# What's your favorite mop & floor cleaner?



## mountainspring (Feb 26, 2008)

I have never found a mop that I like.

I have ants in the kitchen now and read online that I should mop the kitchen floor w/ bleach weekly.

Well, I hate the smell of bleach and worry that it is too toxic to use around my toddler.

What floor cleaners do you use? I have those cheap vinyl floor squares.

I have a stupid sponge mop that I hate. It just seems to push the dirt around.

How do you mop properly and what kind of a mop should I use?

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## JennaW (Oct 11, 2007)

After working in a restaurant for years, I went to restaurant style mopping for my house. I bought a "mop stick" and "mop heads" from Home Depot. The mop stick has a part on the bottom where you slide in the mop head and then tighten it so it stays on the stick. I also bought a "deck brush" a scrub brush with a handle. So I fill my bucket up with hot water, add an environmentally safe cleaner I get from Costco (its called CLEAN, its sold in a big jug and made by Carroll Company). Then I use the scrub brush to scrub the floors and mop up the water with the dry mop. It really gets the floor clean, you only use clean water to clean the floor and then in the end you toss the mop head in the washer & dryer. Its actually quite fast and easy, I would never go back to a traditional "home" mop, I think they are unsanitary.

For my bamboo floors I use the Bona system.


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## Norasmomma (Feb 26, 2008)

Well I have a Libman Wonder mop and I love it, it cost about $8 and the head is washer safe and can be wash approximately 50 times. I use CitraSolve to clean my floor, it non-toxic and it makes the room smell all orangy. I bought a huge bottle of the concentrate, I use like a cap full and put the water(hot) in my utility sink. I'd also put a thread in Mindful Home Management for more advice.







BTW -this is safe for those vinyl tiles we have them too.


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## JennaW (Oct 11, 2007)

Another good floor cleaner that is easy to find and works well is Simple Green.

I do not think you need to use bleach every time. I try to avoid bleach but I do keep some in my house. I probably use bleach on the floors 2-3x a year.

Also, unless there is something on your floor that is attracting the ants, I don't think that is the problem. I have found the best thing to control ants is to make sure all food is properly sealed, make sure pet food is not left out & properly stored in an airtight container, keep things clean in general and eliminate extra moisture.


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## chickenfeet (Apr 14, 2008)

I use Murphy's oil soap, because I can use it on all my floors. I also have a wonder mop, but I usually just soak a microfiber cloth (old diaper stuffers) in oil soap/water mix & use it with my swiffer. The microfiber works just as well as the dry swiffer cloths, too. It's easy for me to run through the house with a dry one daily, and a wet one weekly, then toss them all in the wash on laundry day.


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

I have a steam mop that I lovelovelove. I use it about twice a week. For every day stuff, I have a microfiber mop (it's flat like a swiffer? I know method makes one like it at target) and I just use biokleen all purpose cleaner (I buy in bulk and add about a teaspoon of concentrate to my average sized bottle) in a spray bottle. Spray a small section, then mop, repeat until the floor is all done. I have hardwood floors, but I would think both of these would be safe on vinyl.


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## kikidee (Apr 15, 2007)

I have a Libman mop (I love that the top can be washed!!) and I really like the new line from Clorox - Green Works. The floor cleaner works really well. Here is a link to that line:

http://www.cloroxgreenworks.com/


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## rootzdawta (May 22, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
After working in a restaurant for years, I went to restaurant style mopping for my house. I bought a "mop stick" and "mop heads" from Home Depot. The mop stick has a part on the bottom where you slide in the mop head and then tighten it so it stays on the stick. I also bought a "deck brush" a scrub brush with a handle. So I fill my bucket up with hot water, add an environmentally safe cleaner I get from Costco (its called CLEAN, its sold in a big jug and made by Carroll Company). Then I use the scrub brush to scrub the floors and mop up the water with the dry mop. It really gets the floor clean, you only use clean water to clean the floor and then in the end you toss the mop head in the washer & dryer. Its actually quite fast and easy, I would never go back to a traditional "home" mop, I think they are unsanitary.

For my bamboo floors I use the Bona system.

Hmmm . . . I love this method. I really don't think the traditional mopping gets anything really clean.


