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How to Clean Your Floors!

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Believe it or not, there’s a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the way to do it!

If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the way that the experts do it!

Mopping. Not really the most exciting subject matter. This is, until you find yourself the proud owner of floors that just don’t seem to come clean or that always look a bit lackluster. If you don’t have clean floors, that can make your whole house feel icky and if you’re like most people, then you probably never really put much thought into whether you’re really mopping them correctly or not.

Now this little tutorial today is going to be all about cleaning tiled or vinyl linoleum-type flooring. Your basic hard-working kitchen, bathroom, and entryway type of floors.

Of course, I have a little story to go along with it.

Back in the day, when I used to run a branch of a certain green-aproned coffee shop, we had tiled floors that got a lot of traffic and got very dirty. We spent hours trying to get them to look presentable, but the cleanliness level really wasn’t very easy to maintain, especially while keeping my labor budget in check! All you managers out there know what I’m talking about! One day we got a visit from the rep of the cleaning chemical company we used and he gave us a little lesson on how to properly clean floors. That moment changed my life! Well, the 10 minutes a day of my life that we spent on mopping and the 30 minutes or so a month that I used to spend explaining to my boss why the floors were always dirty-looking. This method really works!

How to Get Clean Floors

First of all, it’s called “slop mopping”. I know. You love it already, don’t you?

You start out by filling a bucket or your kitchen sink with hot water and some kind of cleaning solution. If you have a favorite, by all means, use that. A little dish soap and some vinegar does the trick just as well too!

*Edit!* Just a note about using the kitchen sink: If you do use the kitchen sink like I do, as with any time that you add unusual amounts of ick to it that may result in some kind of cross-contamination, be it rinsing out raw chicken in there or using it as a big tub of hot soapy water for spring cleaning your house, use common sense! Please make sure that you clean out your sink and surrounding countertops thoroughly afterwards to avoid unwanted contact with floor germs. I happen to use my kitchen sink for pretty much all my cleaning and so I’m constantly cleaning it out and wiping things down. A couple of lovely readers were worried about you, including a real, live Home Ec teacher, so I thought I’d better just ad a note. 🙂

Related: How to Clean, Shine, and Sanitize your Stainless Steel Sink.

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Step 1.

Next, grab your mop! Despite all the new-fangled mopping gizmos out there, a classic cotton mop is still the best. It holds on to water and dirt, but it also lets it go. This is key! The great thing about these types of mops is that you can take the mop head off and wash it either in a washing machine or by hand and then dry it out really well. With some of the foamy mops, you never really know if they’re clean and you end up having to replace the heads more often because they get gross, smelly, and they spread the yuck around.

Here’s my mop! It’s new and I love it. That’s not weird, is it?

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! The Mop!

(Several people have asked about this mop. I can’t seem to find a link to the exact same mop but this one looks pretty similar!)

So next you’re going to dip your mop into your hot, soapy water.

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Step 2.

Now, here’s where things get crazy, so stay with me. Normally you’d wring your mop out now and get to work, right?

No! Don’t do that!

Just let it drip out for a second or two…

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Step 3.

…and then BLAMMO! Slop it on the floor!

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Step 4.

See? I told you! Slop mop!

Now, you’re only going to work in small sections. If you have 12″ square tiles, that means only 4-6 tiles at a time.

Spread the water over that small area using only 3-4 swishes of your mop. In this step you’re putting the soapy water down and letting the cleaners do the work for you.

Next, go back to your sink or your bucket and wring all that excess water out of your mop.

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Step 5.

My mop twists on itself to wring out, but yours may use an attachment on your mop bucket. Both work just fine!

Next you’re going to go back with your freshly wrung-out mop and pick that dirty water back up off the floor!

But here’s the key!

Only swish your mop back and forth about three times over that spot! Then wring it out and if there’s still more water to pick up, do it again! If you go over it more than three times, you’re just putting the dirty water right back down!

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Repeat.

 

You’re going to get into a rhythm and this is all going to go much quicker than it sounds, I promise.

So then you just go all around your floor, putting clean water down and then picking it back up a few seconds later. In no time, your floor will be the cleanest it’s ever been!

Watch here for a full video demonstration:

 The Resulting Clean Floors!

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the best way to mop floors! Clean!

 

So pretty, right?

Now don’t worry if you don’t always mop your floors this way. It’s good to know for when you really need it, but if all you have time to do is toss down an old towel and skate around on it to get rid of the worst of the mess, sometimes that’s just fine too! 🙂 When you really need the white glove treatment and super clean floors though, you’ll have this one in your back pocket!

If you like clever cleaning tips, tricks, and hacks like this, check out my book The Cleaning Ninja! It’s full of all-new cleaning and organizing tips from front to back and it’s available now!

If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the way that the experts do it!

 

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How to Properly Mop Your Floors!

Believe it or not, there's a right way to mop!  If you want to have really clean floors in your home, this is the way to do it!

Courtenay Hartford
Author at The Creek Line House | Website | + posts

Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.

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Comments

    • Courtenay says

      I don’t remember the model name, Chris but it’s made by Mister Clean and I got it at Target. It’s a good one, you can buy replacement mopheads if you need to, you can wash the mophead, and it was pretty cheap. I recommend it!

