Microfiber Floor Mop

Microfiber floor mop, steam mop, electric broom, robot vacuum cleaner ... Could the housewives imagine such miracles 40-50 years ago? The women did the cleaning, sometimes general, thanks only to a rag from an old T-shirt, a broom, and two strained hands. When the house sparkled with cleanliness, the hostess's back ached and the skin on her hands cracked. A wooden mop and a brush on a long handle made this hellish work a little easier. Whether business now!

In hardware supermarkets is full of all kinds of gadgets to facilitate the cleaning process. But there are so many of them that sometimes it’s hard to figure out which one will be convenient for you. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of each type, in order to know exactly which mop to choose for the home. Our article will help to understand this difficult situation. In it you will find a detailed description of all the cleaning mops that are currently presented in stores, an overview of their positive and negative sides. Thus, you can make a choice with “open” eyes, not in vain spending money, because some copies are by no means a penny.

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Choose a mop. What should I think about before buying?

Which mop is best for mopping? To get an answer, first you need to decide on a few points regarding the new acquisition.

How much money are you willing to spend on a new mop?

If you don’t want anything special and the budget is not designed for an expensive purchase, then you should pay attention to mops with a sponge or with a rope nozzle, however, you need to buy the appropriate bucket for them:

• for the first option - oval;
• for the second - with squeezing basket.

Important! If you are ready to fork out, so that cleaning is really a joy, then consider mops-flounders, butterflies, and ideally, steam mops.

What flooring do you have?

For linoleum, as well as vinyl coatings, all types of mops for washing are suitable, and for a wooden floor and laminate, a microfiber mop flounder is the preferred option. She will perfectly wash the tiles and marble.

Important! A steam mop is also suitable for these coatings, which also disinfects the surface.

Who cleans up?

If you are small in stature or in mopping everything is helping - from children to husband, then when choosing it is worth paying attention to the pen. It would be better if it was height adjustable (that is, it was telescopic), and was convenient for the “assistant” of any height.

How dirty and how often do you need to change the water when cleaning?

• If you no longer want to come into contact with dirty water when washing floors - look for a squeegee with a squeeze. It can be on the handle of the product or in a special bucket.
• If you have a lot of furniture in the house, there is a staircase and other areas difficult to clean, then ask the sellers for those mops that have a platform that can rotate and bend at any angle (for example, a mop-flunder).

If you have decided on the basic requirements for a future mop, then it's time to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of each type. Which one will perfectly suit your needs?

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Types of floor mops

How to choose a mop from just a huge assortment in the store? The price of each product is different, but you can’t figure it out right away with the features of this or that.Consider the main ones to have a general picture of the functions and capabilities of the device.

Wooden mop

Of course, a wooden mop for the floor is “the last century”. But still, it is worth mentioning, since it is still in the house of many. And people of the older generation, who are afraid of everything new, are still buying such wooden “dinosaurs” in the market.

Advantages:

• The undoubted advantage of this mop is that it costs a penny and lasts for decades.
• This accessory makes it easier to mop the floors so that the hostess does not need to bend her back and crawl on her haunches with a rag.
• In addition, this tool does not require interchangeable nozzles and the presence of special buckets.
• Any old cotton jacket can serve as a rag, and you can buy a finished rag in the household department, which also does not require large expenses.
• A wooden mop can handle any surface.

Disadvantages:

• The mop is bulky, unaesthetic and non-maneuverable.
• It is difficult to clean the floor under furniture and in inaccessible places.
• In addition, the rag constantly strives to slide off the mop.
• A dirty rag needs to be rinsed and wrung out by hands that is not pleasant to all.

Important! It turns out that significant disadvantages outweigh the pros. Modern housewives should feel sorry for themselves, and therefore - forget about wooden mops and purchase a more convenient and practical accessory for cleaning.

Mop rope

A mop with a nozzle consisting of hanging ropes made of non-woven viscose material is very unusual. It resembles those cleaning tools with which sailors tear the deck.

As a rule, a bucket with a spin is offered to the rope mop in the store, since the function of self-spin on the product is practically not found. The bucket has an oval shape, on one side in the upper part a basket with holes is attached.

Cleaning Methods:

• In a simple version, you rinse the mop in the open part of the bucket, and then move it to the basket and remove excess water by pressing on the mop from above.
• Buckets with a higher spin cost have a mechanism that, with the help of a pedal or handle, spins this basket like a centrifuge, due to which excess water is dumped. It makes sense to buy such a bucket, since it is not very convenient to manually twist these ropes, and who wants to get their hands dirty in dirty water.

