Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mop

Steam Mopping a Hardwood Floor

Srudolph — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:19:02 -0800

Is it really bad to use a steam mop on unfinished hardwood floors? The house I rent has old hardwood floors that are not sealed. They're pretty beat up and will only look good again the day my landlord decides to refinish them, or I become willing to wax them -- which will be never, probably.

They're not going to be shiny and pretty while I'm living here, but I would like to get them at least really clean. I'm planning to get a Eureka Enviro Steam Mop. If I use it on the unsealed floors, will the damage be structural or just cosmetic?

If it will warp the boards and wreak all kinds of havoc, that's one thing. But if it will just make them icky-looking -- well, they're that already.

I looked at other posts on Metafilter before asking this question. This post had answers from people who recommended against doing it, but didn't give particulars.

Any advice? The steam mop will be worth the purchase for my tiled kitchen and bathrooms, even if I can't use it on the hardwood.

Thanks!

better mopping

bookdragoness — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:38:30 -0800

Mopping - is there a better way? Am I just doing it wrong? I hate mopping. It's such a hassle in my current apartment because the sink isn't big enough to put the bucket in to fill and I have no squeegee lid for it.

I sweep/vacuum the linoleum floors regularly, but the actual mop-on-floor part gets neglected (3x in 2 years?). I'm trying to be a better grown-up and mop it more often, plus get rid of sticky/slippery parts.

I have a string mop. I've tried the sponge mops that have squeezing parts built in and dislike those even more. I've tried using the kitchen sink as a 'mop bucket'; I've washed off spots by hand with a rag; I just don't have a real setup for mopping and this half-assed one isn't working.

I believe that if I get something that makes it less of a detestable chore that I'll do it more often. It worked that way with my vacuum
(went from el cheapo to a Dyson and now magically vacuum >10x more often).

Should I just break down and get a bucket with a squeegee lid attachment? Are Swiffers really that awesome? Is there just a better way to do it that doesn't require so much effort?

Bonus: shedding cats
Double bonus: litter boxes in two of the three linoleum rooms - as much as I try, not all the litter gets picked up by sweeping and vacuuming

Help me mop my giant textured floor w/o a mop or bucket

bjork24 — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:15:58 -0800

Our new theater has a huge, textured, highly-trafficked, sealed concrete floor in the lobby, and I'm really dreading the thought of mopping it. What can I buy to help make the job easier? Obviously, the easiest route would be to hire a cleaning crew to come in once a week and mop it for me, but I don't mind doing stuff like this myself... I just hate using our old loop mop and giant yellow bucket. I've looked at countless steam / wet / mop / vacuums on Amazon, but everyone seems to be using them on hardwood floors and linoleum. I need something that will work on a highly-textured surface.

I'm willing to spend money on the right solution, so long as it works at least as well as the old mop and bucket solution.

What is this children's book with living mop?

metadave — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:45:02 -0800

A friend of mine read a children's paperback book in the 1960's that featured two kids and a mop that comes to life ( or maybe is alive through the course of the whole book ). The kids and the mops interact (play?). I don't know any more about the book but I'm hoping to identify it and find a paperback copy to give as a birthday gift. If anyone out there knows what this book is or might be I would very much appreciate it. Thanks! - Dave

Mopping w/o bucket?

anonymoose — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 15:48:32 -0800

Mop Mop: Mopping without a bucket? Possible? Sh-mop? I hate mopping. After taking the time to fill a bucket with warm soapy water, I get 1/2 way through mopping when I realize that all I'm doing is pushing around wet dirt, bringing it to a dirty pool of water, and exchanging this wet dirt for other wet dirt.

Swiffer Wetjet seems to skip the dirty pool step and go straight to the pushing around wet dirt step, while adding in a 'throw away expensive swiffer wipe' step.

This Sh-mop idea seems like a possibility. Does it work well? Are there other possibilities that work better?

Help me, I'm mop impared...

anastasiav — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:00:56 -0800

Can you teach me how to mop? When my Grandmother taught me how to clean floors, she taught me to do it with a scrub brush and a bucket, on your knees. This technique has served me well for many years in both our (very small) bathroom and our (equally small) kitchen.

But now I can't get down on my knees so easily, and my kitchen and bathroom floors are a mess. I tried using a regular old Sponge Mop today, but quickly realized I had no idea how to use the blasted thing, and it felt very much like I was just making the dirt wet and then moving it around. (Yes, I swept the floor first.)

I'd prefer not to buy one of those newfangled Swiffer thngs, since it seems like people have been using regular sponge mops with good results for decades...

So what am I missing? How, exactly, do you mop?

How do I clean wood floors?

sdis — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 08:59:23 -0800

My apartment is wood floor and tile. Hell, my whole building is wood floor and tile. How on earth do I clean all of this (particularly the wood)? What's the best way to clean large amounts of hardwood flooring? (If devices are suggested, any specific brand/model suggestions?) It's tons and tons of beautiful australian cyprus, covered in polyurethane. I bought a Bissell 35758 Cleanview Bagless Special Edition Upright Vacuum, which apparently lacks the feature to pick up, say, dust. I've tried mopping (sponge mop, Murphy's oil soap), but the only way I can really get the streaks out and a neat reflective floor is by getting down on my hands and knees and buffing it with a dry towel.