So, you think you know mops? I mean, how complicated could mops really be? The answer is very, very, very complicated & really b****y annoying!!!
When it comes to choosing the right mop, a lot of you may have already bought your handle & bucket, and just need to identify the right mop to suit what you already have.
If you need to buy a new mopping set, then we hope this blog will help you identify the best set to suit:
- Your budget
- The type of floor
- The type of dirt they are trying to remove
- The amount of time they have to spend mopping!
Remember, the best mop for you depends on your specific cleaning needs and preferences. Happy mopping! 😊
The Basic 4 Styles Of Mop
STYLE 1 – FLAT
Made up of a rectangular microfibre pad that fits under & is attached to a flat plastic holder.
Pros:
- They cover a large area & get really good contact with most types of floor.
- They are better than any other mop on safety flooring (the type of floor that feels like sandpaper).
- They are launderable. Saving the planet & your budget!
- They are made of microfibre that is fantastic at actually grabbing dirt & holding onto it.
- They are used only slightly damp & therefore leave floors drier & cleaner.
Cons:
- They are not great on grease as the microfibre gets clogged up.
- The mops have to be laundered to release the dirt.
- Some cleaners are reluctant to use them as they drag on the floor more (this is because they are grabbing the dirt rather than swishing muddy water around).
- Some training is needed as they are best used in a figure of 8.
STYLE 2- KENTUCKY
A Kentucky mop (unfortunately) has nothing to do with KFC 🍗
A Kentucky mop has long strands & because it is so big, it is suited to large dirty floors – eg pubs, nightclubs & restaurants.
Pros:
- They are the biggest & therefore cover a wide area quickly, ideal for pubs, nightclubs & restaurants.
- They can hold a lot of water & dirt & are best suited to dirty & greasy floors, again ideal for pubs, nightclubs & restaurants.
Cons:
- They are heavy when wet
- You have to use them with a large bucket & wringer, which takes up a lot of room & is relatively expensive.
- They leave the floor wetter than a flat mop.
STYLE 3 – SOCKET
Probably the most common type of mop is a socket mop. They are called socket mops as they have a plastic socket that the handle pushes or threads into. They are most popular as they are easy to use & cheap!
Pros:
- Everyone recognises them & no training is needed.
- They are cheap & easy to use.
- They are lightweight.
Cons:
- They leave the floor pretty wet.
- They cover a smaller area compared to the other 2 options, so are not as quick.
STYLE 4 – DUST MOP
This is a mop but not as you know it!
Dust mops are a replacement for a sweeping brush. They control dust better than a brush. Other names are ketch mop & sweeper mop…
The next issue is that mops can be made of many different types of material…
What Materials?
Mops can be made of loads of different types of material. Lets start off with the most basic & the only one that was around when I started selling mops in the 1980s
MATERIAL 1 – Cotton String Mops
Cotton is the only natural material mops are made from. It’s always easy to identify new cotton mops as they have a natural beige appearance like this
Pros:
- Absorbent.
- Cheap.
- Biodegradable (if 100% cotton).
Cons:
- They can get smelly & rot a lot quicker than synthetic materials.
- They don’t last as long as other types.
- They are not launderable – this is the biggest issue as most other types are launderable.
Even within cotton mops, there are 3 different types! 🙄
Multifold – The above image is called a multifold – the strings are thick but not fluffy!
Twine – is thin, twisted strands. It looks like the string you would use to tie a parcel.
PY – I have no idea what PY stands, but you can recognise it because its thick & fluffy – & super cheap! It often moults like a dog but is more absorbent than a dog!
MATERIAL 2 – Synthetic String & Cotton/Synthetic Mix
Synthetic string mops have wide strands & they are normally either dyed red, yellow, blue or green or they are bright white. Some mops are made of a synthetic mix & can have a more grey appearance:
Pros:
- Launderable – they can be washed in a washing machine over & over again, making them great value for money & great for the environment. SYR guarantee their mops can be washed up to 300 times.
- They are always colour-coded (we will explain what this is later).
Cons:
- They are expensive compared to cotton mops.
- They do not biodegrade.
MATERIAL 3 – Strip Mops
Strip mops are generally made from ribbons of disposable, non-woven material commonly seen in face wipes. It’s popular because its absorbent & cheap.
Pros:
- They are cheap.
- They are very absorbent.
- They are launderable up to 10 times.
Cons:
- They are not biodegradable.