Important! A great option would be the Leifheit CLEAN TWIST MOP floor mop, which comes complete with a maneuverable rope mop and a bucket with a centrifuge.

Advantages:

• This “rope hair” copes quite well with washing the floor - tiled, painted wood, linoleum.
• Viscose ropes absorb moisture better than a sponge.
• The rope attachments themselves are removable. They can be machine washed and changed when they become unusable.
• Modern models are very convenient in that they have a telescopic handle with a maneuverable head that rotates and tilts at any angle. You can wash all hard-to-reach places with it.
• To the advantages of a rope mop, you can add its relatively low cost.

Disadvantages:

• This model is not suitable for parquet and laminate, as well as for those types of flooring that are afraid of excess moisture. It turns out that this mop absorbs water perfectly, but it is hardly possible to squeeze it thoroughly to a semi-dry state.
• For marble floors, it is also not suitable, as it leaves a lot of moisture and stains.
• In addition, this model does not collect litter, wool and hair very well.
• Judging by consumer reviews, it must also be thoroughly dried, otherwise the nozzle will get an unpleasant odor, which is difficult to get rid of.

Important! There are commercially available models with cotton-based rope extensions polyesterthat cope with moisture worse and leave villi after themselves.

Mop with sponge

A mop with a washing part in the form of a sponge roller became popular ten years ago. She washed the floor at home, in offices and small shops.

Advantages:

• Ease of use.
• The price of such a device is quite low.
• This mop has a spin system on the handle, which will reduce cleaning time, and you will not have to get your hands dirty in dirty water.
• Sponges perfectly absorb moisture and are easily wrung out. And what’s important - they carefully rake up fine litter and sand brought from the street on the soles, perfectly collect wool, fluff, dust and hair, which is very pleasing to pet owners.
• It is easy to eliminate liquid spilled on the floor.

Important! You need to remember that a dry sponge becomes hard, so before you wash the floor you need to hold it in water for a couple of minutes.

• Sponges, when they fail, are easily replaced with new ones. They are always on sale and are inexpensive.
• A squeegee with a squeezing sponge is suitable for all types of floors, especially for linoleum and tiles, it washes high skirtings well.
• Most of these devices have a telescopic handle that you can “fit” to fit your height.

Disadvantages:

• For her, you need to buy an additional oval bucket so that its length matches the length of the sponge.
• Although replacement sponges are inexpensive, you need to change them quite often (provided, of course, that you wash the floor more than once a year).

Important! If the sponge is not changed in time, then it will lose its shape, become loose, will not wash the floor well, and then completely come off the metal holder. The squeeze sponge itself consists of a polyurethane foam and copes well with cleaning when it is new and elastic.

• For high-quality washing of a vast space, you will often have to change the water, otherwise you will simply carry the dirt.

Important! If the dirt is dry on the floor, then this mop will leave stains and you will have to wash the surface again.

• The fixing bolts that hold the sponge rust over time, and the squeezing mechanism is short-lived.

Important! Cheap mops from Chinese manufacturers generally have short lives; even a pen can break. So before buying a mop with a sponge and squeeze, weigh the pros and cons.

Butterfly Mop

This mop is very similar to the previous type, because most often it has a nozzle in the form of a sponge roller. It only squeezes moisture out by folding the nozzle in half. This action is very similar to the movement of the wings of a butterfly, from which the name came from.

Only at a price this option is more expensive. This model has similar pros and cons, like a sponge mop. In addition, it is worth noting the following:

• It collects dirt and water, wool and dust well.
• There are nozzles in the form of a rectangular sponge, on one side of which there is a microfiber layer.

Microfiber Mop

Such mops are now widely used in cleaning. Microfiber is a popular material of a new generation (polyamide + filament):

• It is very hygroscopic, soft and durable.
• Its microfibers penetrate into all cracks, capture even the smallest particles of dirt and perfectly wash all types of contaminants, including grease.

Important! Thanks to such qualities, there is no need to once again use household chemicals. This is especially important if children, allergies are present in the house, and for the well-being of an absolutely healthy adult, there will also be only a plus.

A microfiber mop usually has a telescopic handle and a flat washing platform, on which a rectangular rag of cleaning material is attached (can be fixed with buttons, pockets, Velcro). The nozzle is urinated in a bucket of water (manually or on a squeegee) and squeezed out (by hand or squeezing mechanism).

