Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Mopping tips needed...


Hi y'all!!!

On a recent post entitled Cleaning Cabinets, Pamela asked,
"I was wondering if you had some good cleaning tips for cleaning and mopping the kitchen floor.This is the job I dread the most.
Thank You."

Oh Pamela!! I feel your pain!!! Mopping is my most dreaded chore, too! I have found that, for me, the BEST thing I can do to help with mopping is to do it weekly. Otherwise, the dirt will build up, I'll start feeling guilty about conviently "forgetting" to mop, and before I know it, the floor is horribly dirty. I sweep daily (sometimes more than daily- we live in an area with a lot of sand) so I think that helps keep the floor a tad cleaner and people aren't always stepping on something icky and mashing it into the floor.

When I do mop, I enjoy using a big bucket full of hot water, a sponge mop, and Pine Sol. Whenever I smell it, I smell my grandmother's house. It's AMAZING how powerful the sense of smell is, isn't it? My grandmother always had her house clean as a whistle. When we went to visit her, you were greeted by the smell of freshly mopped floors- the Pine Sol!!!

I would LOVE to hear from others that are reading this. Can y'all offer some advice to Pamela to help with mopping? For that matter, there may be many of us that don't look forward to that particular job, so many of us will probably benefit from all the help we can get!!

22 comments:

Paula said...

My favorite way to map is the good old fashioned way, but recently I started using the Swiffer Wet Jet. It's so much easier and faster.

Tracy said...

Personally, I hate a mop. I feel like you are pushing dirt all over the place and not realy picking it up.

I am a good, old fashioned on my hands and knees floor scrubber. Once a week.

Melissa said...

Thank you, Mrs. U, for a this post! One thing that helps encourage me to mop, and do my best, is that feeling of accomplishment. Just being able to enjoy a freshly cleaned floor is so motivating for me.

One tip I would suggest, if you absolutely dread it....just do a quick "once" over. I agree with Mrs. U. using a spongemob. Run a little water and solution in your sink. Dip it a few times and make it quick! Chances are you'll clean better than you expected with little effort. Just try to do it more than once a month, for sure!

Melissa

Anonymous said...

I have five children under 10, so our kitchen and bathroom floors need to be cleaned quite often, lol. I usually sweep the kitchen after every meal, and in the evenings I damp mop after I sweep. Yes, every day. I run hot water over my mop and go quickly over the kitchen floor. This keeps the stickies from being ground in until I can get to a real 'hands and knees' scrub, which I do once a week. A great tip I use is to buy a bottle of essential oil in a fragrance that you love. Add several drops to your mop water, and you will love to mop! Mine is currently peppermint, but I like lavendar too!

Mary Ann said...

I have very small rooms where the linoleum is so I prefer to just use a bucket of hot water and a rag and do it on my hands and knees. I spray my homemade all-purpose cleaner(ammonia, baking soda, water and vinegar) and then wipe, rinsing the rag in the mop bucket. I do this once a week, but sweep several times a week. Keeping it done on a regular basis helps a lot!

Lean Not said...

I like the big sponge-on-a-stick mop because it is easy to flip the lever and wring it out. That reminds me -- I don't have one right now; maybe I should go buy one! :)

I have been using a Swiffer, but it's not really possible to wring it out without taking it apart.

Pam said...

Mrs. U,

Thank you for addressing my question about mopping. There are a lot of good suggestions. Mrs. H, where do you find essential oils? To all of you who mop daily...Wow,
amazing. I guess I better get busy!

Anonymous said...

My biggest new find (which I have had for about 9 months now, don't know what I did without it) is a Shark Stick Vac. It cost me around 40$ at Target, it is small, quick, easy and it works amazingly well. It gets all the tidbits up in a flash, is easy to empty. The kids even like helping out with it. I do that after dinner every night- and then I use Pine-Sol too- my favorite and hot water on a mop- I have a mop that you can easily wring out. This is a great question!! (first time posting too!)

Doberlady said...

I mop on my hands and knees using Pine Sol, I just LOVE the smell of it, DH thinks I am crazy but he sure likes the nice clean floor.