MATERIAL 4 – MICROFIBRE
Over the past 20 years, microfibre has revolutionised the cleaning industry. If you were to examine microfibre under a microscope, you would see that it’s like tiny velcro that grabs dirt & holds onto it. Microfibre is normally found in flat mops, but we do stock a Kentucky microfibre mop, too.
Pros:
- Amazing at cleaning & holding onto dirt.
- They are launderable 100s of times.
Cons:
- They are not biodegradable.
Now we will cover how sizing works in mops…
What Size?
So how big should a mop be & how do you tell what the sizes mean?!
Surprise, surprise mops are not sized in uniform way like shoes or clothes are. Of course they’re not – that would be too easy!
Sizing of Traditional Socket Mops
Traditional socket mops that push onto wooden handles are given a number (like a dress size). These numbers can be 12,14 or 16. We only stock a number 16
Sizing of Traditional Kentucky Mops
Traditional Kentucky mops are sized in oz, the sizes are 12oz, 16oz, 20oz & 24oz. We only stock 16oz but can source the other sizes if required.
Sizing of Modern Socket Mops
These can be sized in a multitude of ways:
- In grammes – but remember that different materials are heavier or lighter – likely sizes are 160g up to 300g.
- SYR use mini – midi -maxi within some of their own range.
- SYR also use inches – 14″, 17″ this is the width of a round socket mop that is flat on the floor.
Sizing of Flat Mops
This is easy for dust mops as it is the length (in inches or mm)
For wet cleaning, we only stock the Vildea Ultraspeed Mini & Professional – so that’s pretty straightforward.
Now for the final complication… b*****y handles…!!
Which Bl**dy Handle?!?
As I am beginning to write this, I actually have my head in my hands! How can this be soooooo complicated? Before I start describing b*****y handles, let me tell you a story…
…Many years ago, I was employed as a consultant to the Royal Navy. They paid me £500 per day for several weeks to research & then respecify all of the cleaning equipment used on their whole fleet of surface ships & submarines. I spent many days on HMS Illustrious testing mops, chemicals & cleaning machines.
Now, this is where it gets ridiculous. Because it was the Royal Navy, their procurement dept was not allowed to list specific brands or codes. Consequently, prior to me working for them, they were continually buying handles that didn’t fit their mops & then mops that didn’t fit their handles! I even once saw a mop attached to a handle with sellotape!
After testing multiple mops, I decided on the ribbon type; they coped with the grease & oil really well, didn’t take up too much valuable space & were cheap. I couldn’t recommend the patented interchange handle (you will understand this later) as it would mean they were tied to buying from SYR, so instead, I had to create technical drawings of the following handle….
HANDLE TYPE 1 – METRIC THREAD
Multiple types of threads look very similar. But none of them are interchangeable.
The only handle that we sell that looks similar to any of the above is the middle one, which is a metric thread:
This handle. code ALH7, fits into the following mop by cutting its own thread into the sockets ridges:
HANDLE TYPE 2 -Exel®
The Exel handle is a push in handle which has 3 fins. These fins push into the plastic part of the mop.
HANDLE TYPE 4 – KENTUCKY
Traditional Kentucky mops are secured to the handle via a metal or plastic clip & spring:
A disadvantage of the wooden one is its not colour coded. So, if colour coding is needed go for this one:
HANDLE TYPE 5 – PUSH IN WOODEN
We also sell handles that are plain wood with no thread.
These simply push into this type of mop:
or push in & are secured with a wood screw in this type:
HANDLE TYPE 6 – VILEDA MINI
This handle only fits the Vileda Ultra mini mopping kit & nothing else:
HANDLE TYPE 7 – VILEDA
Either the telescopic, or regular long handles fit this professional mopping kit:
AND FINALLY HANDLE TYPE 8 NEEDS ITS OWN CHAPTER…
HANDLE TYPE 8 – INTERCHANGE SYSTEM
Now finally for our favourite handle, the Interchange handle. The handle has a small screw surrounded by a plastic guard for the mop head to connect to.
As you can see from this video SYR product loads of different types of cleaning accessories that fit onto this handle:
We stock 2 different grades of interchange handle. A cheap economy one:
And a better quality but more expensive one:
We stock may different types of mop that fit this handle. First of all here are the socket mops:
SYR INTERCHANGE SOCKET MOPS
Small & Cheap PY Cotton Mop with Coloured Tags.
This pure yarn mop head is perfect for everyday mopping and is also excellent value for money. It features an interchange plastic handle fitting and colour-coded tabs which can be used to identify the area in which the mop is used to reduce cross-contamination. You remove the coloured tags except the one you are using. This mop head available in 160g / 210g / 260g.
