Mopping the Old Fashioned Way
In attempting to live a more frugal and simple lifestyle, there are many things we've gone back to doing the old fashioned way. Most things have been intentional, such as growing our own food, canning it, and cooking from scratch. A few things, though, have happened quite by accident, like living without a microwave, and the latest old fashioned way adventure; mopping the floor.
Mopping floors is not a task I enjoy. It doesn't help that I've never owned a mop that I thought was worthwhile. Even ones that I thought worked wonderfully when first purchased, soon frustrated me because I couldn't get them squeezed out enough, or the head would start falling apart. Seems like you always need to replace the mop, and they aren't cheap!
My current mop is in a sorry state. A replacement has been due for some time now. The mop head is shot, and the mechanism that is supposed to squeeze out the excess water simply is not doing the job. I kept using it though with the intention of doing some research to locate the "perfect mop" before making another purchase.
Then one day there was company coming. The kitchen floor needed mopped; badly, and I still had cooking to do. There simply wasn't enough time to mop, and wait for the floor to dry. It takes a long time to dry with my malfunctioning mop. I resorted to a rag, and mopping by hand.
I was amazed at the difference. The floor looked so much cleaner when it was done by hand. The corners were clean. The edges were clean, and even the kick boards under the cupboards were clean. The kitchen looked great.
Mopping by hand takes a lot of time right? Wrong. I even timed it. The last time I washed my kitchen floor it took me just under fifteen minutes. I've never timed mopping with a mop, but I can't imagine that it takes much less than fifteen minutes. It took about another fifteen minutes for the floor to dry.
Mopping by hand is more work? Well you've got me there. It does require a bit more physical exertion, but I think of it as exercise. Exercise is something I could use more of!
Mopping by hand, like going without a microwave, may not be the way I do things forever. I could be seduced to purchase the right microwave or the perfect mop, but for now going without is working well for me.
To see what is working for others visit Works for Me Wednesday.
Photo credit: natr_illustration
Labels:
laundry and cleaning
34 comments:
I often mop by hand for two reasons:
1.) I hate mops. I have the same frustration with them as you do
and 2.) I have a very tiny space of linoleum in my apt. (3x6 kitchen, 4x5 "foyer," and 3x5 bathrooms)...
I always thought I would go back to the mop if I had a big kitchen, so I commend you on saying no to the mop (and to the Mr. Clean rejects-which have used and not loved).
Another tip is to use natural cleaners like vinegar and have the kids help, especially before their bath. This lets the floor dry b/c they are stuck in the tub!
R.S.
Thanks.
Thia
Vinegar and water is my favorite for the floors! I love the idea of getting the kids involved too!
I enjoy mopping by hand as well. It definitely takes less time (IMO), the floor dries more quickly and I feel like I've really been working! Plus, you can see the dirty spots more easily...
I agree - I think it's just as fast to mop by hand & it does a much better job. With a mop, I always ended up getting down on my knees for the trouble spots anyway, so it's easier just to crawl around for 10 minutes.
My husband thinks I'm crazy though - he prefers the mop!
I never feel the floor is "properly clean" unless I wash the floor by hand. Weird, but whatever works, right? Now, I tend to alternate - my hubby got sucked into the Swiffer craze, so sometimes it's a quick Swiffer, and others a thorough scrub. :0)
I do the same thing!! It's a good work out too! I always break a good sweat. We live where we have tons of red clay dirt and I can tell a huge difference when wiping up the floors after a meal or snack (with 2 little ones!!)
I mop the "old fashioned" way too! It really does get the floors cleaner than mops (and I think I've tried them all!) If you don't believe me, use your favorite mop then go over the floors again on your hands and knees with a white rag--yikes!
I owned a mop when we first got married. It was one of those sponge-head ones that I bought to clean the floors in our apartment- they weren't in the cleanest condition when we rented it. I think I used it once or twice and I've rag mopped my floors ever since. I even resort to a scrub brush or tooth brush to get into my grout lines and tile pattern once in a while. Since I have a huge kitchen/dining room/ mud room floor, I usually find myself spot cleaning through the week and washing the entire thing once a month. I find that by the time I get to the end the floor is almost completely dry. I do use my swiffer with a wet cloth now and then.
I dont enjoy it but I do the floors without benefit of a mop also. They really do get cleaner.
Our kitchen floor is sort of textured...it is supposed to show the dirt less...which it does...but it also holds more dirt because of it. Never quite understood that.
I use an old shower poof to scrub because of the texture and it cleans it well.
I also use one of those foam pads they sell to gardeners to kneel on to save my knee caps. I think they sell them at the dollar stores now.
Becca,
I agree you can see the dirt better, and I notice spots on the cabinets and other places I don't notice as much standing up.
Shannon,
We have red clay too. I feel your pain.
Heather,
That is me too. Spot cleaning (cleaning up a kid's spill) daily, but the on my knees cleaning maybe once a month or so.
K,
That is a great idea for the scrubber!
Sometimes I have the kids "skate" on the floor with wet rags on their feet, too. I have given up on finding the perfect mop. I much prefer the look and feel of a hand-scrubbed floor.
Can someone give instructions? I've only seen people mopping with mops.
I too don't like mops and have taken to scrubbing the floor with a sponge. I get the kind with a scrubber on one side and a regular sponge on the other. I just clean with water from the sink, scrubbing a few squares with one side of the sponge, then wiping them dryer with the sponge side. Then I rinse out the sponge at the sink and tackle the next few squares.
I like that you can put all your weight into it, like you're doing CPR.
But are you supposed to use rags? Buckets? Soap or vinegar?