      Reply

      • Kim says

        I have A cleaning service and I use the Libman mop, and those I know use it as well and love it, including my clients who have massive homes. “Make a mess mopping” as I like to call it is the only way to go. ????????
        Any mop having the option to detatch the head and clean, would be better than the old cotton ones from back in the day.

        Reply

        • Ronda Sheaffer says

          Norwex mops are the best- the wet mop pad has silver in it which helps to purify the mop pad when you are done cleaning. Plus – NO BACTERIA can grow on the mop pad because of the Silver in it! I have a lot of people who have their own cleaning business – that use Norwex! You should check it out! It’s well worth it! Check it out on my website! http://www.rondasheaffer.norwex.biz – Norwex is amazing and will change your life! 🙂

          Reply

      • Susan Adams says

        I have real hardwood floors. This method would ruin them. BUT the mop is still the best method. When I couldn’t find a mop I liked, I made one out of a man made shammy. It picks up more water faster. My floors dry fast and there isn’t excess water to harm the floor. I use the same procedure but with a little less water. I also use a VERY little liquid furniture polish to keep the floors shiny. I’m glad to know I’m doing it right. Thank you!

        Reply

    • Dominick Issi says

      I hate to break the “Love Fest” here … but having been in the Navy (Swabbing decks) and having done this same type of mopping in a restaurant … this is a GRUNGE job! HOWEVER … I’ve found that my purchase of the “Shark Professional Steam Mop” has broadened my horizons IMMENSELY! Cuts the time for accomplishing the cleaning of our floors in over 1/2 while ensuring it takes up (almost) every piece of matter from our kitchen/dinette, hall, powder room and entry. We have bamboo flooring in our kitchen and dinette … tile in our powder room, hall and entry. Cleans ’em all with ONLY regular water … no soap or vinegar. Welcome to the 21st Century! 🙂

      Reply

      • Valerie stegall says

        Agree. A steam mop doesn’t leave water streaks, cleans the floor way faster and dries almost instantly. But still can’t use on hard wood floors or floors that were installed with heat. I have a cleaning business and clients prefer the steam mop unless it’s hard wood floors then you use a damp cloth.

        Reply

    • Rose Brock says

      I wash the mop in laundry room tub, in fact I use that tub for many “dirty” jobs. Like washing dirty shoes! Bathing the dog and cleaning sports equipment. I’d never wash them in the kitchen sink, yuck!

      Reply

    • Courtenay says

      I’m about to add a note to the post about that, Daphne! Another reader just reminded me of this too! I use my sink for everything and clean it out constantly, but I forgot that not everyone does that! Thanks for pointing that one out. 🙂

      Reply

      • tegan says

        I also use my sink to clean everything, but definitely use common sense and clean it thoroughly with bleach and lysol around all counter tops! I even scrub the sink and surrounding areas after I wash dishes.

        Reply

        • Courtenay says

          I almost never end up using my sink for dishes, but I do still scrub everything down in that area at least a couple of times throughout the day. I just like the shine! 🙂

          Reply

      • margaret says

        Hello! I seen this pin on Pinterest and love it. You really gave some good ways to mop my floors! I to use my sink to mop but I clean it out afterwards really good. I use the new Clorox wipes first then use baking soda to bring out the shine. I do this also for my counters.

        Reply

      • Danielle says

        I about died reading some of these. So we won’t use the kitchen sink because, yuck?!?! But will use the bath tub that we stick our children in? Hmm…….

        Reply

    • Ann says

      Most of the people I know who use sinks don’t want to bother with a mop bucket. Neither do I but I think using the sink is gross. So I use my trash can! Its like its own mop bucket. Rinse with hot water before mopping, then make the “mop sauce,” wash the floor, and then dump it into the toilet. Cleans 3 things at once. The potty is easier to clean after its had a mop bucket dumped down it. And I learned at my job at the pre-school to get rid of poo smells that permeate baby bins, soak plastic in hot water with capful of pine-sol.

      Reply

      • Courtenay says

        That’s a great trick, Ann! If only my trash can were clean right now! Both my floors and my sink are both definitely more hygienic at this point! That’s a great way to keep on top of cleaning out your trash can though!

        Reply

  3. Liz says

    Courtnay, this really makes sense & I’m going to try it. May I make a suggestion? As a retired Home Economics teacher, who was trained to help people prevent cross contamination of germs in the kitchen, here’s my concern. Please tell people to use a mop bucket rather than their kitchen sink. By using the kitchen sink, the dirty water can splash all over the counter tops, as well as contaminating the sink with germs. Then, it would be necessary to sanitize the kitchen counters, sinks, and faucets. If people use a mop bucket, they will eleminate lots of extra work.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Haha. Fair enough, Liz! I should add a note to the post about that! I personally don’t wash dishes in my sink very often at all because we have a dishwasher we love, I just use it as a big bowl of hot soapy water for my every day cleaning most of the time and I’m a bit obsessive about cleaning it out, keeping it shiny, and wiping my counters down. I guess I forgot that not everyone does that! Maybe that should be another blog post in itself? Off to add that note now! And, by the way, I’m always telling Chris how sad I am that they don’t seem to really teach Home Ec anymore because he could sure use a few basic lessons in cooking and general household practicality!

