How to Choose Floor Mop Cloths

Whether you own a commercial business or clean at home, floor mops are an important tool. They’re simple to use and can help you keep your hard floors looking their best.

Mops come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. So how do you choose the right one for your needs?

Absorbency

Absorbency is a key factor in floor cleaning. The mop pads you use on your floor should be able to absorb the dirt and cleaning liquid left behind by the floor cleaner.

Microfiber mops are a good choice for this because they're made up of buzzillion teeny-tiny strands of woven polyester and polyamide threads that are less than 1,000 times the thickness of a strand of hair.

They're also incredibly soft, making them comfortable to use on your floors, as well as highly absorbent, meaning they can hold up to more liquid than traditional cotton mops.

They're ideal for a wide range of applications, such as blood spills in hospital operating rooms and urine spills in older people homes. They're also great for removing water-based messes in places where staff are required to keep floors clean like restaurants and supermarkets.

Durability

Microfiber mop pads are designed to be reusable. They are made from a blend of polyester and polyamide (nylon) fibers. The nylon component provides static charge to attract dirt, pulling it in and trapping it until the mop pad is washed.

They also absorb less liquid than a sponge mop head, which makes them safer for workers. Health-care facilities, in particular, choose microfiber mops because they help reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

We compared eight different floor mop cloths in our testing, looking at how well they cleaned tile, laminate and vinyl floors, as well as how easy they were to use. We also evaluated the durability of each product, looking at how easily they could be removed and refilled.

Cleaning Method

To keep your floors looking their best, a regular floor cleaning routine is essential. The best way to do this is to sweep and vacuum regularly, but if you want a deep clean, you'll need to use a mop.

The key to using a mop effectively is to know how to use it properly, and how to choose the right one for your needs. Start by choosing a mop that's designed for the type of flooring you have, and use it according to the manufacturer's instructions.

For instance, if you have hardwood, mix a quarter cup of mild or pH-neutral soap (like dish detergent) in one bucket of water and then swipe across the floor using a barely-damp mop.

For bamboo, a similar approach applies, although the softer material is more prone to nicks and scratches than wood. Be extra careful to thoroughly sweep up all the dirt and debris, and avoid leaving puddles or standing water on your floors, which can cause warping.

Price

Floor mop cloths can be pricey, but are worth it for their superior cleaning performance and less water and chemicals used. Using microfiber is also a good way to save money and the environment.

Microfiber mops and cleaning pads use manmade fibers that are chemically split into tiny segments the size of human hair. This makes them more effective at cleaning surfaces and reaching into surface pores and crevices where cotton materials are too large for deep cleaning.

They also produce a static charge that attracts dirt and dust, trapping them until the cloth or pad is washed.

Microfiber is also more absorbent than traditional cotton mops. It traps dirt, dust and bacteria at microscopic levels, which reduces the amount of water and chemicals needed for cleaning.