The Ultimate How to Mop for Common Types of Flooring
You put the mop in the bucket, squeeze out the water, and just start mopping, right?
Well, not quite. As much as we wish this was the case (talk about a time saver), if you don’t mop properly for the type of flooring you have, you could inadvertently harm it.
If you’re ready to mop up the footprints, dirt, leaves, food, and all other kinds of goodies found on the floor without damaging it, then this is the article for you. The ultimate article on how to mop any floor to make it sparkle!
Before you mop
In Calgary, the most common floors we have are hardwood, tile, laminate, linoleum, and slate. While each one has a unique way to be mopped, each of them has one thing in common:
Always vacuum or dry mop the floor before you mop with water.
There is always some combination of dirt, hair, fur, grit, and other debris on the floor. If not removed, then you’ll just be smearing it around the floor. There will absolutely be no sparkle without a good vacuum/dry mopping as step one.
From there, it’s all about the details for the type of material your floor is made of.
How to mop hardwood floors
Calgarians seem to love their hardwood floors. It is the most common flooring that we come across. Many people tend to be nervous about mopping their hardwood, but do not fear! It is really very simple. In fact, I made a video tutorial to watch to show you just how easy it truly is. You can find it on our YouTube channel here.
Fill a bucket with warm water.
Use a mop that has a removable pad. Attach a microfiber cloth to the bottom in place of the pad. The microfiber cloth has better water retention and can wring it out more thoroughly.
Do not use too much water (hence why you need a mop that allows for thorough wringing).
Go over the floor two-three times to do a good mopping. The first time, use a bit more water (sometimes may have to bend over to remove tough sticky spots, e.g., jam splatters). Then, rinse the cloth, wring it, use less water, then go over it again.
A few rules of thumb.
Climate plays a role in how much water you can use. In drier climates, such as Calgary, the water will dry very quickly, but you still do not want to soak the floor. So long as you wring the pad out properly, mold will not form.
It’s best to use just water. However, this is not always feasible because of the foot oils left behind by both humans and pets.
Should you need to use a product, we recommend simply adding a bit of vinegar, tide, or mild dish soap to the water. Use only one of these three - not all three.
The lighter the hardwood is, the easier it is to mix your water with product. The darker the wood, the less product you want to use as this will make the floor look hazy and leave streaks behind.
How to mop tile floors
I hate to say this, but it’s true, with tile, it is virtually impossible to get absolutely everything off the floor. This is because of the grooves within the design and the grout required to seal the tiles.
In fact, while we do scrub these floors, we cannot scrub too hard with the grout - which is also a major dust collector. If we do, we run the risk of removing the grout.
All that said, it is one of my personal favourite types of flooring to clean because it is easy to do so.
When mopping a tile floor:
Use the same technique as you do for hardwood but know that you can use a lot more warm water, with a bit of gentle dish soap.
Always rinse your microfiber cloth each time you dip it back in the bucket to remove the dirt picked up.
As the water becomes gray, change it. This is dirty water and you do not want to just spread the dirt back on the tile.
A few recommendations if you’re considering tiles:
If you are adamant about getting tile for your floors, particularly in the kitchen, invest in a tile that does not require white grouting as this will discolour and become gray over time.
Invest in a good mop to help get into the grooves of the designs (recommend this for all floors, really).
Do not use too much product, such as the sprayable Dawn. By the time you mop it up, a haze and streaks will be left behind and you’ll have to mop again.
How to mop laminate floors
Laminate flooring is a lot like hardwood floors when it comes to mopping where you do not want to use too much water. Similar to hardwood, laminate comes in all kinds of colours and designs. The lighter the colour, the more product you can use in your water. The darker, the less product you want to use as you increase your likelihood of leaving a haze or streakiness on the surface. To mop the floor, simply follow the hardwood flooring instructions above.
Laminate also mimics tile in many ways whereby many designs have grooves within the material. We’ve found that the best rooms for laminate flooring are the kitchen and the bathroom. This is because you can scrub with extra elbow grease to remove stubborn stains without the worry of damaging, removing, or discolouring any grout.
How to mop linoleum flooring
Alright - we’ve made it through the more detailed floor types. Onto one of the easiest flooring materials of them all to mop.
Follow the hardwood floor instructions again, but with linoleum flooring, you can:
Use more water than the others without fear of damaging the product.
Use lots of different products depending on your preference.
The best product (in our opinion) is simply adding mild dish soap to your water as it will always give a thorough cleaning. In this case, it’s sometimes better to have your mopping water that’s a bit foamy.
Then, mop away!
The great thing about laminate is that nowadays it can look like tile, without the issues of haziness or worrying about removing the grout. Not to mention, the cost is often more effective for families on a budget.
How to mop a slate floor
Slate stone is beautiful to look at but can be quite tricky to mop because it’s very bumpy. For this type of flooring, we recommend that you use the original pad that came with the mop rather than the microfiber cloth. Now, the how-to!
Unlike the other materials where you can make broad strokes with the mop, for slate, you want to make smaller strokes.
You can use more water on this floor with a little dish soap to remove the grime.
When done mopping, wipe down the floor with a dry pad, like how you would have started.
Whatever you do, DO NOT use vinegar or any acidic cleaning product on slate stone as this is a very porous material and will be damaged by acid. Gentle dish soap is your best bet.
A word to the wise, we honestly wouldn’t recommend this type of flooring in large areas, such as the kitchen. If you are going to use it, use it in smaller areas, such as the front entrance or mud room.
How to wash other natural stone and marble floors
While we rarely come across natural stone or marble floors, we feel it’s good to mention them. With these materials mop with water only. These are incredibly sensitive materials, and all types of cleaners will stain and/or destroy them.
Our best recommendation? Do not install natural stone or marble as flooring. Rather, these materials are best used for backsplashes and design accents.
One last warning about mopping any type of flooring. Do not, under any circumstance, no matter how fun it may seem, throw a bucket of water on your floor. If you do, you run the risk of mold, your flooring lifting and/or bucking, and potentially causing a leak which could flow down to other levels in your house.
At the end of the day, we’re talking about floors, which are the dirtiest things in our homes (next to the most used toilet, of course). Knowing how to properly mop the floor material that you have goes a long way to ensuring that your home isn’t just cleaned, but cleaned, sparkling, and long-lasting!