      Reply

      • Clair says

        Can the sink just not be used if y’all don’t want to or think it’s gross lol, there are plenty of alternatives????????. Great idea girl, thanks for the tip!!

        Reply

      • Heather Dueweke says

        I like how you think!! Great post about mopping. I always love tips for cleaning better! Weather I leave dishes in the sink for a night after binging shows with the fam on a Friday night or use my dishwasher right away,(my kids so haven’t caught in to that just yet ????) I regularly clean my countertops, stovetop, backsplash, light switches, gosh, basically everything every single day, but you can bet my sink gets CLEANED like all dang day long. Off to mop my floors now!

        Reply

      • Cubb says

        Just came across your mopping blog, loved it btw!and .to all of the people who dissed you for using your kitchen sink?People, everyone doesn’t HAVE a laundry room tub or another large sink, myself included, so we just do the best we can to sanitize, and we or our kids haven’t died yet , just saying,… have some mercy my goodness

        Reply

    • Moe says

      This is a good way to clean the floor but my concern is that the dirty water you pick up with the mop should not be wrung out in the bucket or sink of clean water. You don’t want to be spreading that dirt back onto the floors. I always rinse my mop under the tap before putting it back into the bucket of cleaning water.

      Reply

      • andrea says

        That’s exactly what I was thinking…was looking for a comment about it. It seems like when you wring the dirty water back out, right into the clean water, you’re just putting the dirty on the other parts of the floor…unless you have a double sink or two buckets! Help me understand! lol

        Reply

      • G.A. says

        I agree. I wring out the mop in the sink and have the “cleaning water” in a bucket. The dirty water mostly goes down the drain and it’s easy to clean up afterwards.

        Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Everything gets picked up when you go over with the dry mop and pick the dirty water back up! It’s a great system!

      Reply

      • Squirtle says

        I haven’t understood…you wring the dirty water out in the bucket with the clean water, and you dip the mop in it again for the new sections? Aren’t you mixing drty water with clean this way?

        Reply

  5. Heatber G says

    Courtney,
    I’m like you. I use my sink for everything…even my bathroom sinks (I’m sure some are saying Ugh!! right about now). But, I also sanitize my counters, sinks, faucets almost daily. I now have wood laminate floors in my new home, so I can’t do this except in my bathrooms. Gonna try it this weekend. Thanks for the info.

    Reply

  6. Khadija says

    LOL I thought I was the only one skating around on towels!!!
    I love posts like these because my mom didn’t believe in cleaning. 😛

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      I’m so glad you like them, Khadija! I love writing them! By the way, we used to have a girl on Kennedy’s soccer team when she was 5 called Khadija and spelled exactly the same way! She was really good too. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Rhoda Edwards says

    Thanks for the info. I use my sink as well and wipe it down with 3% peroxide after but I understand and agree with Liz a bucket should be the best tool for this job. I like to add some oxy clean and a few drops of pine essential oil in the mopping water. This really helps. Keep up the good work. Blessings.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      I love the idea of the pine essential oil, Rhoda! I love that pine smell, but hate to use those fluorescent green “pine” cleaners!

      Reply

  11. Sally says

    I learned the same thing from a chemical rep guy. He taught us, “one, two, three, flip, one, two, three dip”, so that the mop would stay clean.

    Reply

  12. Emily says

    Ok, I’m going to try this way of mopping this week. I have definitely been mopping the wrong way and usually end up disappointed with my floors. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  13. Shar says

    I think I am missing something…. Put cleaning solution down. Wring out mop. Go back and pick up dirty cleaning solution. Wring out mop— where? Do you use the other side of the sink or another bucket, or do you wring it back into the cleaning solution? You mention picking up dirty water and putting down clean each time so where does the dirty water go? I’m having an off day so maybe that’s why I’m puzzled. Thank you. I enjoy getting your tips and tricks and the way you present things in a positive uplifting way.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Actually, you’re right on the ball, Shar! That’s a really good question. When I was taught how to “slop mop” we were told just to use the same mop bucket over and over again. This works because you can see that the majority of the dirt actually sinks to the bottom of the bucket or sink. If you want to be really really super fancy though, you can totally dispense of the dirty water in another bucket, or in a second sink if you have a double sink!

      Reply

    • Virginia says

      I was wondering the same thing! I actually rinse my mop in hot running water and ring out (in the other side of the sink) before getting more of the soap water! 🙂

      Reply

      • Carl says

        I was looking through the comments for this too. I was laying in bed thinking about it ha ha.

        I don’t have a cotton mop at the moment, and don’t use the sponge mop, so I may try this with just a cloth. That should work as well right? Just won’t cover as much?

        Reply

      • Tadgh O Shea says

        A safer and more effective option is to flat mop your floors using microfiber floor cloths, you don’t require a sink or bucket for this method as you just need to dampen a few microfiber floor cloths and as one gets soiled just use another damp floor cloth until you are finished mopping all your floors, all the soils will be taken away on the microfiber floor cloths and your floors will dry out smear free. Good quality microfiber floor cloths can be laundered up to 500 times.

