MYTH: You have to mop your floors with boiling water Many people think you need to mop with boiling water to thoroughly clean your floors. This, however, is a myth – rather than always giving you a better clean, the temperature of the water can actually have a negative effect.
Using hot water also reduces the drying time after cleaning, which means the areas and items you've cleaned are available sooner.
The CDC recommends boiling water for at least 1 minute to kill most bacteria. However, it is important to note that some bacteria are more resistant to heat than others. For example, it takes longer to kill the bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease.
Hot water cannot bond with any insoluble dirt, making it a better medium to clean than cold water. Therefore, hot water is more effective for cleaning purposes than cold water as it has higher kinetic energy, extra space between its molecules, and is more compatible with detergents.
Before mopping, sweep or vacuum the floor to remove grit, hair, and other large particles. Removing the everyday accumulation of dirt first makes the task of mopping less arduous. Be sure to blot dry any wet areas before sweeping or vacuuming; otherwise, you'll dirty the floor further by spreading the grime.
Cotton string mops are full of germs.
Microfiber flat mops paired with dual compartment buckets are an effective way to clean for health and sanitation. Together, they prevent surface and mop head re-soiling. The dense microfiber blend promotes deeper penetration for cleaner surfaces.
Many people think you need to mop with boiling water to thoroughly clean your floors. This, however, is a myth – rather than always giving you a better clean, the temperature of the water can actually have a negative effect.
Like bleach, using hot water can deactivate certain compounds and therefore, make the products less aggressive in removing dirt. For this reason, cold or room temperature water is advised when diluting the cleaning product to clean kitchen surfaces.
Con: Hot Water Can Damage or Discolor Clothing
Hot water can cause bright colors to run and fade, and can shrink certain types of fabric. Hot water can also damage certain synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, and vinyl. The heat breaks down the fibers and can ruin the fabric.
Boiling water is the most efficient method of purification when a person does not have access to safe, treated water. Many organisms cannot survive when water reaches its boiling point of 212 F. In fact, if the temperature of the water is above 160 F, any organism in the water will not survive longer than 30 minutes.
CDC recommends making water microbiologically safe to drink by bringing it to a rolling boil for one (1) minute.
Boiled water can be kept in sterilized, properly sealed containers in the refrigerator for 3 days or for 24 hours if kept at room temperature out of direct sunlight.
Mopping with dirty water usually causes that buildup and dirty appearance, even though it was just mopped. Dirt is added to a mop bucket each time the mop is dunked into the water, if you don't change the water you are just transferring the dirt and grime around the floors through the dirty water.
Mix ½ cup of vinegar with one gallon of hot water to create your mopping solution. Wring out your mop thoroughly so that it is only damp and doesn't saturate wood floors with moisture to avoid damage.
Mop around the edges first, then move to the middle of the floor, using overlapping, figure-eight strokes. When one side of the mop gets dirty, turn the mop over to the clean side. When both sides are dirty, wash the mop in the bucket; otherwise, you'll be spreading dirt around instead of removing it.
Light dust and soils on a hard floor surface can very effectively be removed with water only. Heavier soils, sticky syrupy soils, petroleum based soils, kitchen areas and restrooms typically require more than water and there are specially designed chemicals for these.
Mix a solution of ½ cup of distilled white vinegar per gallon of warm water. Mop floors. If you're using it on hardwood floors, it's very important to wring your mop out as much as possible.
You'll be pleased to hear that, yes, you can mop most floors with just water. However, before you attempt to do this you've got to make sure that your floor can be cleaned with water first and foremost.
Floor Mopping
Mild dish soap is a surprisingly good floor cleaner. All you need is 1 to 2 tablespoons of dish soap mixed in with a bucket of water. Floors will be clean and shiny in no time. Dish soap is very effective on resilient floorings, such as linoleum and vinyl, and also works well on ceramic tile.
DON'T: Clean with hot water. If letting water stand on real wood flooring is bad, using hot water to clean does the same amount of damage. Hot water can dissolve over time the luster of your floors finish and penetrates the wood a lot easier than cold.
Steam cleaning kills germs, viruses, and molds.
When steam penetrates surface pores, it removes dirt, debris, bacteria, and other tiny elements with hot vapor molecules. These vapor molecules are so hot that they are able to kill even the strongest pathogens like E. Coli and Salmonella from your home's surfaces.
The flat head microfiber mop. That's right! It's time to toss out every other floor mop you have ever owned and you'll soon know exactly why! This floor mop is what the pros use in almost every case and there's many reasons why.
But as a rule of thumb, you should mop your floors at least once a week—especially in areas that are more likely to get stains from drips and spills, like the kitchen and bathroom. “Of course, you need to vacuum or sweep the floor before mopping,” explains Leiva.