Debbie,
I am not sure there really is any "right" way to do it. Using a bucket though keeps you from having to get up and down to the sink. I use about 1/4 c of vinegar in a bucket of hot water, and wipe with a rung out rag. No need to rinse and it really dries quickly. I think you can use whatever works for you, but I'd think the sponges would wear out faster, and rags are free. I use old towels, dish rags, or other repurposed fabric, sometimes even old T-shirts.
Cool, thank-you.
Thia (or anyone else) is it okay to use vinegar on a wood (oak) floor?
I am all for a little vinegar and an old rag as, I too hate the mop (right now I have a half-broken sponge mop). I've always considering a rag wipe down to be cheating...now I'll just think of it as the "old fashioned way!"
Green Me
I would think diluted vinegar would be safe for wood floors, but it has been a long time since I've had them. When I did have them Murphy's oil soap was my choice, but it isn't exactly cheap, and I'm not sure how green that is. Really though just plain water will often do the trick unless the floors are particularly dirty.
OOps this is Stephanie. My husband was signed in. And I'm being lazy and not fixing it !:)
I always mop by hand. I rarely use a mop although we have a functional one. I find it better to mop with the hand because I can check if the floor is really clean. I mean up close I could the little things that are sticking in the floor (which is not noticeable when you're standing and mopping). You bet I'm a little OCD. Little? Heheh
Okay you get the frugal award of the week for cleaning with a rag. Yes it works and it's not using some swiffer that you have to throw away. Way to go green!
I always mop my bathrooms by hand. Otherwise, you're just spreading hair around and not getting it up. For my kitchen, I've found the swiffer wet jet to work very nicely because of have laminate floors. I just spray a solution of vinegar and water on the floors and mop it with the swiffer. It gets them pretty clean and they dry quickly.
Cindy,
you make me blush! :)
Karen,
I do have a swiffer, but never have used it much.
I'll be keeping my eyes open for cheap kneepads now, so I can do this too!
Murphy's oil soap is totally green. :-)
I think I'll try this with a wet microfiber cloth.
How to make cheap kneepads: Get one pair of thick, cushy socks and one pair of thin long knee socks (or trouser socks). Fold your thick socks until they are only as long as your knee is wide. Now you have a cushy pad. Slide it halfway down the long, thin sock. Now hold the cushy part and set it at the front of your knee; tie the ends of the long sock together at the back of your knee.
Actually, for better comfort, slide the pad only 1/3 of the way in or so; then you can tie the long sock at the side and it will be more comfortable when you squat down.
I made these for canoeing, where for maximum boat stability you are supposed to be on your knees, only leaning against the seat instead of sitting on it.
I use old thick shorty socks with holes in the heels for my pad, and my old Holly Hobbie knee socks which I really shouldn't be seen in anymore for the tie.
Soft knee pads are the best. You'll be surprised at how fast the floor is finished. try Target for under $20.
I just tried this and love it! I have a bad back, and this was so much more comfortable! I could just plop down and clean, then move to a new spot. Thanks!
Thanks for the great suggestions for knee pads!
Emily Ann,
So glad it worked for you!
I have to admit -- I don't even own a mop or Swiffer. I exclusively wash the floor by hand. It's just so much cleaner like that.
Okay, so I own a mop, I think it is still functional??? Not sure, the floor doesn't get mopped as often as it should, more likely to toss a wet towel or rag on the floor and so a little bit of a shimmy sorta dance to spot mop. And then when I actually mop, well, I'm with the rest of you. It is just easier, and I feel better about it when I'm done. To whomever made comment about it being greener than the swiffer, totally agree, but if you are ever so inclined to try it, grab your microfiber cloth (I got mine at CVS for a buck, mom got hers at kmart for 50 cents), stick it on the swiffer, poke it into the holes so that it is tight on the side you will be using then toss in the laundry when you are done. Although I find I use this more for the dry mop type purposes than the wet mop way most of the time, but it works for both.
I mop by hand too about once a month. Otherwise, I just grab my Swiffer. I don't spend any money on purchasing those expensive pre-moisened paper towel things to put on the Swiffer either. I joined the microfiber rags bandwagon (bought a 20 pack at Sam's) and put one of those on the bottom of my Swiffer. Wet or dry, in between hand mopping, it does the trick!!
When I lived in Brazil, I watched how the maids did the floors. They would take the old mop and wrap a wrung out a clean rag (old t-shirt,etc)in the sudsy water and mop the floor with that. Saves the back and knees that way!! I do that all the time now at home.
WOW. I had no idea there was this secret movement to hand mop/clean hard floors. lol This generated lots of conversation! Just to add my two sense: I've got tons of hard floor space so I use a modern version of the string mop with a spray bottle of vinegar water. Keeping the mophead out of a bucket of dirty water & rinsing in clean running water seems to help keep the floors cleaner than when I kept dunking the mop in the dirty mop water bucket.
I actually have my eye on a Bissell Flip N Ease. It vacuums your dirt off the floor and it has a rewashable mop head with a reservoir that holds whatever cleaning solution you choose to use. My Granny In-Law has one and LOVES it. Her whole house is linoleum or hardwood so it's also easier on her since she's getting older.
What about foot mopping? This is my favorite way to clean the floors. I just use a couple of old towels that have been ripped in half to use as cleaning rags, then soak them in a vinegar and soap solution. I then toss them on the floor and step on them and slide my way around the floor scrubbing with my feet kind of like skating. I find this much easier on the back and knees and kind of fun. After I am done, I either let the floor air dry or grab a dry towle and skate across the floors again until they are dry.
Mr. Clean makes an interesting mop with a removable cloth that attaches using drawstring technology. I always use this at home to clean my wood floor and I could totally to toe-to-toe with the foot dancing towel lady. Bring it on! FYI I bought the mop at Target.
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