        Reply

  14. Sue says

    I read your post a few days ago. And really excited to try this method. I have neighbor kids over all the time and 4 yorkies. And I can never seem to get my floors clean no matter how many time I go over them. So went shopping today and bought myself a new mop like you have. And will be mopping floors tomorrow. I hope it. Can bring back the luster to my tile floors. Wish me luck.

    Reply

  15. Vickie says

    My mom taught me how to mop floors like this when I was a teen so this is the way I’ve always done it. She also taught me to use a chore girl, (woven metal scrubber used for pots and pans), under my foot as a scrubber for cleaning really grimy floors. I used this method for cleaning floors when I worked in a bakery where the floors got really gross with flour and all that other sticky stuff.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      I like that tip, Vickie! I bet that would be great for all that caked on salty mud that we (sadly) still have being tracked into the house! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

  16. amanda says

    Ha! This is how we mop floors in industry kitchens too! Well minus the sink but seriously? I have a servsafe cert foodhandlers and an associates in culinary. If you use your sink and clean it afterwards it’s not a big deal. People put way worse crap in their sinks without a thought (raw chicken anyone?)
    So keep on keepin on. It weirds me out that people don’t clean their sinks and counters a lot as it is. I probably clean mine 3-4 times a day when not preparing meat and 5-6 if I am.
    So yeah.
    Lol awesome post 🙂

    Reply

  17. linda says

    Aren’t you still using dirty water? Once you wring the mop out into the bucket, the water is dirty, then you dip the mop back in the dirty water! Is it me or is this the case?

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      When you look at the water when you’re done, you’ll notice that almost all of the dirt just sinks to the bottom of the bucket or your sink. It works out perfectly!

      Reply

  18. claudia says

    What about cleaning the mop itself? I bought one from which I can remove the top and wash it on 60 degrees in the washing machine. Or you should put the mop in some water with chlorine bleach afterwards everytime. Letting it dry then is important too! Don’t let it stay downwards in the bucket! And a lot of people are using the mop for the toiletfloors and after that for the kitchen floor, best would be to have two separte mops or start in the bathroom and then the ktichenfloor and do the toilets last.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      That’s exactly why I like these basic cotton mops with removable heads! It’s so much easier to know that they’re clean if you can take them off and soak them in hot water! I like to let mine dry in the sun too afterwards for extra disinfecting. Well, when the sun is available that is. 🙂

      Reply

  19. RB says

    If you ever get sick of mopping, I have found a wonderful machine that can take the mops place forever. I just always have had a problem with putting that mop back in the water and then putting dirty water back on your floor, so I invested in a Hoover Floormate which you can buy at Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, etc. It has a container that the cleaner and water goes in. You push a button on the handle and it dispenses the cleaner onto the floor then the machine has a scrub brush on the bottom that scrubs the floor and then when you let go of the liquid dispenser and push it back and forth, the machine sucks up the dirty water and puts it in a separate container. If you have hardwood floors, it has a switch so the brushes do not rotate. I like to presoak the floor first with vinegar and hot water and then use the Hoover floormate to scrub it again and suck up the dirty water. It is very lightweight and kind of like a carpet shampooer but much smaller and easy to lift. I can’t wash my floors any other way now. It gets pretty close to the edge, but I still go around the edges with a clean wet towel. This floormate also has a vacuum if you want to vacuum first and then empty the container and then you switch it to clean and it has another switch to dry it after sucking up the water if you want to do that. Your floors are squeaky clean and you would not believe the color of the water that you are picking up even when you thought your floor was not dirty. I could never dip a mop back in a bucket again. I like to go over it twice and then do the white sock test!

    Reply

  20. Gloria Petter says

    I liked your post about mopping floors, and especially want the cotton twist mop. I went to the Mr. Clean website and it wasn’t there. Neither did it pull up on target.com. I agree with you about the 100% cotton mops being the best, and like the design of the one you used. Any more specifics to help me find it would be most appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Hi Gloria! I can’t seem to find any mention of it anywhere either, so I think it may have been discontinued. I’m seeing similar ones from different brands on the target and walmart websites and they usually say something like “self-wringing mop”, that look almost identical. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  22. Lorraine Castellon-Rowe says

    Ok, so, I never thought I’d enjoy an article about mopping but, I DID!! Loved your story and your instructions!! Thank you so much. I hate mopping more than anything and I think this is gonna make it so worth it!!

    Reply

  23. Elle Campbell says

    I was interested in what you were posting but when I saw how you put a mop into a sink in your kitchen, nothing else you could write could convince me that you are safe enough for me or my family. GROSS. And Unhealthy.

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Elle. I’m of the school of thought that says not to worry too too much about germs because they strengthen our immune systems, but I do also clean my sink pretty thoroughly on a regular basis. See this post here for my process: https://www.creeklinehouse.com/2015/02/how-to-clean-shine-and-sanitize-your-stainless-steel-sink.html

      I also have a toddler who eats off of the floor regularly and rolls around with all the pets whether I like it or not, and he’s a pretty healthy little guy over all. This system of cleaning has worked really well for my family, but of course, you know your own family best and you should decide what works for you!

      Reply

    • You Can't Sit With Us says

      While teaching your children “safety”…. please also teach them if they don’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all.

