2024-01-24 17:00:38
Baking soda and vinegar are two ingredients that will help you clean your mop thoroughly and remove the bad smell. Discover how to leave your mop looking new.
Last update: January 26, 2024
Mops, also known as “mops” or “mops”, are essential elements in the kit home cleaning. The mop head, composed of fibers, bristles or other absorbent materials, collects dirt and moisture when we pass it over the surfaces of the home, making them one of the favorite hygiene items.
However, mops also accumulate bacteria and therefore require proper care to maintain their efficiency and prevent the proliferation of germs. If you have wondered how to make your mop look like new, keep reading: in this article, we teach you, in four simple steps, how to clean it thoroughly, removing the bad smell, leaving it white and ready to use.
This is how you can wash your mop
Using a dirty mop to clean the floor is not a good idea. In addition to not doing its job well, it will spread germs and bacteria all over the floor, due to humidity. That being the case, we present four steps you should follow to keep your mop always clean.
Step 1: prepare the mop
There are many types of mops: sponge, cotton, microfiber. Luckily—in general—all of them can be cleaned in a more or less similar way. In all cases, The first step will be to prepare it to leave it free of dirt and dust, with the aim of facilitating subsequent cleaning.. To do this, you just have to shake it gently.
Step 2: Clean the mop with soap and water
Place the mop in a bucket; preferably, the bucket with its drainer, although it can be any container. Pour warm water and dish soap and gently rub between the bristles to remove all trapped dirt.. If the mop is made of microfiber, pay special attention to the water being warm, because a very high temperature could damage the fibers.
Step 3: Use eco-friendly elements
Water and dish detergent, as well as vinegar and baking soda, will help remove dirt from your mop.
As you may know, There are many kitchen ingredients that are used, very frequently, to clean and disinfect. Vinegar, for example, has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties; while baking soda is ideal for removing grime and grease buildup and eliminating bad odors. For its part, lemon juice also helps in cleaning the home, as it has antimicrobial properties that kill germs.
In a large container, pour a cup of water, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar. The result is a 100% ecological, environmentally friendly cleaning and disinfection product. Put the mop inside and let it act for 30 minutes. Then, put the head on its handle, turn it on the wringer and press. The residue will come off. Finally, rinse with cold water, drain and let air dry.
If you’re wondering if you can do this entire process in the washing machine, the answer is yes! For that, of course, the cleaning bristles of the mop must be removable. If this is the case, try to use a gentle wash cycle to avoid damaging them.
Step 4: Bleach the mop
After this process, your mop or mop will be ready to use again, and its bristles or fibers will most likely have returned to their original color, usually white. However, If you still feel that your mop does not look like new, you can choose to make a special 100% homemade product to whiten it.
For this, you will need to mix, in a bucket, half a liter of water, a splash of dishwasher soap, half a cup of baking soda, half a cup of white vinegar and half a cup of bleach or chlorine, which can be liquid or gel ( If it is a gel, check the proportions, because it is usually concentrated). Leave the mop in the bucket for an hour and a half, rinse it with cold water and let it dry.
Other products you can use to whiten your mop
If you notice that baking soda, lemon and vinegar do not work to clean your mop; Below, we detail a mixture that you can prepare at home with other products that will surely help you remove dirt from your mop.
Ingredients
- 1/2 liter of water.
- 1 cup of vinegar.
- 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide.
- 1/2 cup baking soda.
- Zest 1/2 cup of soap in panela.
Preparation
In a pot you will place the 1/2 liter of water, the 1/2 cup of grated panela soap and the 1/2 cup of vinegar. You turn on the stove and cook it until the soap completely dissolves. Let it rest for 10 minutes, and then you must pour the mixture into a bucket, along with 1/2 cup of baking soda and half a cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Insert the mop and let it sit for approximately an hour. After time, you can rinse with clean water and let it dry in fresh air.
Some tips to keep your mop always clean
It is best to do this process once, every two months, with the aim of keeping the mop free of germs and bad odor. However, it is also important to adopt a series of measures on a daily basis. Some tips that can help you keep your mop always clean are the following:
- After each use, clean the mop with water and detergent so that no residue accumulates. School, let it dry and store it in a ventilated and dry place.
- When letting the mop dry, try not to do it directly in the sun. Especially if the mop is made of microfiber, it could be damaged.
- If you think your mop shows signs of wear, it may be time to replace it with a new one.
- If you decide to wash the mop head in the washing machine, make sure that only cleaning items, such as rags or cloths, are included in the same wash.
- If you have pets, you may need to do this process more frequently, as the mop may become filled with animal hair.
- Try to use more than one mop, depending on the space in the house or the surface to be cleaned. For example, it is not advisable to use the same mop in the living room as on the threshold of the house, where dirt or mud may accumulate.
Clean mop, clean home
To maintain a clean home it is essential to have a mop that is in optimal condition, and with the steps that we indicate, we are sure that you will be able to keep your mop impeccable.
This way, you will have it ready to clean any surface. Thus, If you think that the time has not come to replace your mop, it may be time to do a deep cleaning of this element, so that it continues to help you purify the house of germs, dirt and even pet fur.
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