How should I wash reusable MUJI mop heads?
February 15, 2023 2:36 PM Subscribe
I love my MUJI cleaning system, but I have two or three mopheads, and I’ve been stuck on how to clean them. It seems like such a waste to run a load of laundry with just two or three small items, but it also seems sketchy to put anything else in with these dusty and grimy items. I don’t really have a lifestyle that generates other Very Dirty Things. Should I just suck it up and run a single tiny load? If so, what settings? I can’t find suggestions on the MUJI site.
Response by poster: “Hand-wash first?” is a reasonable question, but the items in question have been sitting in a corner of my laundry room for three weeks now. It’s safe to say I am trying to avoid manual steps here.
posted by sixswitch at 2:52 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by sixswitch at 2:52 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
I have a similar mop; we wash it on hot (because dirt) with our cleaning rags and then let it air dry.
posted by Maecenas at 2:58 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Maecenas at 2:58 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
All my nasty cleaning/dusting rags go into a regular load of towels (hot, with bleach). I'd probably shake any excess hair or dust bunnies into the trash if it were super clumped up, but usually I don't worry about excess lint that's just going to end up in the trap anyway.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 2:59 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by fountainofdoubt at 2:59 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Since they're dry (after sitting around a bit) I'd probably take them outside and shake off all dirt/lint/dust that you can. Then either toss them in with your regular towels, or first soak them in a bucket/bowl of hot water for a while to get some more dirt off if they still seem too gross.
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:12 PM on February 15, 2023
posted by BlahLaLa at 3:12 PM on February 15, 2023
I would just wash on their own unless there was a really huge financial barrier to doing so. Done is better than perfect, whatever perfect may be
Sorry I don’t know specific wash settings, but I would guess as hot as possible
posted by raccoon409 at 3:12 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sorry I don’t know specific wash settings, but I would guess as hot as possible
posted by raccoon409 at 3:12 PM on February 15, 2023 [3 favorites]
I shake these out over the trash can, then wash on hot with the rest of my towels.
posted by sparkling at 3:25 PM on February 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sparkling at 3:25 PM on February 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
Quit using paper products as much as you can for cleaning, etc and use rags and cloths (we use them for everything except pet messes and cleaning the toilet) and then you'll have other dirty stuff to wash with them! ;)
I do sometimes throw a couple of mop pads into a bucket with water and agitate it around a little and then wash the "rinsed" pads in with laundry I think can handle it (for me - towels, our flannel sheets, load of jeans & hoodies - "sturdy" laundry) but I do prefer to wash dirty cleaning stuff together.
posted by euphoria066 at 3:28 PM on February 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
I do sometimes throw a couple of mop pads into a bucket with water and agitate it around a little and then wash the "rinsed" pads in with laundry I think can handle it (for me - towels, our flannel sheets, load of jeans & hoodies - "sturdy" laundry) but I do prefer to wash dirty cleaning stuff together.
posted by euphoria066 at 3:28 PM on February 15, 2023 [5 favorites]
I would have a dedicated pot I could boil them in with a bit of dish detergent. The site you link says they’re made of nylon and polyester, both of which have high enough melting points to make me think they could handle 100 °C.
It might warp them, though, so I would try it with one first and maybe just boil them for a minute or less and then steam them above the boiling water for a few more.
They probably have some anti microbial treatment straight out of the package which will not survive the first washing, and after that they will tend to develop a smell of mildew unless you actually do sterilize them somehow.
posted by jamjam at 4:08 PM on February 15, 2023
It might warp them, though, so I would try it with one first and maybe just boil them for a minute or less and then steam them above the boiling water for a few more.
They probably have some anti microbial treatment straight out of the package which will not survive the first washing, and after that they will tend to develop a smell of mildew unless you actually do sterilize them somehow.
posted by jamjam at 4:08 PM on February 15, 2023
I keep a pile of old dish towels for mopping up spillages, cleaning the shower, washing the windows or the car etc., and the pads from my steam mop go in the wash with those. I sometimes also throw in any old canvas shoes that might benefit from a good clean - they seem OK with it.
posted by pipeski at 4:14 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 4:14 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
My LG washer has a quick wash setting that I use for exactly this purpose. If it’s really grimy I add an extra rinse. All front loaders are very efficient in terms of water use, and if you use cold water it will be relatively low energy as well.
posted by zenon at 5:33 PM on February 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by zenon at 5:33 PM on February 15, 2023 [1 favorite]
We wash them in a weekly load with our dish towels, cat barf clean-up cloths, cleaning j-cloths, bathroom rugs, kitchen floor mats, etc. No problem with the whole load getting clean.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:56 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:56 PM on February 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
I would wash them in their own load, hot water, real soap (e.g. Dr. Bronners) and borax, maybe bleach if you have it (but that's just me), on the smallest load-size setting my washer had.
Every top-load washer I've owned has had a 'small' load size that's pretty small, probably only a few gallons of water for wash and another few for rinse. In the scheme of things that's not even a rounding error when it comes to water usage unless you're living in a severe localized drought.