      Reply

    • Gina says

      Are you for real? You must be the unclean one because otherwise you would know how to clean a sink. I hold my level of clean up to anyone on this planet, and I use the sink to mop as well.

      Reply

    • Sallie says

      I have always mopped using my sink, and I assure you, it gets disinfected afterwards. Do you put meat in your sink, washing raw chicken and such. Nothing is more unhealthy and unsafe for your family than that! You do know how to clean your sink, right, Elle Campbell? There is nothing unsanitary about using a sink for mopping if you disinfect it afterwards. Really???? People need to get a life. I’m sorry, but I get so sick of critical attitudes. Just keep your ugly thoughts to yourself. And, on a more positive note, what a wonderful, informative post.

      Reply

      • Courtenay says

        Thanks so much, Sallie! I’m glad you liked the post! I always use a clean shallow dish if I’m rinsing meat or defrosting it in the sink, but maybe there are a lot of people who never thought of that and that’s why they’re so worried. 🙂 Maybe I need to write a post on rinsing meat/food in the sink next just to clear things up?

        Reply

  24. Sarah says

    I just tried this today on my painted concrete kitchen floors with a cleaner made from baking soda, vinegar and dish soap and……wow. Like WOW! I have a love/hate relationship with the floors because they’re painted purposely to looked distressed by the previous owners who liked the shabby chic look except they left the place with more emphasis on the shabby and the floors look dirty no matter what. So I don’t really clean them and they look dirty, clean them and they still look dirty. Except today they look a little less dirty than normal after slop mopping, which is saying A LOT. I did have a second bucket of water to rinse because I knew my cleaning solution was going to get funky quickly (I had to dump the rinsing bucket 4 times). I’m definitely going to mop like this from now on! Thanks!

    Reply

  25. Darlene says

    I have been slop mopping for some time now, since we had tile installed throughout the entire house. However, I had difficulty finding a good mop until recently a friend recommended the O’Cedar spin mop. Comes with bucket and can be found at Walmart. This is absolutely the best mop I have ever used. I just slop mop first, then rinse mop and spin to dryness required to pick up all the excess water. This has cut my mopping time in half.

    Reply

  26. Nancy says

    Just found this article via Pinterest. Great info — thank you! Regarding the germ issue, kitchen sinks are among the most contaminated places in the house. I once saw a bacteriologist (?) on Oprah who said kitchen sinks are so gross that she’d rather eat a carrot that had been dropped in a toilet than one dropped in a kitchen sink! Given that, it would seem that people should worry about getting sink germs on their floors, not the other way around!!! 😀

    Reply

  27. tegan says

    Also I use borax laundry boost and pour down my drains let sit for 10-15 minutes then rinse with hot water it cleans and freashens pipes and is good for garbage disposals!

    Reply

  28. jackie says

    Yay. So relieved that I mop properly. After I vacuum the whole house I mop like this (except I use a bucket of hot water and a spray bottle of Pine Sol. Slop mop/sop mop. Then I get to sit at the computer and look at Pinterest while it all dries.

    Reply

  29. Chris Pitts says

    I have an old linoleum floor. It has been suggested to me that the surface has been too worn, and no longer ever looks clean, let alone any shine or gloss to it. Replacing it is not possible right now. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      A nice glossy floor paint? Unfortunately with linoleum and vinyl, when it no longer wants to get clean, there’s just nothing you can do about it! It’s probably worth it to keep trying to do as good of a job as you can during your weekly mopping as you’ll probably see some improvement, but more drastic measures are probably what you’re going to need. Hope that’s somewhat helpful!

      Reply

    • Paula says

      I just discovered a product that I used on my dull floors. It’s called Quick Shine multi-surface Floor Finish from Holloway House. Found it at Home Depot. There are many foor shine products that will improve the look of older floors.

      Reply

  31. Cathy says

    One question – when you ring the mop aren’t you just adding dirty water back to your clean soapy water? Or are you using a double sink?

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      The dirt just sinks right to the bottom of the sink, so as long as you don’t scrape the bottom of the sink when you get your mop wet again, you’re good. It’s pretty neat actually!

      Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Video is definitely one thing I’d love to do more of! I’ll keep a mopping post in mind once I get myself organized to do videos on a more regular basis for sure!

      Reply

  33. Carol says

    I loved your article as I have never been happy with my mopping results.
    I am in Australia and here most every laundry has its own sink , so we soak and can do messy stuff there but I wouldn’t hesitate using my kitchen sink as I would definitely give it a good wipe down afterwards. Great article!

    Reply

  34. Jen says

    Thx, decorator was here, didn’t believe in ground cloth! “Oh that will just come off with a mop” – smear around the floor with a mop more like! I was getting disheartened by the endless creamy paint coloured water, so googled for help and found you!

    My mop wasn’t up to the job, so used yr method on my hands and knees with a wash rag and 2 buckets: clean soapy water and plain rinse water to rinse the rag as I picked up the dirty soapy water.

    A bit tedious but it’s working! Don’t have to go over it multiple times. Thx!

