Searching for the right ingredient to add to mop water to get immaculately clean floors? As it happens, there are a variety of cleaning agents with different benefits that you can use for the task. While some mop water mixtures can be used on any type of flooring, it is technically preferable to use a mixture designed specifically for your type of flooring.
Laminate floors require different maintenance than tile, therefore you wouldn’t use the same mixture for both types of flooring. To maintain the cleanest floors, we asked cleaning professionals how they prepare mop water for various floor kinds.
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Things You Can Put In Mop Water For Fresh-Smelling Floors
Dish Soap
When in doubt about what to add to mop water, dip your mop into a sudsy combination made with your handy dish soap bottle. Anyone without dish soap at home may easily make this mop water solution, which is safe, efficient, and convenient. As long as you don’t use too much water, it is moderate and will not damage flooring while removing dirt and filth.
- Ideal For: Ceramic tile, stone, sealed wood, laminate, vinyl, and linoleum
- 5 to 10 dish soap droplets per gallon is the ratio.
- Is Rinsing Necessary?: Absolutely, repeat with another run under warm, running water to ensure that all soap residue is gone.
Rubbing Alcohol
You can add rubbing alcohol to mop water as an easy, effective, and affordable cleaning solution. Additionally, it has strong germicidal properties, meaning it can destroy fungi, mould, viruses, and bacteria. Rubbing alcohol works wonders to sanitize the surface and help break through grime. Additionally, it can aid in odour removal.
- Ideal For: Luxury vinyl, sealed tile, laminate, and hardwood
- 1:1 cup to every gallon
- Is Rinsing Necessary?: Rinsing is not necessary. Letting it set may increase its ability to destroy bacteria and germs.
Vinegar
Every home should have vinegar since it is a hero that fights bacteria. It works best on extremely hard flooring, like laminate and tile, and is not recommended for use on “softer” flooring, such as travertine, marble, and hardwood. With a pH of two to three, vinegar’s acidity can remove debris from hard surface floors without damaging the polish.
- Ideal For: Laminate, vinyl, linoleum, and tile
- Ratio: ½ cup per gallon
- Is Rinsing Necessary?: Rinsing is not necessary.
Borax
Borax is a potent cleaning solution that works well on difficult jobs. It is more alkaline than baking soda and effectively removes stubborn stains and dirt. It deodorizes, sanitizes, and “is good at removing stains because it’s slightly abrasive. It is also reasonably priced, effective against home pests like ants and cockroaches, and slows the spread of mold and mildew.
- Best For: Tile, concrete, sealed stone, concrete, vinyl, and linoleum.
- Ratio: ⅛ cup per gallon
- Rinsing Required?: Yes, borax can leave residue behind. Complete a second pass with plain water.
Commercial Cleaner for Floors
Of course, there’s always the option of using readymade floor cleaning. Lysol, Fabuloso, and Clorox are a few manufacturers that manufacture specialized cleaning solutions for mop surfaces. Every product formulation has specific usage guidelines, so make sure you read the label to confirm it is appropriate for the type of flooring you have and consult the dilution advice to make sure you have the right ratio.
- Best For: Depends on product
- Ratio: Follow label usage instructions
- Rinsing Required?: Refer to instructions
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