When debris builds up on the floor over time, they accumulate and can cause tiny scratches in your floor, which might become permanent and eventually become an ugly blemish.
But as a rule of thumb, you should mop your floors at least once a week—especially in areas that are more likely to get stains from drips and spills, like the kitchen and bathroom. “Of course, you need to vacuum or sweep the floor before mopping,” explains Leiva.
Floors should be swept and mopped at least once each week in areas that are used on a daily basis. If you see that they are accumulating dust, dirt, or animal hair, during the week, plan to do it more often.
Clean floors are essential for maintaining a safe, healthy, and inviting environment. They can prevent accidents, improve indoor air quality, reduce the spread of germs and bacteria, maintain the appearance of the space, and prevent damage to the floors.
Downsides to just using water to mop floors
Will not remove bacteria from floors. Cannot remove stains. If you cannot clean the floor effectively with just water, you might end up just mopping the dirt around the surface. In turn, the entire floor could look grotty and blemished.
Mopping with dirty water usually causes that buildup and dirty appearance, even though it was just mopped. Dirt is added to a mop bucket each time the mop is dunked into the water, if you don't change the water you are just transferring the dirt and grime around the floors through the dirty water.
Apply a heavy concentrated solution of floor soap and hot tap water. After soaking, scrub up dirt with your motorized scrubbing tool. Remove dirt-filled water with wet vacuum or mop. Mop floor again with fresh hot tap water to rinse residual soil and soap.
Any high-traffic areas in your home should be wet mopped once a week. Rooms in your home that are not frequently used—such as a guest room—do not need to be mopped weekly. Mopping every other week or monthly should be sufficient.
One to two weeks.
Give floors a good wash or steam once every couple of weeks, says Tetro. You might want to wash your kitchen floors a little more often, due to food bacteria that can spread around.
It's time that we say goodbye to the traditional rag mop. Hand mopping is the most effective way to clean your floors. It will leave your space feeling sparkling clean and will look cleaner for longer.
The wipe test
Jill Kushinksy, chief cleaning officer at MaidPro, suggests putting on white socks and walking across the floor. “If the bottom of the white sock is dirty, then it's probably time to give those floor a sweeping and cleaning, especially for high-traffic areas of the home,” says Kushinksy.
A common concern about mopping is its effectiveness. A dirty mop will just move the filth around the house and not clean the floors. However, a clean mop and good mopping technique will effectively remove grime and germs from the floor.
Daily: Flush your toilet every day (even if it's not in use) to discourage the growth of bacteria. Weekly: Deep-clean your toilet once a week or biweekly—this includes the toilet bowl, exterior and toilet seat. Yearly: Clean your toilet tank twice a year.
A common concern about mopping is its effectiveness. A dirty mop will just move the filth around the house and not clean the floors. However, a clean mop and good mopping technique will effectively remove grime and germs from the floor.
Even if you live by yourself or don't experience frequent activity in your home, your floors still need attention if you want it to remain spotless. In this case, we recommend giving your floors sweep and mop sessions once a week. Dust and dirt can accumulate over time if no one is going in and out of different rooms.
For example, bedrooms and home offices should be vacuumed weekly. Areas with high traffic, such as the kitchen, living room, and children's playrooms, should be cleaned at least twice a week.
You should probably change your bedsheets once a week. Think about it: You spend hours in bed every night, and your sheets collect skin flakes and an assortment of bodily fluids and oils. Then there's stuff like dust, dust mites, and (if you have a cat or dog) pet hair.
Avoid Using Too Much Soap
Soap only lifts dirt and oil into water, making them suspend in water. Therefore, the more soap you use, the more your mop gets saturated with dirt. So, if you do not remove all the soapy water from the floor, the dirt remains, forming streaks on the floor.
How regularly should you clean your room? Keeping on top of mess for around 15 minutes a day is, say experts, the ideal. They then suggest dedicating more time for a thorough clean once a week or twice a month, depending on need. A deep clean will be needed every three to four months.
Using either disinfecting wipes or a combination of disinfecting spray and a rag, paper towels, or a sponge (that you reserve just for this task), wipe down all of the external surfaces of the toilet, paying special attention to any areas you touch regularly such as the seat and the flushing handle.
Tips to Keep Your Shower Clean Longer
Regular upkeep. Wipe down your shower every time you use it, stick to your weekly cleaning schedule, and make sure to dry your shower after cleaning it. "Ensure that you wipe all condensation right after you shower, and schedule a bathroom clean every week,” Chiu and Tam say.
Make It Part of Your Routine
But a good rule of thumb is to vacuum under your bed twice a month. At the very least once a month. The point is to not give those nasty items time to gather and pollute the air you breathe. So the more you do it, the cleaner your air will be.
If you're working with low-quality cleaning equipment, it might be the cause of your sticky floors. Mops that don't properly absorb water and cleaner are common and, in cases of sticky flooring, can often be the cause. If you're still using that decades-old mop, consider switching it out.
A steam cleaner does to stubborn dirt which a regular mop can never do without cleaning products. Since a steam mop uses water, it makes the grime and dirt loosen before the mop head absorbs it. Also, steam dries quicker than water, so you don't have to worry about mold regrowth after you clean.
High-traffic areas, like kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and entryways, require weekly mopping. Infrequently used rooms, such as formal living areas or guest rooms, can be mopped every other week, or even once a month, so long as they're vacuumed once every seven days to remove dust and grit.