Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Quick Tip: Mopping Floors

I'm not going to lie, I really do not like mopping floors.

I think moreso that I just don't have the time to give my floor a good mop every time it needs it. I like to only do it when Noah is napping, or playing quietly so that I dont' have worry about him trompling all over my clean floor. But, by the time I remember I need to mop, get the floor swept, and get the bucket drawn and am on my way--he comes in and I have to try to keep him out. Or, I just get busy and forget that I haven't mopped in weeks days and it is 8:00pm and I have no desire to mop right before bed.



But, I do love a clean floor. The sense of accomplishment when it is clean, shiny and sparkly, and often times slightly slippery is just amazing.

So, I decided to put my "mop water" in a spray bottle.


You can pick these up at Walmart for about a dollar. All I did was run super hot water, and add just a little bit of cleaner (you can use anything that you would normally use on your floor). Give it a good shake and you are ready to roll.

Spray on your floor, and mop away!


No bucket. No icky, dirty mop water. Your floor dries fast. Great for cleaning up spills quickly. Good for spot cleaning right before company comes.

When you are done, store under your sink, or with your cleaning supplies. Definitely a floor saver!


This isn't to say that the floor doesn't sometimes need a really good hands and knees kind of cleaning--because it still will, occassionally. But, this sure does help me out, a lot!


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42 comments:

Christine said...

Great idea, what a time saver!

Buffie said...

Great idea. I actually use a swiffer wet jet which someone gave me, but the idea behind it is the same. You way is just much cheaper.

Pam said...

I do this very same thing with a vinegar/water solution which is actually great for cleaning everything from windows to counter tops. Spritz the floor, hit it with my microfiber mop and viola! We're good to go. Glad to see I'm not the only one who does this.

Have a great one! Pam

Anonymous said...

I started doing this recently too. It sure is a time saver and so much easier to deal with.

I really don't like cleaning my floors either. Who does?

Sherry @ Lamp Unto My Feet said...

I have a clorox mop and use a rag instead of their pads and then use my own solution like you. :D

Trina said...

I love this idea. And I was just thinking of sharing my "mop" idea, but it's a tad embarrassing LOL

Hannah said...

Oooh, I like this idea! We're gonna start mopping this way!

Anonymous said...

Brilliance! I'm going to try this. I have a really hard time getting motivated to get out the bucket and mop water sometimes.

momstheword said...

I'll make you a deal. I'll bake cookies for you if you'll mop for me! O.k.?

I don't like mopping either but this is a great idea. I have the swifter wet or whatever it's called, but I still don't like doing the floors...there are so many of them....

Amy -Cutting Coupons in KC said...

I love this idea! I do not like to mop my floor. It is time consuming and messy. Several years ago we replaced our kitchen floor and one of the factors in deciding which floor I wanted was which floor would not show dirt!!

L2L said...

ohh good tip, I always have to pull out the old bucket cause I wait soooo long to do this chore. mopping and laundry ugh!!!!! maybe I should try the spray bottle and see what my 7 year old thinks, oh there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!!!

alpinekleins said...

Brilliant idea! Why didn't we all figure this one out long ago? I like the earlier comment about the vinegar water, it stores and you can pull it out in a jiffy. Keep a rag or two with the bottle and you're ready to go.

Getting up off this chair - to go set up :)

Great place you have here - soooo much fun to visit!

Kristin K

AmyK said...

Mop water... in a spray bottle...
Genius!

I already have a sponge I keep under the sink for when I don't really FEEL like mopping but notice a blob of... whatever it is... on the kitchen floor. I grab the sponge and run it under the faucet and go to work. But mop water in a spray bottle? Perfect!

Unknown said...

I usually used Clorox and water with a Swifter mop,and an old rag. I then mop the kitchen and bathroom floors.
It' doesn't take long to finish the floors.
Just a suggestion, you'll be able to do a proper mopping when your little ones get older.

Christine said...