    Reply

  35. Anne says

    Well, I’m an old clean freak and this is a fantastic tip! It’s funny that an everyday cleaning chore can come with so many “cautions”, “tips”, and “advice”. At sixty, I’ve used my sink for everything and bleach it an the counter tops daily. I cook, can, and freeze all my food, and have yet to kill anyone from making mop water in the sink. I like the sink because I can drain the old mop water and add more water and cleaner.
    I read a tip awhile back that I’ve started using. I add a little Dawn dish liquid with 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol. It really gets up any residue and leaves the floors squeaky clean. Since I mop my floor several times a week, I’m applying your method tomorrow. I’m thinking this going to be the only way I’ll ever do it again. Thanks for a great piece of advice!

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Yay! So glad you liked this post, Anne! Thanks for sharing the tip about the Dawn and rubbing alcohol! I use rubbing alcohol for so many things these days. It’s just the best! 🙂

      Reply

    • Susan McMillan says

      Thank you. I was in tears a moment ago. My mother told me not to tell anyone I use the sink to wash the floor. I am not even actually using the sink per se because I have a container of water in the sink that I dip the mop in. Then I dump the dirty water in the toilet as needed. I rinse the floor in the same manner. I disinfect the sink after that. She would clean dirty vegetables from our garden off in the sink, but act as though I am doing anything different. My mother was not a clean housekeeper at all, and she has the nerve to make comments about me. I hate to do anything in front of her because of her constant comments.

      Reply

  36. Christina Grover says

    Your advice of mopping only 4 to 6 tiles at a time would really help. I usually try to do the largest surface area I can in one round. This probably isn’t that effective. Would you mop the same way if you are doing it for a commercial property?

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      I’d say that a clean floor is a clean floor no matter where it is! Commercial floors tend to get mopping touch-ups constantly though, so you would probably only need to do this method once a week or so on them, not every single time. 🙂

      Reply

  37. Mary ann says

    I learned similar method from restaurant work. The true advantage I see in the mop is you get into corners. Never liked sponge and swift-whatever’s because they push dirt into edges and leave it. A good mop can swerve into those places beautifully and you get more skilled as you work it. When I built my first house I had a drain installed in my kitchen center floor. I could use scalding water/soap solution, brush, squeegee extra water then mop with vinegar water. I had crawling babies then. My floors were done at night after my work was done. The ceiling fan did the rest. Love seeing folks learning from each other!

    Reply

  38. Wifemomddh says

    Never thought to use the sink but would definitely be spraying it down after each use. have u thought about trying the hurricane 360 spin mop. I only use hot boiling water because of its design I NEVER. Have to touch the water nor the mop!!! ive mop most times last year than in my life time because of that mop and bucket!!!

    Reply

  39. Jackie says

    Aren’t you still putting dirty water on the floor after the first mopping anyway? Unless you’re changing the water after each area you clean….

    Reply

  40. Sharon says

    This sounds great. I never feel like my floors are really clean. Ready to try this. I totally agree with your comments on mops!

    Reply

  42. Crystal says

    I do something similar to this. I make the cleaning solution in a large jar or bowl, POUR it onto the floor, then swoosh it around with my mop until every inch has been covered, let it sit for a minute, then with the wrung-out mop, start scrubbing and sopping it up. I use the wide head mop with changeable covers and change the cover when it gets saturated.

    Reply

  43. David Collette says

    Hi Courtenay,

    I enjoyed your article. I haven’t seen anyone use a slop sink and do your “Slop mop” process but I like it. If you’re using a bucket and wringer your process is called “wet mopping” as opposed to “damp mopping”. The difference, when using a bucket and wringer, is that to damp mop you wring out the mop head before using it and to wet mop you just “slop” it onto the floor.

    Mopping is just like brushing your teeth and you need the cleaning solution and agitation to get a clean floor. Damp mopping is only good for spot cleaning as you’re removing a spill of coffee or milk but there isn’t enough cleaning solution to clean and remove. Almost everyone I know wrings out the mop head before they mop and then wonder why the floor never gets 100% clean.

    I like your term “slop mop”. We use the term “sploosh” when describing wet mopping as everybody gets that for the cleaning solution to “sploosh” there has to be a bunch of it in the mop head. My wife was a green apron wearer too. The other key beyond doing the “slop mop” or “wet mopping” is to agitate using a deck brush or other tools available (like the Dual Tool). “Slop mopping” with a little agitation gets the floor even cleaner

    Reply

  44. Froggie says

    I worked in an institution in Denmark as a cleaning girl and that was the type mop we used. It was very efficient. We also had a cleaning bucket on wheels that had a side pocket raised on the corner which was for wringing out the mop head. We did the slop and sop method. I have a Target gift card and will check it out! Thanks for reminding me of the better way to mop!

    Reply

  45. kay says

    Howdy! I tried this method after reading your post. I have to say that my floors were probably the cleanest they’ve ever been! I did change out my water pretty often – whenever it started to look a bit cloudy – ok, my floors were gross. Of course, after this cleaning tirade of almost an hour (I have a lot of tile), I had to go take a nap! 🙂 Thanks for the post!

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Hope you had a great nap! It sounds like you earned it! Also, I love the term “cleaning tirade”. I’m definitely going to have to use that one in the future. I wonder if I could somehow work that into one of the chapter titles in my book? Just kidding! Kind of… 🙂

      Reply

  46. Emily says

    We use to do this method working at Sonic in Ky 15 years ago. I remember well that it did work well. I wouldn’t do it at my home though due to too much water I think would ruin my baseboards even if you do pick it back up:)

    Reply

  47. Romany says

    Thank you for sharing this! I have a kitchen floor tile that just never looks clean, I’m definitely going to try this method! Might even go out and buy a new mop too!

