A recent study found that 97 percent of building service contractors and others involved in the professional cleaning industry are aware that "using mops and buckets can spread soils."
 
Respondents of the March 2012 survey, conducted by Kaivac, Inc., indicated that the most common type of hard surface flooring they clean is vinyl composite tile (VOC), at 67 percent. This was followed by terrazzo flooring, at about 20 percent. Respondents also stated they believe these types of floors are the easiest to clean, although cement floors were also considered an easy floor to maintain.
 
Asked what they like most about using mops and buckets to clean floors, more than a third answered, "It's all I have ever used." However, 27 percent said they prefer using mops and buckets because they are fast; the remainder believed mops and buckets are easier or more effective than other floor cleaning systems.
 
Asked what they like least about mopping floors, nearly half of the respondents indicated that "the mop and solution gets dirty pretty fast and have to be changed frequently."
 
"This question also allowed the respondents to write in other reasons they dislike using a mop and bucket," says Matt Morrison, Communications Manager for Kaivac. "We got all kinds of answers, such as ‘nothing like moving dirt from one area to another'; ‘it's a soil dispersal system'; to, very simply, ‘it cleans the area badly.'"
 
While many respondents expressed concerns regarding using mops and buckets to clean floors, nearly 70 percent also indicated that hard surface floor care is easier overall than carpet care.
 
"Along with this, nearly 58 percent said they are seeing more hard surface floors installed today than carpets," added Morrison. "This is in line with what other reports indicate."