The traditional mop and bucket is still the preferred method of floor cleaning by many and has come a long way since the ‘one-mop fits all’ of yesteryear!
If you’re managing a small building with not much foot traffic, manual mopping could be adequate, especially if the right mop head is applied and used correctly. For larger areas mopping is probably insufficient, as it won’t get the degree of dirt agitation provided by a cleaning machine.
Different types of mop
Standard mops - standard mops are ideal for a variety of cleaning tasks within smaller work areas. Socket mops often now come with coloured plastic sockets that can be attached and detached to matching handles, creating a more hygienic colour coded system. There is a choice of yarn, twine or non-woven fabric strips.
Kentucky type mops - the Kentucky mop is more durable than the standard mop with a much longer yarn (around 40cm) and greater weight, meaning it can be applied flat to the floor. This makes it effective at cleaning larger or rough floor areas quicker than standard mops. It has a stitched polyester band in the middle where it affixes to the handle in order to secure the fibres and help keep its shape. There is a choice of yarn, twine or non-woven fabric strips.
Flat mops/microfibre mops - flat mops, as the name suggests, have a flat head making them ideal for daily cleaning in corners and under tight spaces. They usually have a disposable or reusable microfibre cloth attached to the head. These mops are economical, easy to use, set up and store.
Bucketless flat mop systems have an internal reservoir in the mop handle that sprays solution on to the floor just before the mop is applied, not only saving water but avoiding cross contamination of it as well.
Cost of mopping to maintain your floors
On the face of it, mopping seems like an affordable, flexible option with a nominal outlay for the equipment and easy storage / portability.
There are, however, quite a number of ongoing indirect costs:
Financial - it is recommended that mop heads are replaced every two to three months, increasing costs and waste over time.
Environmental - so you’re not just redistributing dirt around the floor, effective mopping requires the water to be changed regularly potentially adding an environmental cost. Many would now argue, however, that it’s impossible not to be spreading a degree of contaminated water around the floor and that mopping is more of a dirty business than a clean business…
Time - mopping is also quite labour intensive taking a large amount of time and not as efficient as other methods.
Should you keep or kick the bucket?
The range of mops now available can make mopping a solution for smaller spaces that don’t experience a high footfall. However, it might be beneficial to monitor certain aspects such as the water usage, cost of replacing equipment, time taken and cleanliness / hygiene of your floors.
You may find in reality that a small scrubber dryer does a much better job for less cost over time. Even so, it's still prudent to keep a mop and bucket in your cleaning arsenal for one-off spills, edge mopping where a machine can’t reach or back-up if a scrubber drier fails.
Contact us to see how we can help improve your floor cleaning.