Care of Equipment – Care of Mops

A mop is an effective tool for keeping your floors clean and is an essential cleaning product. Here at Cork Hygiene, we believe for the best natural cleaning performance, cotton mops should always complete a break-in period to remove naturally occurring oils before first use.

To break-in a cotton mop

To begin, fill a mop bucket with water and a diluted neutral floor cleaner according to directions. The water temperature should be warm. Dip the mop head into the bucket for 5 seconds and agitate, ensuring the solution is absorbed in all mop fibres. We recommend you wring out, rinse, and repeat the process up to 5 times. You can now dispose of the cleaning solution and prepare a fresh solution for the appropriate cleaning tasks.

Care of mops

Remove soiled mop from the handle, then wash the mop head. For laundering cotton mop head, place mop head in a netted bag. Make sure you allow the air to dry in a ventilated area. Place the mop in a wall bracket off the ground to allow the head to air dry in a ventilated area.

If no wall bracket is available, store mop head up without touching walls or floors. Never leave the mop in water or cleaning solution, as you’ll risk the formation of bacteria and mould in the leftover moisture. You should squeeze out every last drop of dirt, as this will make your cleaning routine easier and cleaner the next time you use your mop.

Cut off any loose strands to prevent snagging and splattering. Remove and replace when worn out. Lost strands may not visibly look like an issue, but they do decrease the mop’s ability to perform effectively.

Care of Dust Mops – Machine Washing

This is the procedure for machine washing soiled dust mops, that will assure maximum dusting results. It might not be appropriate to launder mops of certain fibres and/or within specific environments. Please always check before proceeding.

Briskly shake out or vacuum excessive dust in the mop head. Then place the head snugly in a net washing bag or another perforated bag and soak the mop for 10 minutes in hot, soapy water. Pour 1 capful of laundry detergent (unless automatically dosed) into the washing machine. Do not use a fabric conditioner. If the chemical is auto dosed, select the appropriate program, and do not add further detergent.

Insert mop head into the machine. Wash mop head for 3-5 minutes in hot, soapy, or detergent water at low machine speed. CAUTION: Never machine wash mop head by itself – always wash in a full machine load. Over-washing or the use of bleach will cause severe damage to the yarn. When tumble drying, make sure not to exceed 180°F until dry. Uncontrolled temperatures and drying times will cause rapid mop deterioration. Remove mop head from washing bag.

Care of dust mops – hand washing

You will need to vacuum or use a counter dusting brush to remove as much visible soil as possible. Dilute 25-35ml of Fabrix Laundry Detergent in a bucket with 5 litres of warm water. Place the soiled mop into the solution and leave to soak. Rub the dust mop together with force in the solution to remove soiling. Once you have removed as much soil as possible, wring out the dust mop. Once satisfied you have extracted the excess water, simply hang the dust mop up and allow to air dry.

On average, the dust mop should be dry in 2-4 hours. Cotton dust mops retain the greatest amount of moisture where synthetic mops don’t.