Advantages:

• When cleaning a mop with microfiber with an extraction does not leave stains and excess moisture, therefore it is suitable for all types of floor coverings.

Important! A mop for this type of flooring should be used with care. Only after a good squeeze of the cleaning material.

• The mop stick is lightweight, telescopic and durable, has a rubberized handle that prevents your hand from slipping and makes cleaning more enjoyable.
• The nozzle itself serves for years, it is very wear-resistant, easy to machine wash and dries quickly.
• Thanks to the design of the squeegee itself (hinge), the platform spins and bends at different angles, so it climbs under the furniture with ease and removes hard-to-reach spots.

Disadvantages:

• A mop with microfiber and spin is expensive, although not the most expensive.
• The microfiber nozzle needs to be dried well after cleaning, otherwise an unpleasant odor will appear.

Important! It is not recommended to dry the nozzle on the battery, otherwise it will lose its quality.

• Periodically, you need to buy replaceable microfiber nozzles.

Important! The more the rag contacts the fat, the faster it will fail.

• In addition, such a mop does not collect wool very well, compared, for example, with a mop with a sponge nozzle.
• Skirting boards with a household appliance of this type also cannot be washed out due to their flat shape, so they will have to be wiped separately.
• If there is a lot of dirt, then you need to constantly rinse the rag.

As you can see, the disadvantages are not very significant, so the microfiber mop is worthy of attention.

Mop Flounder

Simple and comfortable flat mop. A flounder is the lower plastic part of the mop, on which the mop (fabric nozzle) is attached.

Important! With such cleaning equipment it is convenient to clean both a small apartment and a huge office.

Advantages:

• The flounder is attached to the handle with a hinge, so it can rotate and bend, so it will get all the corners in the room.
• Thanks to its maneuverability, this mop for washing walls and ceilings is also convenient.
• Mops can be from different materials - microfiber, cotton, mixed fibers, it can also be a sponge. There are also acrylic nozzles that can be used for dry cleaning, that is, you can choose a nozzle for any type of flooring.
• Nozzles on such devices are quite durable, perfectly erased in the machine and quickly dry.
• Mops are mounted on the platform with the help of “pockets”, Velcro, buttons or “ears”.
• The handle is made of durable metal, can be disassembled and adjustable in length.
• A special bucket with a corresponding nozzle is offered in the kit for the mop-flounder, which allows you to squeeze the mop (folds it in half) without touching it.

Important! Not so long ago, manufacturers equipped the flounder with an improved bucket with a centrifuge for spinning and a design that protects against splashes. You just put the squeegee in the bucket and press the pedal. The nozzle will be rinsed and wrung out without your direct participation in the process.

All of the above allows us to attribute the flounder to professional cleaning equipment.

disadvantages

Such a perfect mop can be called only 2 minuses:

• Quite a high price, especially with an upgraded bucket.
• Such a device does not wash the skirting board during the floor cleaning process, because the mop itself has a flat base.

Steam Mop

This model is probably the most expensive, and it can be attributed to professional cleaning equipment. In essence, it is a small size steam generator. The water tank is on the handle, and a suitable nozzle, for example microfiber, is put on the lower part.

Advantages:

• A steam jet, the intensity of which can be regulated, helps to wash any stubborn dirt, and in addition disinfects the surface without the use of household chemicals. This is important if the house has small children, allergies, or animals.
• Also, a steam mop can refresh and clean furniture, carpets, curtains and even soft toys.
• Using a special nozzle, you can even wash the windows.

Important! Such an assembly is suitable for all surfaces that are not afraid of high temperatures - tiles, marble, linoleum, wooden floors.

Disadvantages:

• The disadvantage of such a mop is that it collects sand and other rubbish poorly, so you have to sweep or vacuum it first.
• After cleaning, the floor remains slightly damp, which in some cases is inconvenient (for example, the tile can be slippery, and therefore dangerous).
• It is undesirable for her to wash the laminate and the engineering board (glue can become unusable from high temperature).
• The price of a steam mop is not affordable for everyone.

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Helpful hints:

• The following is also important: choose a product better than trusted manufacturers.
• When buying, carefully check the reliability of mechanisms, fixtures, the strength of the handle to be sure that you are buying the best mop, and after several cleanings do not feel disappointment.

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Stock footage

This article presents all modern types of mops. Which mop is better - you can determine individually, taking into account your requirements and advantages with the disadvantages of different models.