How To Clean Sponge Mop To Eliminate Floor Streaks And Stains
Mops are a great cleaning tool for your floors, but what happens next when you’re done using it? A dirty mop spreads dirt and filth around the house. Mops keep a lot of disease-causing bacteria. Like other cleaning tools, they should also be cleaned and sanitized. To minimize bacteria build up in your kitchen mop, you should know how to clean sponge mop. In this article, I will share some effective ways on how to mop floors to prevent streaks on your floor.
How to Clean Sponge Mop
Without replacing the mop’s head, you can re-use a sponge mop several times. It is necessary to keep it clean. If you don’t, you’re not going to be effective at cleaning the floors. You will only smear old dirt and debris around the house. Do not use bleach material to clean a mop. Here’s how to clean sponge mop properly:
- Fill a bowl or a container with hot water and pour 1 tbsp of dishwashing detergent or a mild floor detergent. For cleaning floors, use the dilution amount described on the bottle.
- Dip your sponge mop into the water and soap, mop-head first. To remove the soil stuck in the sponge mop, push the sponge head against the tub’s base or container several times.
- Wear rubber gloves and lessen the soapy water with a towel. Scrub the plastic pieces and metals that come with the sponge mop head. If required, clean the mop stick with the sponge.
- Squeeze the sponge mop head using the wringer tub feature. Push the mop back into the water once more to loosen any dirt and grime by swinging it around.
- When the water runs clear, rinse the mop head under cold, running water. Rinse off the other components with a soapy layer.
- Place a cover on your yard or in your garden to dry in the heat. Lay the mop on the cover as it will eliminate a musty odor that plagues mops frequently.
Like damp mops, sponge mops require frequent rinse and cleaning. You can use the washing machine or dishwasher to clean sponge mops. They are more delicate than their fabric and cotton equivalents. Combine 1 cup of hot water and one vinegar cup to deeply clean and eliminate grime in your sponge mop. For 30 minutes, soak the mop in the mixture before rinsing it. When you store it away, allow the mop to dry in the sun completely. Change the mop’s head every 3 to 6 months on your sponge mop for optimal results.
How to Mop Floors Properly
Once you learn how to clean the sponge mop, you can be sure and ready to begin mopping.
- Put hot water in the mopping bucket and apply the required amount of cleaning agent. Don’t use more than this recommended dose. An additional solvent won’t make it easier to clean the floor. It will make it difficult for the floor to rinse later.
- In the tub, dip your mop and squeeze it out. If there isn’t a wringing feature in your mop bucket, keep the mop over the container for several minutes to let the drip out. Keep your mop damp, not leaking.
- Mop one specific section of the floor. To ensure you scrub all the grime away, drive your mop back and forth in vertical strokes. You may also use a pad or sponge for angles and other hard to reach areas.
- Start at the back of the room as you mop, and work your way toward the door entrance. It will keep you from wandering around areas that you’ve already washed.
- This is the part that many individuals neglect while mopping their floor. Flush out your container and fill it with clean water after you’ve washed the floor with the cleaning agent. With clean water, go back through the room to wipe any remaining solution off your floor.
You can mop the floor every two to three weeks. You can mop as much as once per week if you stay with pets or children or if your floor ends up quite a bit dirty.
Tips to Prevent Floor Streaks
Learning how to clean sponge mop helps minimize streaks on your floor. Here are some tips to prevent floor streaks.
Reduce Floor Streaks
Mop around in the grain direction or the mounted panel path when cleaning hardwood! It minimizes floor streak presence. You can easily dry the floor with a clean micro-fiber cloth if you spot streaks.
Don’t Put Pressure on Your Back
Use your arms muscle and not the muscles of your back. It’s easy to start using your back while mopping in an ‘S’ pattern to shift the washcloth back and forth, but that can trigger backpressure, and no one wishes that. Try using the muscles in your arm for this task.
Clean Water
As soon as it looks fuzzy and muddy, change the tub’s water. A water bucket normally gets dirty easily, so refill clean water on your mop’s tub to remove dirty water on the floor. Remove dirty water as it slithers soil around the floor rows, and grout lines may also store dirt.
Conclusion
Both wet and dry mops effectively clean the floors when washed properly. However, a discarded mop propagates more dirt and grime than it collects. It's important to know how to clean the sponge mop to keep it running efficiently. Proper mop washing, storage, and deep cleaning can give you reliable cleaning tool.
