How to Clean with Mops – Control Mold Spores, Bacteria

The Low-down on Mops
Contributor: Stan Halpern, Environmental Cleaning Consultant

Although the following article was written on using mops in a commercial environment, I found it a huge justification for not using a regular mop. If you own a mop, read this and weep.

The Low-Down on Mops
by Stan Halpern, Environmental Cleaning Consultant.

A. Once any mop touches any dirty floor, it is immediately contaminated and filled with odor-producing bacteria.

B. Mops should NOT be used in a general way, but designated mops should have specific cleaning functions. For your information, most commercial mop companies have color-coded systems. So…”blue” colored mops should be used on hallway floors ONLY. “Green” mops should be used in bathrooms only, etc. If this system is impractical and only white mops are ordered, mop handles can be spray painted with different colors of paint to delineate job functions. This approach eliminates spreading odor-producing washroom bacteria into other areas of the building.

C. After the job function, mops should be allowed to sit in a bucket of sanitizing solution for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with clean water. In the past, bleach was the least expensive way to sanitize. However, unless absolutely necessary, I frown on this practice due to the impact chlorine gas, its oxidizing by-product and sanitizing, has on indoor air quality. Other E.P.A. registered sanitizers and disinfectants can be used, but my choice is the most revolutionary, innovative, E.P.A. registered, “ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE” cleaning system which utilizes JUST ONE user/surface friendly chemical concentrate. This concentrate energizes the natural powers of citrus oil (4.5% by volume in concentrate), HYDROGEN PEROXIDE (4% by volume in concentrate.) The most important aspect of this product is the STABILIZED Hydrogen Peroxide. Like chlorine bleach, stabilized hydrogen peroxide is also an oxidizing agent. Its chemical formulation is H2O2. Once the excess oxygen leaves the product (which occurs during the oxidizing, sanitizing, and bleaching phase,) air quality is enhanced with the release of additional oxygen into the air and only water (H20) remains on the surface.

D. Once mop heads are left in a sanitizing agent for 15-20 minutes to kill the bacteria, they should be rinsed thoroughly with water and wrung out.

E. A mop head on a mop stick should be stored head-up so that excess water can easily run down it. It should NOT be stored either in dirty mop water, or any “wet” condition; or should the mop head be placed face-down on the floor where moisture can be trapped.

F. In the event that moisture is trapped in the mop, the perfect conditions for the growth of mold and mildew on a moist surface in a dark, moist custodial closet are being created. Mold and mildew is a vegetative growth, and NOT a type of dirt to be cleaned. It is produced by a tiny plant of the fungus family, and can sprout on most surfaces, especially if a food source is present for the mini fungus to thrive on, such as paper, cotton, and wood. Additionally, mildew grows on the dirt and soil, especially in dampness. Mold spores (seeds,) exist everywhere, and grow in the right conditions. The optimal conditions for growth are 77-88 degree Fahrenheit; moisture spawns in 70-98% relative humidity, and in dark and poorly ventilated environments. Much of the musty mop smells are the biological functions of mold and mildew growth.

G. Changing the existing area in the environment will impact the potency of the smell. You may find success in controlling the odor by decreasing humidity and increasing air circulation with air conditioners or de-humidifiers, as well as light; leave lights on day and night in the area. Eliminate as many of the causes of mildew (as mentioned above) in the desired area, and the detrimental odors should be reduced. Many custodians store their used mops after sanitizing and rinsing then in their boiler rooms, which are heated to quickly dry mops, and lit 24 hours a day.

H. Finally, mops, if well-maintained, should NOT have to be replaced until the last strand falls out. However, this statement exists only in an ideal world. Poor mop maintenance procedures sometimes demand that they should be discarded daily, weekly, or monthly. The best indicator is human common sense and the human “sniffer.” If there is any indication of contamination or “foul” odor, it is time for a change.

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