In this article, industry manufacturers answer common questions asked by building service contractors.

How important is it to separate dirty mop water from clean water? If I don't separate the water, how often should I change it?


Using a bucket system that has two chambers for separating clean water and rinse water is very effective at extending the effective usefulness of the cleaning solution as long as it is used properly. After mopping a soiled area the mop must first be returned to the rinse water chamber to remove heavy debris and soil from the fibers. After it is effectively rinsed then it should be put under pressure to remove the soiled liquid. After all of the debris, sedimentation and soiled liquid are removed from the mop, it may then be placed in the clean solution chamber and then to the floor for more cleaning after which the process is repeated. If this procedure is not followed then the clean water can quickly become heavily soiled and lead to re-depositing of dirt and debris.

Common sense needs to be applied when determining when the mop water should be changed. Because different soil loads will be present on various floor types and in various locations, the water may become heavily soiled at different intervals in the mopping process. In addition to this, there are different sizes of mop buckets so the solution will become heavily soiled at different times depending on the volume of the bucket being used. So one can’t just say the water should be changed after cleaning “x amount” of square feet. Basically the water is as dirty as it looks and that is what is being spread on the floor. The frequency with which one changes the mop water is dependent on the above mentioned factors so it can be different in each situation, but to put it simply the water should be changed when it becomes obviously stained by soiling.
— Tim Hodges, Vice President- Sales & Marketing, The O’Dell Corp., Ware Shoals, S.C.

It is important as nobody wants to put dirty water back on the floor. For general purpose cleaning using a standard dirty water mop bucket, the bucket should be changed frequently but it depends upon how dirty the floor is as well. To minimize the number of water changes, we recommend that the floor first be dusted and then mopped. This dramatically reduces the amount of dirt that goes into the water and possibly back on the floor.
— Paul J. Recko Jr., Sr. Vice President Sales & Marketing, Vermop USA Inc., Charlotte, N.C.

If you don't know and you have to ask, you probably need to change the water. Of course this does not apply to microfiber, but traditional mopping is different in different environments. The goal is to have convenient change opportunities between areas that determine a change.
— Todd Carlson, General Manager, Delamo Manufacturing, Los Angeles

previous page of this article:
Mop And Bucket Advantages Over Small Autoscrubbers
next page of this article:
European Trolley Design Influencing The American Janitor Cart


POSTED ON: 9/17/2012