Even if you start to clean floors with the sparkling clean one on the right…
The one on the left is what most mop water will resemble after dipping a mop into your bucket after just the first swipe over a floor, even one that doesn’t look all that dirty.
The old single mop bucket should be a thing of the past. That system can only result in spreading dirty (and dirtier) water to every corner of that floor. I’m sure you have noticed black build-up along the baseboards of some public bathrooms. That filth is the cumulative result of splashing dirty water into those corners and peripheries where it dries and desiccates.
To make matters worse, the mop is frequently left in the residue of dirty mop water in the bucket, building up lots of microbes before the next “cleaning”, regardless of whether bleach or any other disinfectant is used.
What can replace the long-used mop and bucket system?
So what should we do to clean our floors?
- Option A: Use a double or 2-sided bucket to slow the dirtying of the water, one to rinse and the other side to re-load with cleaning solution, being careful to change both sides frequently OR
- Option B: Do what we do at Town and Country Cleaning Services: switch to microfiber mop heads and spray clean water (for cleaning without chemicals or fresh cleaning solution for heavy soils) for each swipe of the floor. When the head looks dirty (check the leading edge of the mop especially) it’s time to switch to a new, clean and dampened mop head.
Look for more information on cleaning with microfibers in an upcoming article.