IS THERE ANYTHING that says “adulting” like spotless floors?
Plenty of other things, probably, but there certainly is a sense of satisfaction in squeaky clean, immaculate floors.
Mopping the floor can be a surprisingly tricky endeavour, use the wrong mop, cleaning solution or technique and you run the risk of actually damaging or scratching your floors.
We’ll tackle all of those tough questions so you can get your floors glistening in no time.
1. Which type of mop should I use?
There are five types of flooring you are likely to have at home that would need mopping – stone, tile, wood, laminate, or lino/vinyl. If you’ve got stone floors with a lot of texture, then you may want to start your cleaning routine by lightly scrubbing with a dampened soft brush to loosen dirt from any nooks and crannies before you mop – then swab with a string or rag mop, such as this one. You can use any type of manual mop (round, sponge, or flat) on all other floors. A flat mop with detachable pads will last a really long time without wearing out, and the pads are easy to clean.
2. What’s the best cleaning solution?
As well as the mop, you’ll also need to consider the cleaning product most suited to the type of floor. For stone floors, you should stick with a dedicated stone cleaner, or just warm water and elbow grease; harsh chemicals or acidic cleaners can damage the finish on stone. For wood floors, a small squirt of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of warm water will do the job.
The jury is out on whether you can use diluted vinegar or lemon juice on wood floors, so mild soap might be safest in this case.
For tile and lino, dishwashing liquid is ideal, or for a natural option, use half a cup of distilled white vinegar or the juice of half a lemon diluted in around four litres of water. You can add a few drops of tea tree oil for its disinfectant properties. Whatever cleaning agent I use, I like to have the water piping hot as it evaporates off more quickly and the floors dry faster.
3. What’s the best mopping technique?
Before you mop, sweep or hoover your floor thoroughly, because any small stones or debris on the floor could cause a nasty scratch if they get caught in the mop. Soak your mop in the water you’ve prepared and give it a good wring out – it should be damp but not soaking, especially for wood or laminate floors, as too much water could damage them.
Start in the corner farthest from the door and work your way backwards so you don’t end up walking in freshly mopped patches. Tackle the floor in small sections of about a metre squared at a time. Scrub first in short strokes and in every direction to loosen any dirt; if you are using a string mop, then a figure eight action with work really well. Then swab back and forth in straight strokes to lift any dirt you’ve loosened.
Rinse and wring the mop out after each section, (you may even need to give it a shake over the bin if you find you’re picking up large bits of dirt), and change the water for a fresh bucket if it starts to get murky. If the floors were particularly dirty, get another fresh bucket of just water, no cleaning agent, for the final once over.
Finish with long sweeps of the mop following the grain if you have wood or laminate, or parallel to the window if you have stone, tiles, or lino for minimal visible streaks.
4. How do you achieve maximum shine?
There was a craze doing the rounds on social media recently to wash floors with fabric softener for shininess. This may well give you a shiny finish, but this is not the purpose for which fabric softener was intended – you could inadvertently damage the finish on your floors doing this, and if you have small kids or pets it could be dangerous to use this kind of chemical where they might be crawling, walking, or playing.
The best way to get your floors really shiny is to buff them carefully and thoroughly with a soft microfibre, cotton, or chamois cloth immediately after they have dried. This technique will work really well to shine up tiles, laminate, polished stone, or lino. If you’re finding that buffing is not restoring the shine to solid wood floors then they may need to be refinished – your local hardware store will be able to help you figure out what type of finish you have and whether it needs a refresh.
5. How do I keep people from walking on my wet floors?
Finally, the universally recognised symbol for “these floors have just been mopped, don’t walk on them” is to prop the mop sideways in the door, blocking the entrance. Those who then enter and mess up your nice clean floors do so at their own risk!
Follow Gráinne @parsekus on Instagram for more home hacks and décor inspiration.
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