Cleaning solution for mopping floors?

[Night Elf]

I bought a mop today. Now how do I use it? I have tile in my kitchen/dining area and bathrooms and a faux wood laminate (DH says more plastic than laminate?) in the rest of the house. I'm going to need to use a bucket with this type of mop so what can I put in the water to help clean the floors? I can see me using bleach for the bathrooms. I have a spray bottle of a bleach/water solution. I was just going to spray the floor with it and mope with plain water. We have pets and I haven't mopped any of my floors in years. I don't see a dirt buildup. I just feel the floors aren't clean, if you know what I mean. So do I mop with plain water or add something to it?

[hornblower]

What kind of mop did you get? I use a flat microfiber mop & Method floor cleaner on our laminate fake wood floors.  https://methodhome.com/products/squirt-mop-wood-floor-cleaner-almond/

 

The bathroom tile I do on my knees with Method all purpose cleaner. I think on a large kitchen floor I'd just use a mop and the all purpose spray. 

You can also clean tile floors with hot water & vinegar. 

[Pawz4me]

We have engineered hardwoods and luxury vinyl tile. I use a splash of Mr. Clean multi-purpose summer citrus or a drop or two of Dawn in a gallon or so of water. I have a spin mop, so I can spin it dry enough that it doesn't get the hardwood too wet. I wouldn't rely on bleach for cleaning. It's great at disinfecting and sanitizing, but IMO there are much better products for cleaning.

[Night Elf]

I got a Libman Wonder Mop that has microfiber strips. I like it because I can put the mop head in the wash.

[Impatien]

I have the same Libman mop. The best thing to get floors really clean is hot water and ammonia. We have tile and laminate, and it works great with no residue and no streaks left behind.

 

How have you been cleaning your floors since you said you haven’t mopped in years?

[Night Elf]

My floors are resilient and waterproof. I think they are vinyl. I'm trying to find a water and vinegar solution. so far I've found 1/4 cup vinegar to 1 quart of water.

[Night Elf]

I have the same Libman mop. The best thing to get floors really clean is hot water and ammonia. We have tile and laminate, and it works great with no residue and no streaks left behind.

 

How have you been cleaning your floors since you said you haven’t mopped in years?

 

I sweep several times a week and spot clean anything dirty like a spill. The only dirt on our floors that i can see is the hair and dust that builds up. I have one dog but he never goes out into the yard so he doesn't track in dirt or mud. He won't even go outside when it's raining. He stays on our deck when he's doing his business. I use a wet rag and a bleach solution to clean the bathroom floors. 

[Miss Peregrine]

I used to have that mop and I never used a bucket. I would just walk back and forth to the nearest sink. Buckets gross me out and then I would have to store it. I just used whatever spray I had at the time.

[Laura Corin]

With our vinyl floor, we were told to use a few drops of washing up liquid only. Anything harsher takes the cleanable protective surface off.

[laundrycrisis]

It's best not to have a mop so wet you can squeeze water out of it, because that water carries dirt into all the low places, where it stays.  

I use a spray bottle of white vinegar and a dry mop. 

 

 

[Wabi Sabi]

I use a bucket of hot water with a splash of some all-purpose cleaner. I like Mrs. Meyers at home, but I'll use whatever is available: dish soap, white vinegar, Mr. Clean, Lysol cleaner, whatever is around.

 

[lllll]

nm

Edited February 15, 2018 by rozes

[KungFuPanda]

I use Mr Clean and water because I like the smell and don’t have to rinse. Ammonia and water is good too. It’ll smell, but that disappears when it dries. You need a bucket.

[Night Elf]

So I still haven't unwrapped that mop. For some reason I'm afraid of it. I don't know why except I feel I'm getting myself into a mess. 

[laundrycrisis]

So I still haven't unwrapped that mop. For some reason I'm afraid of it. I don't know why except I feel I'm getting myself into a mess. 

 

 

Use the mop dry and it won't be a mess !  Spray cleaner on the floor mop it up.  That way you are mopping dirt up instead of washing it down into the nooks and crannies.  When the mop is dirty, launder the mop head.  I have three pads for my mop so I can always have a clean one.  I'm mopping up the black melted snow goop that gets tracked in from the garage and isn't stopped by two rugs, or the mud the dogs track in from the yard once the snow melts.  Spray + dry mop works ! 

[Night Elf]

Ok, yesterday before dinner I decided to mop the floors. The mop design lets me really squeeze and wring water out so I wasn't concerned about having too much water on it. My floors are waterproof anyway. We chose that because we had pets. Anyway, I didn't realize how dirty my floors really were! That water was crazy. I had to dump it and rinse the mop and use a new sink of water. I only mopped the front of the house. Today I'm going to do the bathrooms.

 

I just wish I had somewhere to put it. I draped it over a kitchen counter and let it air dry as much as possible and then just put it mop head up into the hall bathroom closet with my broom.