Kelli said...

Mopping is one of my least favorite chores too but like Mrs.U, I find that sweeping often really helps! I sweep the floor at least once a day, usually after dinner. Pamela, I don't know if you have young children but each of my three (6, 7, and 9) are responsible for taking the little brush and dustpan and sweeping up any larger chunks of food that may have spilled after each meal.

As far as mopping, I fill up a metal bowl with water and my cleaner and wash the floor on my hands and knees about once a week.

Good luck finding something that works for you!

Kelli

Dianna said...

I try to wipe off the floor every day with my dishrag before I change it. That way you hardly ever have to mop. I prefer scrubbing, though, when it comes to that. Like tracy, I don't feel like it does much good.

Amy said...

I have found sweeping the kitchen after every meal to make my weekly task of scrubbing the floor quite a bit easier. I am another "hands and knees scrubber", but do use the mop for the occasional quick spills. To make cleaning the floor a tad bit more pleasing, try adding several drops of a favorite essential oil to your water. I usually wash floors with a homemade, natural floor cleaner and then add some lavender oil for a delicious smell to brighten up my cleaning day. Also, do not forget the music. Some fun, fast paced classical or favorite praise music always makes scrubbing floors a much more pleasing task! :o)

Sibyl said...

Mrs. U

This is one of those jobs I hate to do, but after I do it really feel good about it. I have no carpet, so everything around here has to be swept and then mopped. I really work hard to do this every other day. I have mopped probably every which way possible. String mop, sponge mop, swiffer/wet, hands and knees. The easiest is with a libman mop here is the link http://libman.com/index.aspx?src=PDI&ct=28&pid=128 I have extra covers, I can just throw them in the washer and keep them clean. Sure is better than a string mop, or sponge mop. Lots cheaper in the long run from a swiffer, because you don't have to throw things away. Can't get on my hands and knees any longer.

Hope this helps
Sibyl

HsKubes said...

Hands and knees makes it look the best and we try to do that once a week. In between though, I like to use the Mr. Clean Eraser Mop. I just recently found one and we have enjoyed using it.

Thank you for your kind comment.
And I am excited for you to learn how to sew. I'm sure you'll love having that skill. I have found it so useful (and fun).

~ Christina

Anonymous said...

You can buy essential oils in craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. They usually run around $5 or less for a very small bottle, but it takes only five drops or so for a bucket of mop water! I also add some to my spray bottle for ironing, and occasionally to the final rinse for my bedsheets.

Pam said...

Thank you Mrs H
I will get some today.

Diane said...

Sibyl, I tried the link you posted but it didn't work. I am in dire need of a good mop. I saw a mop at Lowe's that looks like the Shh mop from Jeff Campbell's Clean Team and might get that. My concern with it though, and this will probably be silly, or obvious, is HOW do you rinse it out, and can you put Ammonia in the sink?

I would not mind getting down on my hands and knees to mop, but it's tough on my knees.

So, right now I am in dire need of a recommendation on a good mop, preferably something I could wash. It's either a mop or knee pads to mop by hand. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

I just came across your blog, so I hope that I am not too late.

Diane said...

Sibyl, I tried the link you posted but it didn't work. I am in dire need of a good mop. I saw a mop at Lowe's that looks like the Shh mop from Jeff Campbell's Clean Team and might get that. My concern with it though, and this will probably be silly, or obvious, is HOW do you rinse it out, and can you put Ammonia in the sink?

I would not mind getting down on my hands and knees to mop, but it's tough on my knees.

So, right now I am in dire need of a recommendation on a good mop, preferably something I could wash. It's either a mop or knee pads to mop by hand. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

I just came across your blog, so I hope that I am not too late.

theups said...

Hi Diane!
I tried to click on Sibyl's name to go to her block, but I guess she doesn't have one.

Anyway, if you go to libman.com, you can search all the mops that they have. The one Sibyl was pointing out was the "All purpose floor mop" and it can be cleaned in the washing machine. :)

I hope that helps!

His,
Mrs. U

George said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
George said...

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