    Reply

  48. David W says

    Interestingly enough, this was the way our Military Training Instructor taught us how to clean the floors in our Dorm room during the first few days of Basic Training. The floors ALWAYS had to remain clean every day, and they also scrubbed down, re-waxed, and polished every Saturday afternoon. We had a variety of floor finishes too; Linoleum Tiles, Ceramic Tiles, and Hard Wood (not laminate) flooring. All of them needed to be clean and polished; and when there are 50 people living there, it could get get really intense. Removing and Keeping the mud and other outside dirt off the floor; removing the wax marks from freshly polished boots and shoes; removing the ‘scrape marks’ and gouges caused by sliding furniture around… Lots of Fun was had by all.
    We learned a lot in the 6-8 weeks of Basic, all of which was reinforced by up to six months of additional Mandatory Dormitory living while attending the various Occupational Training schools as one learned the proper way the Military wanted one to do their Jobs.

    The ‘Slop-Mop’ method had to be slightly modified when we (I) had to clean the floors of the Operational Computer Processing Room, considering that all the electrical wiring (both power and communications network wiring between various components) were all down under the raised flooring. Everything down there had to be hand-wiped with dry towels. Safety reasons; apparently they didn’t want to fill out the forms should water hit the high voltage power outlets (440 volts, high current). Somebody could be cooked – killed; or worst case scenario… The computers could stop working.

    New subject:
    Have you ever tried cleaning the grout between tiles using toothpaste? It does a wonderful job.
    Bad part: We were each only allowed to have ONE toothbrush. No extras. Hmm…

    Have a great day!

    Reply

  49. MopWoman says

    I’ ve been using a mop for decades. It’s the best thing to clean your floors. However, I found a wonderful mop and bucket combo that really rinses your mop out and you are certain to have clean water hit your floor each time. I had an old ringer mop system for several years. Last year I happened to find a mop and bucket that works so well I”m sooooo happy. The bucket is actually two containers put together. One holds the waster where you rinse your mop and then a cup that will let you spin your mop out after the rinse to get just the right amount of water you’d like on your floor. Away you go washing your floor and then the excess rinse water goes into the other side of the bucket that holds the dirty water. This dirty water section has a stopper that will let you release all the dirty water. It’s complicated to explain but now I am assured that my floors are washed with clean water each time. I love it!!

    Reply

  50. Karen Edwards says

    I’ve always used the “wet-mop” technique but have reverted to using either vinegar or eucalyptus oil rather than any of the chemical cleaners around now. Then I go over the whole floor with a dry mop to finish. I work in home based aged care looking after people in their own homes rather than nursing homes and have found that detergents in the water makes the floors slippery. I also hate leaving them with a wet floor as it’s a slip hazard so I grab a spare cotton mop and dry the floors!

    Reply

  51. Lea says

    I don’t understand something.
    If you wringle all the dirty water you have picked up off of the floor in the sink where the clean water soapy you started with was, that means that water will be dirty when going to the next 4-6 tiles section.
    Does that mean we should empy and refill the sink with clean soapy water every section we wash?

    Thanks
    Lea

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      The dirt really just falls to the bottom of the bucket and separates itself pretty quickly. Try it out. It’s pretty neat!

      Reply

  52. Dena says

    I manage one of those coffee shops where we wear green aprons:) I have been telling my partners this for years. Deck brushing is not the business. Work smarter not harder.

    Reply

  53. Rebecca Tanner says

    I tried this method today. I could not believe what came up off my floor!!!! I have a good-sized kitchen, back entryway, 1/2 bath & laundry room area that have continuous tile flooring. Wound up having to use *3* 2-gallon buckets of water! Worked up a little sweat, but totally worth it. Thank you for this info! I really needed it bc apparently – we are pigs!
    ????????????????

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Yay! So glad you got such good results… if you can call it “good” when you suddenly feel like you must be a pig! 🙂

      Reply

  54. Mary says

    My mom had the best way too clean her floors. The old wide broom and a rag the size of a tea towel. Put a hole in the middle of the rag and fill the sink with your favourite cleaner. Soak and ring lightly the rag and put over the broom start cleaning. The great thing about this is mops are heavy and awkward to ring out. And if you don’t rinse them properly you just put the dirt back on the floor. You can use a different rag to rinse or dry. Slip on and off to rinse as many times as you want. Really try. I clean houses for a living and have cleaned mine for over 40 years. Also you can clean walls, ceilings, window that are too high. Always with a clean rinsed out rag. ????

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Great tip, Mary! I have old tea towels that I use just for cleaning jobs like this and I often do touch ups on my floor exactly the same way. If you keep on top of it, it really does keep your floors looking great.

      Reply

  55. Heidi says

    I just want to say I have NO problem with you (or anyone) using the kitchen sink as a wash bucket. A little common sense goes a long way, and it seems you have plenty. Carry on!!

