12 Mopping Mistakes That Might Actually Be Damaging Your Floors

Ask a room of 100 people if mopping floors is what they enjoy doing in their spare time, and you'd probably be hard-pressed to get a single person to raise their hand. And who could blame them? The thought of lugging a bulky pail filled with murky water from room to room is nobody's idea of a good time.

But cleaning experts agree that it's important to pull out a mop on a regular basis to rid floors of things like dust, dirt, food, and pet hair before they build up and lead to other concerns like allergies and pests. They're also in agreement that mopping is more tiring and strenuous when you're using the wrong tools and techniques—which is why we asked some top cleaning professionals to share their solutions to the most common mopping mistakes so you can get the job done with less aggravation.

You don't vacuum before you mop

Overload your mop water with things like food debris and pet hair and guess where it all ends up? Right back on your floor—only this time as a wet, sticky mess. "Some people think they can skip vacuuming and go straight to mopping, but the last thing you want to do is make your floors dirtier by pushing around debris and risk scratching your floors," says Becky Rapinchuk, a cleaning expert and author of Simply Clean and The Organically Clean Home. "It's not just the bigger pieces of debris you'll want to pick up with a pre-mop vacuum. Naked-to-the-eye dust and dirt particles will also cling to your mop and make your water dirtier, faster."

You're using too much water

The biggest and potentially most costly mopping mistake, according to cleaning experts, is using too much water on moisture-sensitive floors like hardwoods and laminates. "Excess water can warp your hardwoods and cause your laminates to bubble," says Melissa Homer, the chief cleaning officer for Microfiber Wholesale. "Too much water can also make its way into any cracks and seams and damage the floorboards beneath." 

Homer notes you only need 1 millimeter of soapy water on the floor to lift dirt and kill germs. "Anything more than that is a waste of product and a needless risk," she says. "You know you're using too much water if you see any sort of puddles forming. Always wring out your mop as much as possible and consider damp mopping, the technique of cleaning with a mop that has been only slightly moistened."

Using too much water can also leave water spots on hardwoods, says Leslie Reichert, a cleaning coach and author of The Joy of Green Cleaning—which is why she suggests investing in a spin mop. "A spin mop wrings out any excess water plus your hands never have to touch wet and dirty mop heads," she says. Most spin mops come with a basket that uses a spinning motion to wring out a washable microfiber mop head and many have separate compartments for clean and dirty water. "The spinning wringer is activated by a foot petal or a lever that pumps out the water so the head is damp, but not soaking wet," says Reichert.

That said, spinning mops do have a few drawbacks. "Mops with a larger head cover more ground and cut down on cleaning time. Unfortunately, spin mops often have smaller heads to fit in the wringer," says Homer. "Plus, the head is usually made of a very loose-weave microfiber yarn which is great for effective spinning but can often wear out fast. Some can also be hard to store if you live in a small space." Two to try: the Bissell Commercial CycloMop Spin Mop and the O-Cedar EasyWring Rinse Clean Spin Mop & Bucket System.

You're using an old-school mop

Cotton string mops, the originals from the 1800s, and cellulose sponge mops, the darlings of the 1950s, are both highly absorbent—but hard to wash and slow to dry, making them a breeding ground for germs. "Their heads are usually not detachable from their shafts, so they're particularly hard to clean," says Homer. "They can also stain badly and tend to fall apart after multiple floor washings."

If you're still using one of these mops, it's time to update to a more effective cleaner. When it comes to deep cleaning and sanitation, one study published in the American Journal of Germ Control showed microfiber mops removed far more microbe than cotton and hold onto 99.5 percent of dirt and germs (as opposed to 68 percent of cotton). "Plus, cotton and sponge heads last about 30 washings before they start to matte and unravel, whereas a microfiber head can last 200-plus cleanings," says Homer.  

You're using too much soap

Using too much soap can make floors sticky dirt magnets; any lingering suds will reactivate with moisture (think humidity or wet shoes), and bond with dirt and debris, which makes floors dirtier faster. "The simplest solution is to follow the dilution directions on the bottle of your cleaning solution. They're there for a reason," says Homer. "And only use products designed for floors. I've seen people throw laundry pods into their 2-gallon bucket when these pods are meant to be diluted in an 11-gallon load of water."

You're mopping floors that shouldn't be mopped

Not all floors are candidates for mopping. "Mopping is safe on a variety of surfaces, including finished wood, vinyl, tile, and laminate, but you shouldn't be mopping water-sensitive floors like unfinished bare wood, oiled, waxed wooden boards, or unsealed tiles," says Maria Striemer, a senior global scientific communications manager at Procter & Gamble.

Ideally these floors should be vacuumed and swept regularly to remain as clean as possible. "If they must be cleaned due to a spill, for example, consider a damp mopping with a wood-safe soap like Murphy's Wood Cleaner, then dry the floor as quickly as possible," notes Homer.

You aren't tackling stains with the right tools

Mops are designed to glide across the floor, meaning they're great for mopping—but not for scrubbing. If your floor is heavily soiled, you'll want to break out a scrubbing mop pad designed with scouring strips that clean without scratching or a reusable chenille mop pad that reaches into crevices and grout to remove stains.