If you feel especially guilty, perhaps you can consider the amount of water you are saving by not using paper towels or disposable Swiffer-type cleaning cloths. The water used to produce a box of either will be more than you use to launder the mopheads.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:25 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Every top-load washer I've owned has had a 'small' load size that's pretty small, probably only a few gallons of water for wash and another few for rinse. In the scheme of things that's not even a rounding error when it comes to water usage unless you're living in a severe localized drought.
If you feel especially guilty, perhaps you can consider the amount of water you are saving by not using paper towels or disposable Swiffer-type cleaning cloths. The water used to produce a box of either will be more than you use to launder the mopheads.
posted by Kadin2048 at 7:25 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
I would definitely pre-wash them (in a bucket, with a bleach rinse) to get the...goobers...off, before putting them in the clothes washer that handles my undies. Even if they were in their own washer load.
posted by amtho at 11:54 PM on February 15, 2023
posted by amtho at 11:54 PM on February 15, 2023
Nthing everybody who says together with any other cleaning rags/hair colouring towels or pet items - hot wash, no specific additional preparations required.
When I mop the floor I tend to rinse the mop when I'm done to remove any debris it has picked up. So I'd not even attempt to remove more debris before throwing in the washing machine. But if you've not done that then yes, you should try to shake out any obvious debris.
You're not looking to remove stains from the mop, you're not looking to use them to prepare food or clean up food prep surfaces or to clean your body or to wear next to your skin. You're going to use them to clean the floor again....so they do not need to be sanitized or bleached or anything like that.
If you can't wash them immediately after you finish cleaning, store them in a way that allows them to dry until you can run a load of 'rags'. That way they don't become smelly or anything like that and are much less gross to handle.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:09 AM on February 16, 2023
When I mop the floor I tend to rinse the mop when I'm done to remove any debris it has picked up. So I'd not even attempt to remove more debris before throwing in the washing machine. But if you've not done that then yes, you should try to shake out any obvious debris.
You're not looking to remove stains from the mop, you're not looking to use them to prepare food or clean up food prep surfaces or to clean your body or to wear next to your skin. You're going to use them to clean the floor again....so they do not need to be sanitized or bleached or anything like that.
If you can't wash them immediately after you finish cleaning, store them in a way that allows them to dry until you can run a load of 'rags'. That way they don't become smelly or anything like that and are much less gross to handle.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:09 AM on February 16, 2023
You're going to use them to clean the floor again....so they do not need to be sanitized or bleached or anything like that.
I have to disagree with this- mopping or cleaning with musty or mildewy smelling rags or mops just makes everything smell gross- and if actually mildewed can spread spores around.
My usual procedure with mopheads is to blast them with a hose and dry in the sun after squeezing them out; then after a few times washing them as recommended in the washer on the "sanitation" setting with other cleaning items or towels. If I have nothing to wash them with I wash them on their own, as our washer supposedly senses the amount of water required and adjusts.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:49 PM on February 17, 2023
I have to disagree with this- mopping or cleaning with musty or mildewy smelling rags or mops just makes everything smell gross- and if actually mildewed can spread spores around.
My usual procedure with mopheads is to blast them with a hose and dry in the sun after squeezing them out; then after a few times washing them as recommended in the washer on the "sanitation" setting with other cleaning items or towels. If I have nothing to wash them with I wash them on their own, as our washer supposedly senses the amount of water required and adjusts.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:49 PM on February 17, 2023
musty or mildewy smelling rags or mops just makes everything smell gross- and if actually mildewed can spread spores around.
How do you all end up with piles of damp cleaning materials that are allowed to fester to get to the point where they are taking on a life of their own? Finish cleaning and wash that stuff and let it dry before further use. Alternatively, allow it to dry before you store it if you can’t do laundry immediately. It’s not difficult to drape rags and the mop covers over your cleaning bucket to allow them to dry if you can’t wash them immediately. Might mean you can’t finish putting things away until the next day but surely that’s preferable to letting things fester? Dry stuff doesn’t tend to get musty/mildewy (unless you are in the sort of climate where nothing ever dries fully).
Sure, once you’ve reached the point where things have come alive, sanitise and bleach the bell out of them. But that is not inevitable.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2023
How do you all end up with piles of damp cleaning materials that are allowed to fester to get to the point where they are taking on a life of their own? Finish cleaning and wash that stuff and let it dry before further use. Alternatively, allow it to dry before you store it if you can’t do laundry immediately. It’s not difficult to drape rags and the mop covers over your cleaning bucket to allow them to dry if you can’t wash them immediately. Might mean you can’t finish putting things away until the next day but surely that’s preferable to letting things fester? Dry stuff doesn’t tend to get musty/mildewy (unless you are in the sort of climate where nothing ever dries fully).
Sure, once you’ve reached the point where things have come alive, sanitise and bleach the bell out of them. But that is not inevitable.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:15 AM on April 30, 2023
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posted by greta simone at 2:46 PM on February 15, 2023 [2 favorites]