Pros:
- Cheap.
- Cotton so potentially biodegradable if you cut the plastic off the top!
- Colour coded.
Cons:
- Not the best quality.
- Colour coding is just a tag.
- Being cotton they rot easier.
- Not launderable.
- Can leave bits of fluff.
CHEAP STRIP MOP
I really like these mops & so do you, as we sell loads of them! They clean really well & are cheap.
Pros:
- Cheap.
- Made from offcuts of non-woven wipes.
- Peform better than cotton mops.
- Dont leave bits of fluff like cotton mops.
- Lauderable up to 10 times.
Cons:
- Only launderable up to 10 times!
- No part of the mop is biodegrable.
SYR 17” Midi Cotton Mop Head
This SYR 17″ cotton mop is made from blended yarn which suits smaller mopping applications, and it features a looped end. This mop head is exceptional at distributing water evenly on floors during the cleaning process.
It is also colour-coded and can be interchanged with different handles. One benefit of this mop head is that it is launderable up to 300 times, which means it can be reused multiple times without needing to be replaced frequently.
Available in 4 different colours to avoid cross-contamination.
Pros:
- Lauderable up to 300 times.
- Really ecomical as they last so long.
- Has a band sewn into the mop to stop the strings getting caught up.
Cons:
- Blended so not biodegrable.
KENTUCKY INTERCHANGE MOP
SYR Kentucky Strip Mop – Cheap & effective Kentucky mop.
Pros:
- Cheap.
- Made from offcuts of non-woven wipes.
- Peform better than cotton mops.
- Dont leave bits of fluff like cotton mops.
- Lauderable up to 10 times.
Cons:
- Only launderable up to 10 times!
- No part of the mop is biodegrable.
This Kentucky Stay Flat mop is made from a cotton and polyester fibre blended yarn. This mop has a looped end and a stayflat band complete with colour-coded banding and Interchange sockets. This mop head is 16oz or 450g. This mop is able to clean quickly and efficiently. Available in 4 different colours to avoid cross-contamination.
Pros:
- Lauderable up to 300 times.
- Really ecomical as they last so long.
- Has a band sewn into the mop to stop the strings getting caught up.
Cons:
- Blended so not biodegrable.
Finally Buckets!
The final piece of the jigsaw is to know which bucket goes with which mop. At last, we have something about mops that is really simple!!
Kentucky buckets go with Kentucky mops! Kentucky mops are the largest type of mop therefore need a large volume of water to swish about in. A Kentucky bucket must also have a wringer to wring out the mop; otherwise, the floor would remain wet & dirty. Our most popular range is:
Socket Buckets
Go on, you guessed it… socket buckets go with socket mops.
Socket buckets have a sieve in the top that the mop presses into to wring out.
If you have an eco-conscious customer, consider this plastic-free socket bucket:
Vileda Flat Mops
Vileda does two sizes of flat mops with buckets. The Ultraspeed Mini, and the Ultraspeed Professional.
Finally here comes an overview of what to use where….
What Mop To Use? And Where?
As I mentioned earlier, most of you will already have handles & buckets, you just want the correct mop to fit what they already have.
For you who need a whole kit, these questions should help:
Q1 – Do you have a washing machine on site?
If you do then go for a launderable mop as it will save money & save the planet.
Q2 – Is the floor very greasy?
If it’s a very greasy environment, don’t go for a microfibre flat mop as it will clog up.
Q3 – Is the floor safety floor – ie rough to the touch like sandpaper?
If it is flat, microfibre mops work really well.
Q4 – Do you use colour coding on site?
Most mops are colour coded, but not all so be sure to check this!
Q6 – How large is the area?
If it’s a large area then we recommend either Kentucky or Vileda Professional, the mops are bigger & the bucket capacity is bigger. Using a small bucket means that pretty quickly you are mopping the floor with mud!
Q7 – Would you like to be able to mop tiled walls, skirting boards or stair risers?
If so flat mops are brilliant for all of the above.
Q8 – What is your budget – do you want something cheap & disposable or a more substantial product that will last?
The cheaper end is socket mops & cheap ‘py’ mops, Vileda professional is at the other end. Vileda systems & mop last literally years!
Q9 – How important is the environment in your decision-making process?
If you are really concerned about the environment, then go for Vileda ultraspeed – professional or mini, as they last ages & launder really well. Or choose the metal socket bucket, with a twine mop with metal ferule (the bit the handle pushes into) together with a wooden handle. This set would be plastic-free, biodegradable & fully recyclable.
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