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## lilylove (Apr 10, 2003)

Moved to Mindful Home Management


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

I have libman wonder mop and have been happy with it. We have vinyl in the kitchen and bath and I either use vinegar and hot water, or murphy's oil soap (I love the smell for some reason). If you use too much murphy's you will get a sticky residue, so keep that in mind, and if you have wood floors, vinegar can make some finishes feel sticky.


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## jrpbrown1 (May 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
For my bamboo floors I use the Bona system.

I use the Bona system too on the vinyl in the kitchen and hardwood everywhere else. Simple Green for the bathroom tile.


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## Ruthiegirl (Jun 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
After working in a restaurant for years, I went to restaurant style mopping for my house. I bought a "mop stick" and "mop heads" from Home Depot. The mop stick has a part on the bottom where you slide in the mop head and then tighten it so it stays on the stick. I also bought a "deck brush" a scrub brush with a handle. So I fill my bucket up with hot water, add an environmentally safe cleaner I get from Costco (its called CLEAN, its sold in a big jug and made by Carroll Company). Then I use the scrub brush to scrub the floors and mop up the water with the dry mop. It really gets the floor clean, you only use clean water to clean the floor and then in the end you toss the mop head in the washer & dryer. Its actually quite fast and easy, I would never go back to a traditional "home" mop, I think they are unsanitary.


I use a big mop too. Best thing I have ever bought. Mine is the big yellow, janitor style mop and bucket. I use super hot water and a cup of vinegar. My floors get incredibly clean. Now if I would only use it more often.


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## Pancakes (Jan 22, 2008)

I guess my freak is coming out for this answer....

I haven't owned a mop in years, many years. I hate them, they gross me out, ewwwww willies!

I use a wash rag, a scrub brush if needed, and some vinegar/water. If the floors are particularly nasty, I'll wash them with soapy water first-but never with a mop.

ps..I don't own a toilet brush for the same reason. LOL


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## sunnysandiegan (Mar 5, 2008)

We don't own a mop and I'll never buy another one. I despise mopping and DH had to mop. LOL After I tossed the mop out of the house, DH rejoiced and I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees with a washcloth and hot water with a cup of white vinegar. It was never cleaner







, UNTIL...

DH got me a Scooba!!!







I am in love with my Scooba!!! It is that robot that mops. I had asked him to find one online for my dad's birthday gift last year (just after Christmas) and he set up some "widget?" on his computer. It notified him of a GREAT price on these ($99 including shipping) and surprised me by buying me one, too.







I use plain hot water in it most of the time on our tile kitchen and foyer floors, but do add some white vinegar every so often. (I gave my dad our Scooba juice, so he has two, but I think he uses plain hot water, also.)

I use plain hot water all the time on our linoleum bathroom floors.

Besides the fact that I don't have to get on my hands and knees to have sparkling clean floors and now our floors get clean frequently, I love that the Scooba has separate chambers for the fresh water versus dirty water and that it is super easy to set up and clean up. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!


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## llamalluv (Aug 24, 2007)

I just have one of those "Swiffer" type mops, and I use an old cloth diaper instead of those stupid reuseable cloths that shred in 2 passes. I just use diluted Pine-Sol in a spray bottle, and I squirt as I go. My hands and arms aren't strong enough for a string mop or a spong mop that I have to wring out.


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## momtoNatalee (Nov 20, 2005)

I use Dr Bronners Sal Suds on all of our floors


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## TeaghansMama (Jul 1, 2005)

i use my swiffer with a washable microfiber cloth that i bought online from wallypop

i use vinegar and water in a spray bottle and just spray as i go. once or twice a year i do use a diluted bleach mix but not often.


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## Henry's Mom (Dec 27, 2002)

I love my Schmop, it's a mop base that comes with reuseable terry cloth covers that look like shower caps- my ds's wear them frequently!
Fill a pot with hot water with either vinegar or Murphy's and then dunk the covers in, attach to schmop, schmop, use a new cover when the first is dirty, throw covers in washer, done!
I remember it being expensive but I've had mine at least 12 years and have then same 3 covers it came with. 3 covers does my whole house (2000 sq feet) of all wooden floors. I never use bleach to save the elastic.


