Cleaning wood floors is part of maintaining them. If you don’t keep up with cleaning your floors, it gets harder to clean them. Also, when you have bits of dirt, they may cause micro scratches if they are being dragged across your floor by people’s feet.
When you go to your local home building center, you will find different solutions to cleaning your wood floors. A microfiber mop is cleaning device that works well and has been around for eons. It is economical, too. The ones that are designed for hardwood floors typically have a large, flat mop head.
Why Microfiber?
It is safe for all finished wood surfaces. It will not scratch – provided you use it correctly and have the right size pads on it. They are lightweight and easy to use. They pick up dirt and dust well. They are great for big homes and small spaces.
What To Look for When Selecting a Microfiber Mop for Your Hardwood Floors
The microfiber pads should be washable or replaceable. The microfiber pads should be easy to remove. If it is frustrating to take the pads off, you won’t want to replace them when you need to. In fact, I have heard stories of people who can’t figure out how to replace the head and end up throwing the entire mop away!
When purchasing a microfiber mop, price is a factor. The refill cost is more important than the cost of the mop itself. Often there is a brand name replacement and a generic no name. The generic usually will not fit your mop. Certain brands are only available at specific stores. For convenience, it may be easier to get a common brand or go to your local building center or superstore to get one.
Both durability and comfort when using are factors to consider. Some have telescoping sticks which are good for adjusting to make it comfortable for your height. You should not have to replace your mop often at all – just the mopheads. The question of durability and comfort boil down to personal preference.
Selecting A Cleaning Solution for Your Microfiber Mop
You can mop totally dry to pick up dust. You may have a cleaning solution that comes with your wood floor mop. Never use a lot of cleaning solution if you are using it. Some cleaners leave streaks and white, cloudy patches on your wood floors – Murphy’s Oil Soap is famous for its streaks! If you want to use the solution your mop comes with, test it in a small area that is not seen like a closet before doing the whole floor. I like using white vinegar with some water mixed together. It does a good job and won’t dull your finish.
How To Use Your Microfiber Mop
The trick is to do very long sweeps. Don’t pick up your mop but keep it on the floor. Think of it like a vacuum cleaner. Keep on going with it. Don’t stop. Like vacuuming, don’t lift your mop until you are finished the job. You can pick up dust on your baseboards with it, too.
The more you lift your microfiber mop, the more you can get scratches on your floors. You want to gently move large pieces of dirt. Those large pieces of dirt have the ability to scratch your floors when they get under the mop head. If there are a lot of large pieces, you may want to periodically rinse your mop.
If you see your mophead getting dry, you can spray it with a wood floor cleaning solution. It is better not to spray directly onto the wood floor but onto the mop. The reason is that you don’t want concentrated areas of cleaning solution on your floors. It is better to have it evenly dispersed.
Ideally, you have two mops. One for spraying and cleaning and one for going over the floor after and drying it. You don’t need to have two mops if you want to change your mop pads after and you are done with the cleaning solution. It is good to go over your floor and make sure it is dry after.
When to Replace Your Mop Pads
It is up to you. When it looks bad and has a bit of a bad smell. It all depends how frequently you mop your floors. If you mop often and have a lot of traffic, you may want to replace your mop pads every other month. Otherwise, less frequently is fine.
What Brands are Best?
The 3M Scotch Brite is a popular microfiber mop that is safe for wood floors. It has a swivelling head which makes it great for cleaning those hard to reach areas. It has a large head so it cleans relatively quickly. It is a bit tricky to do the corners of a room with it. Many people throw the microfiber pads in the laundry machine. These are usually around $20. The refill mop head is around $8. They have an extensive line of cleaning products so make sure you are picking out the right one for wood floors.
Another microfiber mop that is terrific is the Quickie Manufacturing Professional Hardwood Floor Mop. They do a good job and are easy to use. They can swivel 350 degrees. Their soft, terry cloth pads are machine washable, too. The pole is 48 inches so it is great for a tall or short user. They are also not very expensive at all – you can pick one up for $15. The refill mop head is $9.