This is how often you should mop your floor!
Mopping is one of those chores that we tend to forget until the floors basically beg us to be cleaned. If you don’t mop your floor enough, it can become pretty dirty. But overcompensating wouldn’t be good either; you could damage your floors that way. So, how often should you mop the floor?
Frequency
Of course, there isn’t an definitive amount that works for every house and every person. It all depends on the type of room you’re mopping and the size of the house that you live in. But according to experts, once a week definitely is a good number to stick to. And that usually aligns with the rest of your household chores! Ivan Ivanov, an expert at professional cleaning company End of Tenancy London, told Woman and Home: “Floor cleaning almost feels like a never-ending process, dirt will always get into the home and when it does, mopping is essential. It is important to keep the high-traffic areas the cleanest, typically these would be the entrance, the kitchen, the bathroom, and hallways. It is key to wet mop them every week. But of course, if you have a pet-loving or family home there may be a need to carry out this task more frequently.”
Protect your floors
Mopping frequently isn’t just important for hygienic reasons, it will also protect your floors. Declan Christie, founder, and flooring specialist at Luxury Flooring & Furnishings, told Woman and Home: “Dirt can quickly build up on your floor which, when not cleaned away, can cause scratching, leaving behind permanent damage.” And when you want to mop the floor, make sure you first sweep or vacuum. Ivanov explains: “It is extremely important to sweep or vacuum any type of floor before starting the mopping process, because over time dust and dirt can build up leaving your floors gritty.”
Always check the material of your floor before mopping. Because it can actually damage some floors like solid wood flooring or laminate.
Technique
It is also possible to mop your floor the wrong way. The experts have some tips for that too. “Over-mopping can wear down your floor’s seal, causing lasting damage,” Declan explains. “The most common mistake when mopping is using too much water. If your mop is too wet you run the risk of smearing any debris instead of actually cleaning it away. Floors should dry quickly after being mopped; if your floor is visibly wet 10 minutes post-mop, it’s probably a sign you’ve used too much water.”
Mary Gagliardi (aka “Dr. Laundry”), Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert, concludes: “If you are mopping a floor properly, and the manufacturer recommends mopping for the floor surface, frequency of mopping shouldn’t be an issue in the home. It’s always important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for cleaning a surface, and when in doubt, test whatever product you’d like to use on a hidden area first.”
Read more: THIS is the biggest mistake most people make when they’re mopping the floor!
Source: Woman and Home | Image: Pixabay