Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[xchaos01]

Also what is the simplest most effective way to mop your floors, that takes up the less time and work? :D

[One eyed Kiwi]

Sponge mops are way too time consuming to be efficient and they are more likely to leave soils behind. Your best bet are the cotton or wool commercial mops and use with foot operated wringer bucket. Not the type that you use with a hand. These do not wring enough water out. A new mopping procedure recently started is the microfibre heads. These are quite good and fast, but do not hold as much dirt as the cotton/wool ones so need wringing out more often.

[mrscleannw]

Very good kiwi! I could not have given better advise.


Most mops either made of sponge, cotton or even microfiber do a terrible job of mopping if the water is not taken up completely. You should always use as little water as possible to do the job and never wring the mop and it's dirty residue back in the clean water you are using.

Otherwise you are just spreading dirty water around on the floors you are trying to clean. And I'm certain you can see how dirty water that spreads and settles into any cracks, edges or pits will cause lasting discoloration.

Using too much water can cause problems depending on the floor surface type, so caution is also advised here.

The first priority is to remove all the dirt off the floor prior to mopping. We use a canister vac (hand held) to take up as much dirt as possible first.

Then we use a microfiber mop like head at each clients home (a unique one- no sharing between clients- yuck!) The mop-heads are tossed into the washer at the end of each day and then allowed to air dry to be used again.

After one cleaner has damp mopped the floor, we go over the entire floor to dry it and pick up any remaining dirt and water residue with a product called the sh-mop:


This company touts the product as a "all-in-one" cleaner to replace the mop head to, but we prefer to use it just to dry and shin, of which it does an incredible job at.

The result: A very clean, dry and shining floor. No dirt and no water spots.

Again, the key her is to get the dirt off the floor first, and not just spread about to settle in the cracks and crevasses.


I have more info on cleaning your floor on these tips pages.

Good luck!

Mrs Clean

[Infomation 1324]

Invest in a commericial mop and mop bucket, you will be able to purphase this at any home depot or lowes store, also invest in a good dust mop and broom, I service mostly hardwood floors with little tile floors other than the bathroom and kitchen areas, what i normally do is dust mop the floor first picking up all the trash thats on the floor, then I make even take the vacuum cleaner hoses and get the trash, little hair thats left behind, I use murphy oil soap on my floors because it's safe for all type floors, put water in bucket and mop head wring mop water out, this water should still be clean because you just dip the mop head in, make sure thou you wring the water out good, then mop the floor, mop as much of the floor you can then com back rise your mop in the clean water thats when you will see the dirt from the floor, but please don't be alarm, you don't have time to keep emptying water when the water gets dirty, and I'm quite sure your floor is not dirty like you have been playing on a baseball field. so once you have mop the floor, this is a little hit, if you have ceiling fans in the area where you are mopping it's best to turn them on to dry the floor, once the floor is dry go back over the floor with your dust mop to pick up any left over hair and dirt.
I hope this was helpful, I also have a step by step before and after pictures of the homes I service, I will be able to link those real soon. It better to see a before and after picture to give a better understanding and view, today when I service one of my homes I will make sure to put in all the different type floors .[quote][/quote]

[geraldine]

I Love the microfiber mop heads cost effective so every client gets their own. The wash and dry nicely.These fibers help with absorbsion so excess water isn't much a problem.

[stlmamaof3]

Can u use Murphys Oil Soap on waxed hardwood floors?

[mrscleannw]

Murphy’s oil soap works well for cleaning old (real) wood flooring, even if waxed.

I do not recommend Murphy’s oil soap on Swedish finish floors, which can be identified by their bright, shiny appearance. It won’t hurt them, but it leaves a residue and makes the floors look streaky.

Swedish floors have a polyurethane vinyl coating and are easily streaked. Any water standing on the floor will dry as spots, so make sure to dry the floor with a clean cloth after mopping.

If you are not sure if you’re flooring is a Swedish finish or not, err on the side of caution and use a plain vinegar and water solution to mop.