Mop systems like the Bona PowerPlus Hardwood Floor Motion Spray Mop feature microfiber pads with scrubbing fibers to remove stuck-on grime and reach into grooves and grout. "This mop also dispenses a cleansing mist when you pull a trigger and has bumper corners on the head to protect walls and furniture," says Reichert. "There's even a pull-out loop at the top of the handle so you can hang your mop during storage."

Experts also advise pretreating stains with a cleanser that removes soil and buildup, like Holloway House Quick Shine Deep Floor Cleaner. "This is an amazing stain buster that's safe to use on hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and tile floors," says Homer.  

You're skipping a final rinse

"Mopping is not the act of applying soapy water, but rather the act of removing dirt-filled water," says Homer. "When you mop porous floors or ones with any texture like stone, the soapy water lifts the dirt up and out of the grout lines and grooves. If you don't absorb all that loosened, floating dirt, once dried, it will sink back down to the lowest point of gravity like grout lines and grooves—negating all your hard work." 

Some floor cleaners tout a "no rinse required" label on their packaging. "But sometimes they do leave behind residue if not rinsed, making hardwoods or laminates look dull or streaky. Simply rinse and wring out your mop with fresh tap water and run it quickly over your floors to wipe off any lasting residue," says Homer.

You're mopping in the wrong direction

A poor mopping technique can result in swirls and streaks all over your floors. Your goal is to move backwards as you mop, so you're not stepping on the wet flooring—and so you're not backing yourself into a corner. "You want to start mopping in the corner furthest from the door," says Rapinchuk. "Run your mop along the edges of the wall first, then swish it back-and-forth in a figure 8 fashion in 3-feet-by-3-feet sections while working your way around the room. Rinse and wring your mop head as needed." 

You're mop head isn't clean

Old-fashioned mop heads, like strings and sponges, are germ factories that spread more bacteria than they remove because they're nearly impossible to fully clean (and take forever to dry). "Any residue of whatever you've just mopped sits in the water inside the mop head and grows bacteria at an alarming rate. It will start to smell like moldy pond scum, especially when you go to use it again," says Homer. 

The solution? Look for a mop head that's safe to throw in the washing machine and dryer. "Your mop head needs to be heated to 135 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of one hour to kill bacteria and spores—basically the warm setting on a dryer," says Homer.

Check the manufacturer's instructions to ensure your mop head can tolerate that level of heat or look for one that can be thrown out after using. "I love disposable mop head pads, such as Swiffer Sweeper Wet Mopping Cloths, which are textured to trap and lock in dirt and can be thrown away once the job is complete," says Reichert. (While not curbside recyclable, the Swiffer clothes can be recycled through partnerships with companies that help divert hard-to-recycle items from landfills such as TerraCycle's Swiffer Free Recycling Program and Hefty's ReNew Program.)

You're storing your mop in a closet

Housing a bulky mop and bucket can be tough, especially if you're short on storage space. "But keeping a damp mop in a closet with little circulation can trap moisture and create a breeding ground for mildew, which is unhealthy for the home and can leave an awful scent behind," says Striemer, who advises to always read the manufacturer's storage instructions. 

If your just-washed mop head can't be thrown in the dryer, hang it where there's a strong breeze or fan to speed up drying. "The key is making sure the area has airflow and ventilation, like possibly in a basement or garage," says Rapinchuk. "Never store your mop in cleaning solution, inside a bucket, or on the floor. Hang it on a hook with the strands hanging down."

You aren't mopping frequently enough

It's easy to find any excuse not to mop. But waiting too long between cleanings can cause dirt and grime to build up on floor surfaces, making it harder to get a deep clean the next time around. "It's important to build mopping into your routine to make the whole process more efficient," says Striemer. "Schedule a day and time just like you would other things that need to get done."

How often you should mop depends on your lifestyle. "If you live by yourself and always take your shoes off at the door (preventing dirt and things like animal waste and pesticide residue from finding their way onto your floors), you can get away with doing a full mopping two times a month," says Homer. "But a busy home with a dog and young kids may require mopping more than once a week."

If you find that you just can't bring yourself to mop on a regular basis, you may want to consider investing in a robotic mop, like the iRobot Braava Jet m6 Robot Mop, which learns the most efficient way to clean the rooms in your house and its accuracy improves the more you use it.

You're using your steam mop incorrectly—which might be damaging your floors

While steam is great at loosening soil and can be an incredibly powerful cleaner and disinfectant, people tend to move their steam machines around too quickly to actually kill anything. "Basically, you have to melt the outer layer of a germ to destroy it, which means reaching temperatures of at least 212 degrees," says Homer. "This requires direct stream contact—not a quick back and forth of a mop for a few seconds. Most steam mop manuals state you need to expose the surface to steam for 10 minutes to disinfect."

This raises the issue of leaving a steam mop in one spot for too long, potentially scorching hardwoods and laminates. "The National Wood Floors Association strongly advises against using steam on your hardwoods," says Striemer. "Over time, the steam can cause buckling and strip your floor's finish. It can also sneak into the layers of manufactured wood and weaken the adhesives that hold the boards together." 

That said, there are some places where steam mops can be an asset. Rapinchuk likes to use them on vinyl, ceramic, and porcelain tile floors. "But it's important to remember to clean the water tank after each mopping and use distilled water to prevent a buildup of limescale in the container," she says.