I just ran across this, I thought that you may like this ... very funny ....

Floor-cleaning products in Venezuela have ten times the pine fragrance of U.S. floor cleaners. Venezuelan women won’t buy a weaker fragrance. These obsessive homemakers may wet-mop their tile floors twice a day, leaving windows and doors open so the scent can waft out to the street to send the message that their houses are clean.

Holly said...

This is a great tip! I have a steam mop, but often I will go around and spray the bad spots with this mixture. I also use it with the swiffer sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Great idea...I'm so going to try this!!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! I love it!

Kate said...

I love this idea! Mopping the floors is something I tend to put off, so I'll have to try this. =)

~Kate
"Which Proverbs 14:1 Woman?"
http://proverbs14-1.blogspot.com

Kaye said...

This IS a great idea! Why didn't I think of this?!

Thanks for sharing, as this is certainly a huge time saver and dirty mop water preventer! =)

Heather@justdoingmybest said...

I agree, horrible chore! We have laminate wood floors so I cannot use water, so I use Windex
(will evaporate quickly) and a microfiber dust mop. Love these time savers!

Jerralea said...

Great idea. I love those spray bottles, so useful for all kinds of things.

Annikke said...

I am SO gonna try this! I just saw some $1 spray bottles at a craft store too!

Anonymous said...

I love using floor cleaner spray it works out so much than the old buckets do!

Frugal Sara said...

This is a great idea~
I am going to try it!

Noel said...

I hate to mop also. When we built the house I had a dark stone looking floor put in for a reason! I have found that spraying the floor and then "mopping" it with a swiffer works great. and to save money on the swiffer, I place a damp washcloth on the end instead of a pricey pad. Works just as well.

Stephanie said...

I will try this for sure. Or I will 'allow' one of my kids to try it. :) Great idea!!!

Ruth Saves $ said...

Fantastic idea! Thank you so much for sharing.

Ashley said...

Great tip! Maybe I can convince my hubs to do this tonight as he's been putting off his mopping of floors (one floor) for a week!

-ash
www.bosssanders.com

Kristin - The Goat said...

I have a microfiber mop and all I use is water, from a spray bottle to clean the floor - goodness it is so easy. I hate the mop and bucket routine. I'm so glad you found a better way and shared it!

* Nancy * said...

Yay, nifty idea! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

i do this too! :)
it IS so much easier and cleaner, than traditional mopping!!
i recommend socks on a slippery floor...indoor slip-n-slide! haha
thanks for sharing:)

Thia said...

I think this is a great idea, says someone who fills her sink with hot soapy water, grabs a rag and uses her feet to do the work. THen I just wash my sink.

HappyAndersons said...

Using a spray bottle rocks!!! Thanks for the idea!

Here's another creative idea when cleaning your floor:

http://frugalandie.blogspot.com/2009/03/swiffer-socks.html

Kelly Miller said...

Great idea. I was given a Swiffer mop for a housewarming gift so I do like pp Sherry and use cloth rags in place of pads and fill the bottle up with water/vinegar/lemon juice. It's so neat and easy. TFS!

Meghan said...

This is so smart! You're saving water too.

Courtney said...

great tip!! I will have to do it with my vinegar and water. its hard with hard wood floors to make sure they are not getting to much water so this is a great way to control that!

No I wasn't Sleeping said...

I can't wait until my kids are old enough to mop the floor. This is one job I would dfeinitely pay someone else to do.

Michelle said...

Great idea! I love my Swiffer wet jet but probably should get down and scrub the floors more than I do.

Annikke said...

This is a marvelous idea! I have tried lots of things. The swiffer is one. Nothing seems to really "Work for Me" so I am going to try this now and see if it helps me keep the floors clean!

Moore Minutes said...

Wow! Seriously this is a tip I am going to use ASAP. This is such an excellent idea. I'm excited about it, haha.

Katrine said...

Great tip! I will have to try this because mopping is the very worst chore known to mankind!