Mopping the Floor: Is It Really Effective?
On one early Wednesday morning, in the middle of a product deployment, my coworkers and I started discussing mopping and sweeping the floor. I, for one, have a routine of just sweeping my bedroom every morning and mop every couple of days. I don’t really like mopping because then I cannot really be in my room whilst I wait for the floor to dry.
However, after the discussion with my coworkers, I started to think, is mopping really effective in cleaning the floor or is it just something that we do? To answer that question, I started reading about the traditional mopping (the one where you have to do it manually with a mop and a bucket) and I am here to share what I found. I am also doing this reading for fun, do not expect this article to be serious and have all of my citations scientific.
A Short History of Mopping As We Know It Today
Cleaning the floor has always been a part of the housework, whether it be dusting, sweeping, or mopping. The word mappe in Old English (dating back to the 15th century) was thought to be the source of what we now refer to as mopping. But, of course, this does not account for the history of floor cleaning techniques from the other cultures. I am sure there are other origin stories, but I just could not find it.
Interestingly enough, even from the Western perspective there have been disputes as to who “invented” the common tools for mopping as we know it today. Some claim it was invented by the Spanish engineer, Manuel Jalón in the mid-1950s. Others say it was Thomas W. Stewart with his clamping mop made out of yarn in 1893.
Regardless, there have been many inventions to improve these tools, and one of them is Joy Mangano, the person who became the inspiration for the movie Joy in 2015.
Why Mopping Matters?
But why should we care about mopping the floor? Well, for one, floor mopping takes up 35–40% of the working time in most cleaning jobs (Hägg et al., 2008) and the floor cleaning industry was quoted to be valued at USD 5.38 billion in 2018 alone.
It is also a booming industry with a continuous product advancement to cater to the changing needs. The floor cleaning industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 5.5% over the next 5 years according to the Global Floor Cleaning Machine Market report.
Furthermore, ever since the pandemic started, cleaning our home has become one of the most important precautions to lower the risk of infection, as the virus may survive for a few hours up to several days on surfaces.
Stop the Mop!
However, there are some groups of people who are against traditional mopping techniques. One of the movements is called, Stop the Mop. From their perspective, traditional mopping had been thought to just spread the water and soap around, rather than eliminate the dirt.
Not only that, in an interview with Dr. Charles P Gerba, a microbiologist, revealed even after we “killed” the bacteria from mopping, those dead bacteria became a food source for other bacteria. So we did not really get rid of the germs, did we?
Other than the cleanliness, mopping was thought to be ineffective because of the danger and risks it puts on the person who mops themselves. There is a risk of slipping and developing physical strains due to the repetitive movements and awkward posture one has to do when mopping (Wallius et al., 2015). Traditional wet mopping is also one of the most common causes of repetitive movement injury in the cleaning industry (Hopsu, 2000).
Alternative to Traditional Mopping
So… if traditional mopping turns out to be not that effective, are there any alternatives that we can do?
The answer to that is of course there is! Some suggest that the no-touch method, get a specialist cleaner, or another specialist cleaner.
But then, all of these alternatives are either costly, require big machines and have studies being conducted by the same companies who are selling floor-cleaning services. Since I am just a commoner, I will take the findings with a grain of salt.
Meh… The Alternative Is Too Expensive
If you are like me, you probably cannot just unlearn what you now know the downsides of mopping. On the other hand, you probably would not want to spend that much money for a big machine that will do just one specific type of housework for you. Fortunately, there are thousands of different videos, articles and blog posts explaining how to mop properly in their own ways.
The rule of thumb is to start dry by sweeping and vacuuming the floor first, then move to the wet part of cleaning. Don’t forget to use some sort of cleaning solution to clean the bacteria. Then most things differ from there. From the type of water used (hot vs. cold), how much solution is appropriate, and whether to use one or two buckets.
Some suggest mopping using hot water, others suggest cold water is better. Some say it’s fine to use one bucket, others say you should prepare 2 buckets; one filled with the detergent, one for rinsing. Some even suggested changing the bucket, water, and mop head in the same session of mopping if it gets visibly dirty.
Also, it turns out that waiting for the floor to dry by itself is a mistake, since it will just leave the residue on the floor and increase the risk of slipping. The right way is to get another clean mop, and wiping it with the dry and cleaner mop. If you don’t believe me, try this next time. After you’re done mopping, put a kitchen towel or tissue on the patch of floor and wipe it. You will more likely than not, pick up dirt.
After you’re done mopping, make sure you rinse until the mop until it does not have anymore residue and hang them to air dry. It’s also suggested to change your mop heads every 2 or 3 months, or sooner if it’s worn out before then.
To reduce the risk of developing the physical strains, some research suggest to use of adjustable mop handles in case you have to mop surfaces with different elevations and heights (Wallius et al., 2019). Also, try to use the push method, rather than the figure 8 method (when you kinda make the number 8 as you mop) to reduce shoulder strains (Hagner & Hagberg, 1989).
To sum up, there are many people who have a say in what is the right way of mopping. Personally, I don’t think there is one correct way to do it, I believe that there are some alternatives that I can do to improve my mopping technique. The kind of mopping I am currently doing is not effective to clean my floor, and I shall adopt a better technique… next time. Thanks for reading!