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## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pancakes* 
I guess my freak is coming out for this answer....

I haven't owned a mop in years, many years. I hate them, they gross me out, ewwwww willies!

I use a wash rag, a scrub brush if needed, and some vinegar/water. If the floors are particularly nasty, I'll wash them with soapy water first-but never with a mop.

ps..I don't own a toilet brush for the same reason. LOL

Did I write this and forget...?

I am the SAME way. I HATE sponges too, blech.

Scooba... hmmm... just looked into that. I have all tile and hardwoods downstairs - what does it do with area rugs? Do you have to use that Clorox cleaner? I also read it leaves the floors damp.


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## ladyinred (Jan 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sunnysandiegan* 
We don't own a mop and I'll never buy another one. I despise mopping and DH had to mop. LOL After I tossed the mop out of the house, DH rejoiced and I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees with a washcloth and hot water with a cup of white vinegar. It was never cleaner







, UNTIL...

DH got me a Scooba!!!







I am in love with my Scooba!!! It is that robot that mops. I had asked him to find one online for my dad's birthday gift last year (just after Christmas) and he set up some "widget?" on his computer. It notified him of a GREAT price on these ($99 including shipping) and surprised me by buying me one, too.







I use plain hot water in it most of the time on our tile kitchen and foyer floors, but do add some white vinegar every so often. (I gave my dad our Scooba juice, so he has two, but I think he uses plain hot water, also.)

I use plain hot water all the time on our linoleum bathroom floors.

Besides the fact that I don't have to get on my hands and knees to have sparkling clean floors and now our floors get clean frequently, I love that the Scooba has separate chambers for the fresh water versus dirty water and that it is super easy to set up and clean up. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!










OMG I HATE mops! I don't know why, I just think they're so gross. I've always hated mopping and then someone bought me a swiffer and I thought it was like a gift from the gods! Then I learned about all the chemicals and bad stuff in it so I'm just using up the last little bit and then I'm going to "pimp" my swiffer and use water and vinegar and microfiber cloths on the swiffer.

I would love to have a scooba. We have a roomba and I love it. I don't mind vaccuming that much but it's so nice to just leave and have the house done when I get back.


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## Mosaic (Jun 20, 2005)

I can't recommend a good mop, but I just wanted to pop in and recommend you use vinegar with a quick spritz of lemon juice to mop your floors... they are natural ant deterrants which have worked well for me in the past. (I use it straight, no water, hence the lemon juice for the scent.)


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## matey (Sep 15, 2006)

vinegar and water


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## sunnysandiegan (Mar 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SAHDS* 
Scooba... hmmm... just looked into that. I have all tile and hardwoods downstairs - what does it do with area rugs? Do you have to use that Clorox cleaner? I also read it leaves the floors damp.

It avoids area rugs. It will not leave the tile, linoleum, or hardwood surfaces. One caveat: Your hardwood floors need to be "sealed".

I do not use that Scooba Juice, as it is commonly called, by Clorox. I use plain hot water mostly, but will add white vinegar sometimes. The Scooba comes with a handy measuring cup that shows how much Clorox solution to use and has a line for how much vinegar to use.

In my experiences thus far, the Scooba leaves the floor less damp than a mop.

I will tell you upfront the only "drawback" to the Scooba (and Roomba, for that matter) is that both machines are round and corners are typically square. Duh. LOL So, the absolute inner corners get cursory passes with the little brush arms that stick out of the Roomba. The Scooba doesn't have those. When it is done mopping, I take a damp rag and do the one inner corner of our kitchen that doesn't get really clean with the Scooba. No big deal to me and my floors get cleaned FAR more often and MUCH better now than they ever did in the past!


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## SAHDS (Mar 28, 2008)

*sunnysandiegan* - Thanks so much for the info, I am definitely going to look into getting one of those. Also, I saw that you got yours super cheap - any info or websites for that? I don't mind the cost but if I can get a deal, that's be much better!

As for Swiffers - HATE them. They don't clean very well at all. Of course, I am super anal when it comes to cleaning, especially the floors.

*heather8* - Doesn't the lemon juice leave the floor sticky and/or bring in pests/insects?