    Reply

  56. Gina says

    Hello great post! Quick question… After picking up the dirty water with the wrung out mop, do I use the same water from the bucket that I just wrung the mop into to slop on the rest of the floor? Isn’t that just putting dirty water back on the floor again? I just want to make sure I’m doing this correctly. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Courtenay says

      Hi Gina! The dirt really does sink to the bottom of the bucket almost immediately and it leaves the water mostly clean, so it’s fine to use the same bucket. You’ll still get cleaner floors than you’ve ever had before. If you really want to take it to the next level though, I think using 2 buckets for separate water would definitely do it!

      Reply

  57. Charli says

    Found this via Pinterest and it. Is. Genius! I’ve always wondered about the best way to mop without spreading dirty water! I’d say the only improvement I can think of would be to have a bucket or half the sink if it’s divided for squeezing the dirty water into so you’re not reusing dirty water!

    Reply

  58. Patrick Sue says

    Wow I just know how to mop the floor properly. thank you. i hope you don’t mind if i rewrite your article into Indonesian language, and of course I put your link as reference. Thank you

    Reply

  59. Brenda says

    Great article, I have used my sink for everything for 35 years… no one got sick, no one has died… but I think a lot of people missed the target of what the article was about. How to effectively mop.

    Reply

  61. Dory says

    I was told by a cleaning lady slop mopping was the proper way to clean, approximately 40 years ago when I purchased my first home.

    I did the slop mopping every week. Within the first year, my linoleum started lifting and curling away from the baseboards!

    When I attempted to have, my linoleum replaced on warranty, I was informed by the manufacturer the warranty was voided by the slop mopping technique. Damp mopping is the only way recommended for warranties on most flooring. With the exception of commercial locations. This is what I was told back then.

    After having to pay for all new linoleum flooring, I have never slop mopped and still have the same floors without a problem.

    Reply

  63. RT says

    I actually found the same mop you have last night at Dollar General before I even read your blog. Just used your method & it worked great.

    Reply

  64. Traci says

    Awesome tip Courtney … I actually mop this very same way ☺. I even use my kitchen sink as well..I too clean and sanitize my sink constantly . I use my bathtubs for the bathrooms and in my master bath where I have a huge walking shower I use buckets…it’s what works the best for me. I love using the sink, bathtubs, because… I have easy access to fresh,clean water . I rince my mop everytime just before I “dip” it back into the sudsy water????.

    Reply

  65. vicki d. says

    I too use my sink for mopping and ALWAYS clean the sink and counters after I do , And then there are times like when I didn’t know the mother-in law was coming with in a hour I run like a mad woman with my shark floor scrubber , okay sometimes my husband does that running since after all it’s his mom . lol

    Reply

  70. Sylvia says

    I’m confused. With only one clean water source, don’t you put dirty water back in?
    You go back with your freshly wrung out mop and pick that dirty water back up’
    Seems to me that by the end of even a small floor, you would be using dirty water.

    Reply

  71. Patty Finn says

    This is how mom taught me to clean a vinyl floor too. But I never saw her clean the wood floor until she did her once a year waxing. However, I have engineered wood floors that have lost their finish from so much grit from dog and people feet traffic and I’d like to know how to easily get them really clean. Help! Thanks.

    Reply

  73. Kevin Nutt says

    I work in the Hotel Industry, Property Services, I’m required to Sweep -Mop and vacuum floors in a quick timely manner, ( rooms need to be flipped in a half hour ) for the next function, How can I safely & quickly mop or vacuum a floor (without injuring my lower back from repeatative use )

    Reply

  76. Golden Line Green Care says

    I didn’t know that there is a right way to mop. But, after reading your post I couldn’t resist trying what you suggested and it really works like a charm. I think cleaning is a very helpful and relaxing activity.

    Reply

  77. Chantal D. says

    Wow, I thought I was the only person out there that did this. I do not feel all alone. Basically, I do the same thing except after I slop I go back to my sink and rinse my mop off on the other side of my sink (since I have a double) then I put the rinsed off mop into the cleaning solution and water side. Then I wipe up, rinse, squeeze then go to the cleaning solution side never putting my dirty mop from off the floor into my cleaning solution side. Always rinse first. Its like putting dirt into the clean side and then wondering hmmm why I can not get rid of the dirty film on the floor… It may sound crazy but it’s what I do. It works really well. Honestly, it fors not take too long to do.

    Reply

  78. Fay Powell says

    I just want to tell you that I am amazed at this method and I love it. I have been a clean floor freak most of my life, like down on hands and knees clean with two buckets of water. Getting older and really bad health has curbed that. On my good days, I tried your method of slop mopping and am in awe of the “clean” that I get on the floors, and how long the “clean” lasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this post.

    Reply

  79. Ma Kettle says

    Not all of us have been doing it wrong????. All the old-school mothers used to do it that way before the “state-of-the-art” gadgets came on the market.

    Another tip: as you wipe up the sloshed on water, swish the mop from side to side facing the entrance to the room. Any swish marks left when the floor is dry will be almost un-noticeable.

    Reply

  82. Inshiya says

    I don’t recall the model name, Chris yet it’s made by Mister Clean and I got it at Target. It’s a decent one, you can purchase replacement mop heads if you need to, you can wash the mop head, and it was really modest. I suggest it!

    Reply

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