Sweeping & Mopping

Your floors will need regular mopping maintenance, whether it’s weekly or twice a month. Sweeping is usually done daily, every other day, or at most, weekly. I usually sweep as it is needed. Some days, I hardly need to sweep, and other days it can be two or three times a day. In this article, we cover some basics of both chores that will minimize the workload without compromising the outcome.

Broom & Dustpan

There are all sorts of brooms for all sorts of jobs. Wide floor brooms are great for wide open spaces, like the garage, a warehouse, or places that have lots of space, and not much furniture. There are straw brooms that have stiff bristles and synthetic brooms that have straight bristles or wide-angled bristles. I personally like a wide-angled bristle broom to catch the edges (where the cabinet meets the floor) of the lower cabinets.

The dustpan can be any style or model you desire, as long as it has a smooth and straight edge that meets the floor and gathers all the debris the broom brings on it. I have used old metal dustpans that were slightly bent out of shape. It takes me more time to make sure that I’ve swept everything up because a lot of debris is swept under the pan. Some dustpans have a rubber-like edge to make sure that nothing gets swept underneath.

Technique

Hold the broom with both hands, the dominant hand is near the top and the other hand is towards the middle of the broom. This position allows for steady sweeps and easy maneuvering. Handle the broom with a good grasp from the hands, but a gentle one. You are guiding the broom, not forcing it to sweep.

Gentle soft small and steady sweeps work best with a regular broom. The broom will sweep in front of you and you will move alongside it. You begin about 12 -18 inches (30-45 cm) away from you and sweep towards you. Pick up the broom and return to the same area, coming closer a couple of inches (about 5-7 cm). You also sweep the same distance toward the pile.

Some Tips

When you sweep a room, begin with all the edges and corners. Use a rhythm of dragging the broom toward you in steady short sweeps. This helps bring the debris together without throwing up too much dust. Drag the broom (steady short sweeps) over a small area repeatedly four or five times before working another small area. Sweep the debris into the center of the room, where you can see the pile.

Short steady sweeps tend to keep the debris and dust together better. Long sweeps have the tendency to leave behind tiny particles. Keep the broom close to you as you sweep. Your hands will look as though they are going in a circular motion as they move the broom. Keep your arms relaxed as much as possible. Holding onto the broom too tightly can make your arms feel sore quickly.

Sweeping Rooms

Remove items from the floor. Pick up chairs and put them on the table upside-down or in another room. You want the floor to be cleared as much as possible. It makes the sweeping easier.

When sweeping a large room, then work the room in quarters, starting in the corner furthest from the door and sweeping into a pile somewhere in the center of that quarter. (See illustration.) Gather it up in the dustpan and then work the next quarter.

Be sure to overlap the boundaries of the quarters to get all of the dirt and debris. Work your way towards the door. The final pile (5th or 6th pile) will be close to the door or just outside the room. Look over the room one more time, making sure that you swept the corners and edges thoroughly. That’s where it matters the most.

Emptying The Dustpan

If you are dealing with a lot of debris, empty your dustpan regularly. Balancing it is key because if it slightly tips too much in one direction, you’ll lose a lot of its content. As you are emptying it into the garbage, gently tilt and tap it. Dust will fly into the air, so keep the dustpan as low as possible in the garbage can/receptacle.

Turn the dustpan over, still inside the garbage, and tap again a few times to loosen more dust and dirt. Pull the dustpan out and return it to its next collection station, where the next pile of dirt is to be picked up.

There will be some dust left on the dustpan. Wait until you are completely done sweeping before cleaning the dustpan of any leftover debris. (This is best done with a damp cloth or running water.)

There are some handy dustpans and brooms that make picking up debris easy. However, if you're stuck with a regular straight-handle broom and a short-handle dustpan, try doing it this way: grab the lower third of the broom handle with your dominant hand. The upper part of the handle is cradled in your elbow. You will be able to use your upper arm to stabilize your dominant hand's direction of the broom.

Quick Visual Demo

Mopping

When sweeping is done in a room, mopping follows suit immediately. It’s easier to clean the floor when it’s clear of the daily living objects that occupy space. Depending on what type of mop you use, mopping may be a quick wiping or a deep scrubbing with towel drying afterward. What type of floor you have will also be an important factor.

Flooring

Get to know your flooring. Usually, most flooring can handle mopping and water. However, in some cases (such as wooden floors and concrete), there may be stipulations about cleaning. Always check it out first.

I have cleaned industrial tiling in a home. It already had water damage and the tiles were beginning to peel and crack. To avoid further damage, I resorted to a flat mop instead of a hairy mop. The flat mop only needed a wet cloth attached to it, while the hairy mop would need a lot of water.

Mops

The hairy mop used most often in industrial cleaning, comes with a bucket of water and cleaner. You dip the mop in and then squeeze it out and mop the floor. Some hairy mops come with a self-squeezing feature which makes them much easier to work with.

There are mops that are flat and have disposable cleaning cloths attached to them. These do a good surface job as maintenance, not if you’re looking to do a deep clean. Some of the flat mops may have the cleaning dispenser already attached; this is an efficient feature that speeds up the task.

Some people like the old-fashioned way of mopping: down on the hands and knees with a sponge, scrub brush, and pail/bucket. This is helpful if you’re doing a deep clean on the floor and need to scrub hard at stubborn spots. I don’t recommend using this method for maintenance. It is too time-consuming and hard on the body.

Technique

Mopping has a longer sweep to it. You may mop in curvy zigzags, vertically or horizontally. The idea is to wash the floor’s surface once. Sweeping the mop from side to side in short zigzags is faster than vertical sweeps.

You can have the mop further away from you, the handle being almost at an angle, with your hands close to the top and/or middle of the handle. Keep your arms relaxed as you swipe the mop across the floor space you are cleaning. Lean into the mopping and work backward.

Start from the furthest part of the room. The idea is to let the floor air dry. You’ll want to overlap your zigzags to make sure that the entire floor is mopped. Work the floor (around furniture) in parts. If you are working with a hairy mop, use the diagram below as your guide. Remember to reach the corners and follow the edges along the baseboards.

When you are done with the room, you are mopping your way out the door. Continue mopping if you have flooring in the hallway.

Bathroom

The bathroom floor is likely sparse. Lift up any movable item (toilet brush, trash can, etc.). Sweep and mop. Be sure to go around the base of the toilet a few times. A lot of things can collect at the base and cause unwanted odors. You will likely be mopping backward, toward the exit.

Kitchen

Depending on how your kitchen is set up, mop the most frequented areas first. Make sure to warn others that the kitchen is off-limits for a specific timeframe. With flat mops, it may only take 10-15 minutes to dry. Whereas with a hairy mop, it may take up to 45 minutes to dry, depending on how much water is left behind. This is where having some heavy cotton towels is helpful. Use the towels to mop up any excess water and speed up drying time.

You may need to do a deep clean once a month, or once every 3 months. Otherwise, if something spills on the kitchen floor, get it immediately and cut down your cleaning time later on.

Laundry Room

Remove items from the floor. Sweep well. Do your best to get in and around the laundry machines. When you mop the floor, pay extra attention to areas near the washing machine. Any spills from liquid laundry detergent may produce more suds. Extra rinsing may be required to remedy the problem.

Conclusion

Sweeping may be done on its own frequency, but mopping is usually best done immediately after you sweep. The floor is the cleanest of debris and cleared of movable items.

This article presents some guidelines for sweeping and mopping, but in time, we each develop our own style and tailor it differently. There is no right or wrong way to sweep and mop. The only important aspect is that it’s done on a consistent basis.