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## newlywaaz (Oct 19, 2006)

We have all tile floors, so I sweep every day and mop about once a week out of necessity. I have been using ammonia and water but am switching to Simple Green or vinegar and water after this bottle of ammonia runs out. I have a microfiber mop and like it because it doesn't get too much water on the floor, which means they dry quickly (a bonus with a toddler and dog and cat and H running around!

I don't use the Wet Jet that was given to me because I haven't made cloths to attach to it (it has velcro strips, or I could make something with elastic, just haven't gotten around to it).

Today I found a swiffer by the dumpster that has become my son's mop/floor duster (with a wet washcloth). LOVE that you can shorten the swiffer's handle, and use any kind of cloth you want without modifications.


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## ctrivette (Feb 21, 2008)

I second the steam mop. All the mops I have had seem really gross and I really think that they were just puching the dirt into the grout on the tile...and then that is hard to clean. I have a steam one from Shark? maybe? that has the cloth that goes on the bottom, it leaves the floor almost dry, not sticky, the grout is actually starting to lighten up a little, and you would not believe the yuck that it pulls up on what would appear to be pretty clean floors! I just wash the cloth part with my other cleaning towels and hang them dry.


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## alysmommy2004 (Jun 23, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texaspeach* 
I have libman wonder mop and have been happy with it. We have vinyl in the kitchen and bath and I either use vinegar and hot water, or murphy's oil soap (I love the smell for some reason). If you use too much murphy's you will get a sticky residue, so keep that in mind, and if you have wood floors, vinegar can make some finishes feel sticky.









: I use my libman wonder pop with vinegar and hot water. IMO it does the best job of anything I've ever used. I sometimes will mix a capfull or two of Bacout with the water instead of vinegar b/c I like the smell.


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JennaW* 
After working in a restaurant for years, I went to restaurant style mopping for my house. I bought a "mop stick" and "mop heads" from Home Depot. The mop stick has a part on the bottom where you slide in the mop head and then tighten it so it stays on the stick. I also bought a "deck brush" a scrub brush with a handle. So I fill my bucket up with hot water, add an environmentally safe cleaner I get from Costco (its called CLEAN, its sold in a big jug and made by Carroll Company). Then I use the scrub brush to scrub the floors and mop up the water with the dry mop. It really gets the floor clean, you only use clean water to clean the floor and then in the end you toss the mop head in the washer & dryer. Its actually quite fast and easy, I would never go back to a traditional "home" mop, I think they are unsanitary.


This is my favorite way to mop as well, comes also from working in a restaurant. Can't get the floor as clean any other way but using a deck brush.

I do use OSMO floor cleaner, though--I bought it online at environmentalhomecenter.com Some of our floors are finished with an OSMO finish but the cleaner works for all surfaces. Sometimes I use Dr. Bronners and that works fine too.


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## His Own (Oct 14, 2006)

I have a Sh-mop and like it just fine. But my favorite mop is the plain old $8 Star Mop I bought from Costco some years back. Here's one place to get it today:

http://www.ontvco.com/mm5/merchant.m...Category_Code=

I see some are selling it for much more. Don't pay more than $15 for it. If you search around, you may find it cheaper still.

On my hardwood kitchen floor I use about 1/2 cup plain ammonia in a pint or so of water in a sprayer bottle. Just spray on and mop. Works great!


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## emdeecee_sierra (Oct 16, 2005)

I lurve my Sh-mop!

Sometimes when I'm in a hurry to do just a small area I'll just step on a cover or two and mop with my feet.

I use plain hot water or the same with a little dish soap in it.


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## dovergirl (Dec 1, 2004)

Sh-mop and a drop of Sal suds or vinegar in water, depending on how dirty the floors are. Every so often I use a scrub brush on the bathroom tile then mop it clean with vinegar water.


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## JR'smama777 (Mar 8, 2002)

I hate mopping and only do it once a month or so. Luckily I only have linoleum in my kitchen and bath. I love my swiffer wet jet. It's really the only house cleaning-type gadget I have that's not reusable or includes vinegar. I just push the button to spray the stuff and then mop. It doesn't get any better...

I've found I use a cloth rag and vinegar sometimes in my bathroom, tho, since it's so small and I like getting into the nooks and crannies (since ds is 6 yo and his aim is not that great).


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