. Unless your home is usually squeaky clean, then you can use a disposable sheet to go over the surface. However if there is budget constraints and it is the average home with pets and/or kids/ no free time to mop everyday, using 2 buckets of water and investing in a good mop that makes it easier to mop may help to make the task less daunting and difficult.
