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After cleaning your floors, you should expect them to look and feel squeaky clean. Yet sometimes it seems like no matter how much effort you put in, they still end up sticky and streaky.
It's a common frustration, one that many people face despite their best efforts. So, what's going wrong?
Let’s dive into the most common culprits, and provide practical tips to help you achieve the gleaming, streak-free floors you desire. Say goodbye to the frustration of streaky, sticky floors and hello to a more effective cleaning routine!
There are five main things you could be doing that leave your freshly cleaned floors feeling sticky or looking streaky. Let’s go through them all.
The first reason why your floors don’t look and feel clean after mopping is, you’ve used too much floor cleaning solution, or the cleaning solution you’ve chosen isn't well-suited for your floor type. Not only does using more than the recommended amount leave a residue, but it’s a waste of product.
Using an unsuitable product can also leave residue. For example, if you’ve got tiles or laminate, you wouldn’t want to use Murphy Oil Soap because it is designed for hardwood. Likewise, you wouldn’t want to use a marble and tile cleaner on hardwood floors.
Another common reason why your floors are still streaky and sticky is if you're mopping with dirty water. When you don’t change mop water regularly throughout a mopping session, you’re essentially spreading dirt around rather than cleaning it up.
Obviously the best way to mitigate this is to change the water in your mop bucket frequently. Or use the two-bucket method, where you have one bucket with clean soapy water, and a bucket for wringing out dirty water.
Mop Tip 1: Invest in a Microfiber Flat Mop and stock up on mop pads so there’s no need to rinse and wring out pads. Simply swap out the pads for a clean one as they become dirty. Then toss them all into the wash at the end of the day. One of our Premium Mop Pads can clean up to two large areas before needing to be swapped out, so you would only need a few pads for an entire standard-size home.
After mopping your floors, it’s important to allow ample time for them to dry before stepping on them as this can cause floors to look dirty. Also, if you’ve used a traditional mop, like a string mop, they typically leave quite a bit of moisture behind, so allowing it to air dry can lead to streaks.
Consider using a clean, dry mop pad or microfiber cloth to dry the floor after mopping. This not only speeds up the drying process, but it prevents streaks.
Mop Tip 2: A Microfiber Flat Mop is not only easy to use, but because of its high-absorbency, leaves very little moisture behind. So floors dry four times faster than if you were to use a regular mop — which is perfect for hardwood and luxury vinyl plank floors.
85% of the US has hard water, so there’s really no escaping it. You’ve probably experienced hard water in your home, from cloudy shower glass down to the chalky rings around your kitchen sink. It’s caused by the minerals that are in hard water, and they can leave a residue on everything it touches, including your floors.
Using distilled water for mopping is an option, although it isn’t always practical. But following the other steps in this post should help in a big way.
The final reason your floors may still be sticky or streaky is that you’re using a dirty mop. A mop that's not clean will just spread the dirt around. String mops and sponge mops are notorious for holding onto dirt and bacteria.
Make sure you’re cleaning your mop thoroughly in between uses. It’s best to use a mop that can be put into a washing machine rather than hand washing it to ensure it’s getting a deep clean.
Mop Tip 3: Microfiber Mop Pads pickup and hold onto dirt, debris, and bacteria better than other mops on the market, and are constructed to be laundered over and over without losing their effectiveness.
There are many different types of mops on the market, some that are better suited to specific floor types. For tile and concrete,for example, you can get away with using most kinds of mops. But for hardwood and vinyl plank floors, you’ll want to choose a mop that doesn’t leave much moisture behind, such as a microfiber flat mop.
In fact, a microfiber flat mop is the best mop to use for all floor types. Not only does it deep clean floors effortlessly, but it can be used on any hard floor surface, microfiber can effectively clean surfaces with just water, and the mop pads can be laundered in a standard washing machine.
Also be sure to use proper form and technique when mopping, no matter which mop you choose to use.
Mop Tip 4: When mopping with a flat mop, always use a figure-8 or S motion, keeping one side of the mop facing in the direction you're mopping. This is the fastest and most efficient way to mop.
To maintain pristine, streak-free floors, always use an appropriate floor cleaner with the recommended amount of cleaning solution. Keep the mop water clean by changing it frequently and ensure the mop is also clean before you begin. Use distilled water if possible and dry the floor with a clean and dry mop pad or towel to prevent streakiness.
Also consider the type of mop you’re using, as this will have a large impact on the performance and results. Cotton string and foam mops leave a lot of moisture behind and do a poor job of cleaning. Spin mops, although are typically made from microfiber, have a small head so mopping large areas is much more tedious than if you were to use a microfiber flat mop that has a larger surface area.
Follow these tips and prevent streaky, sticky floors for good.
Microfiber is the holy grail of cleaning tools and preferred by professionals. But running out of clean supplies can be a pain, so why not buy in bulk? Always have clean supplies on hand while saving money. And check out our other products in bulk while you're at it.
Our 18" Microfiber Wet Mop Pads are available in a pack of three, an 18 pack, or a case of 108. Never run out of clean pads.
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