Once you start using your microfiber wet mops inevitably you&#;re going to wonder at what point should you switch out the mop for a clean one. With the exception of mopping hospital patient rooms where guidelines dictate that you use one per room to prevent cross contamination, there is no definitive answer to this question. This is because there are so many factors involved; how big is the mop, how dirty is the floor, how often is it mopped, etc. Do you use the same mop for the entire job? Usually not. Should you rinse out and reuse the same mop? No, there really isn&#;t a reason to since they&#;re so inexpensive; you should have enough mops to complete the job and rinsing isn&#;t really going to get all of the dirt out of the mop.
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With experience you&#;ll get a good idea of idea of when a microfiber mop will become saturated. Assuming you&#;re starting with a damp (not dripping mop), a good rule of thumb is to change out the mop once it starts drying out, by then it&#;s probably picked up as much as it&#;s going to pick up. Also, once a microfiber wet mop has dried out it becomes much less effective.
At my house I mop the floor usually about once a week. Downstairs is about square feet of hardwood and tile. When I mop the floor I usually use two or three 18&#; microfiber dust mop pads and then four 18&#; microfiber wet mop pads. That means I&#;m covering about 500 square feet with the dust mop pads and about 400 square feet with the wet mop pads. The image above is a microfiber wet mop after I used it to mop my family room. You can see how soiled the mop is after cleaning about 400 square feet. (By the way, I&#;ve been using that mop for about 5 years and it gets washed probably every other week, so that mop has been washed about 125 times.) Even though I mop about every week our floors get really dirty between moppings&#; we have a huge dog with feet the size of frying pans who doesn&#;t wipe them when he comes in, we wear our shoes in the house and we&#;re constantly in and out tracking whatever attaches to our shoes into the house.
When you visit the hardware stores, or the big box stores these days what is available when it comes to mop heads? MICROFIBER.
Microfiber mops have been gaining popularity over recent years. Many folks go as far as to say that microfiber is the superior option when it comes to removing dirt, dust and grime from wood floors.
But keep in mind that Microfiber is NOT recommended for floors with a natural wax / oil finish.
Though they might be ok for a urethane finished hardwood floor, by using them over time on a wax oil finished floor, you will slowly damage and breakdown the finish overtime.
We&#;re here to go over the pros and cons of both the traditional cotton mop vs microfiber mop, and provide you with the information you need to make the right choice for you and your floors.
Cotton is a natural, breathable, and gentle fiber, making it great for cleaning wood floors. It&#;s not abrasive and won&#;t scratch or damage your hardwoods&#; finish. It&#;s also a strong material that maintains its integrity over a long period of time, even when used in conjunction with harsh chemical cleaning agents like bleach.
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They do absorb bacteria, making them a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and odor. But this is why you wash them thoroughly, in the washer, before the next use.
Microfiber mops are as gentle as cotton, while being significantly more absorbent and holding over triple their weight in water.
In addition to the above, microfiber mops have a much longer life than traditional cotton. With proper care and attention, these modern mops will last a great deal longer than their cotton counterpart.
With these benefits come the disadvantages. While microfiber picks up more bacteria and lasts longer than cotton, they are significantly more expensive to purchase. Cleaning the reusable microfiber mops is also a tedious, difficult, and time-consuming process.
So where did we land when it comes to cotton mop vs microfiber mop? It all comes down to what you and your family are looking for in a cleaner.
Both cotton and microfiber are gentle and light, even for your most fragile wood surfaces. For those with wax / oil finishes protecting their floors, Cotton is the only option.
If you&#;re looking for a solution that can take care of your busy household, a microfiber mop is probably your better option, if you have a floor with a urethane finish coating. While it&#;s more expensive, this material picks up a great deal more dust and dirt on your hardwoods than the cotton option. Microfiber will keep a clean house for the family that&#;s always on the go.
On the other hand, if you have a floor with a wax / oil floor the cotton mop is the right choice for you.
With either of the two heads, you should purchase 1 removable head cover per 400 SF of surface. This will allow you to interchange the heads as you clean thorough the house, for a more efficient job. One defeats the purpose of cleaning if they are using 1 head to clean their entire floor (even if they think they are rinsing is quite thoroughly).
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