How To Clean Soap Residue Left Behind by Mopping
You take the effort and make the time to get the floors mopped, only to discover that after they are dry there is a cloudy, and maybe even sticky, residue hanging out on your hard surface floor.
How Does This Even Happen? 
There are a few different reasons why a floor can look dirty, hazy, cloudy, etc. after a cleaning or after several cleanings.
- Too much soap was used in the cleaning process
- Buildup from cleaners, waxes, and other finishes over a period of time
- Surfactants in certain cleaning products that suspend dirt and leave a sticky residue because the cleaner was not diluted enough or properly
How Do You Get Rid of It?
- Start by getting all of the loose dirt up off of the floor like you would before mopping. Be sure to do a very thorough job.
- Mix a cup of ammonia and a gallon of warm water in a clean mop bucket.
- Using a terry cloth mop, mop the floor with the ammonia solution.
- Follow the mopping by buffing the floor dry with a microfiber cloth in circular motions with your hands. Keep a moderate pressure as you hand buff the floor in areas with a large amount of visible build up.
- When finished buffing the floor allow it to fully dry and rest for at least one hour before walking across the floor.
- If the floor still seems to have a layer of haze repeat the mopping process a second time.
How Can You Prevent Hazy Hard-Surface Floors?
- Don’t Use Dirty Water When Mopping; If you use a traditional mop and bucket method to clean your hard surface floors, you want to make sure you keep an eye on your mop water. Though the bucket full of cleaning solution starts out clean, as you wet the mop and apply it to the dirty floor the mop bucket takes on more and more dirt. To prevent this use a bucket that keeps the used water separate from the cleaning solution. We suggest using a different method called “dry mopping” where you spray the floor with cleaner using a spray bottle and use a mop with a washable mop head.
- Dilute Cleaners According to Instructions: Too much cleaning product and not enough water will cause more harm than good. If you buy a concentrated cleaner make sure to read the instructions and exact measurements when using it to avoid a large residue build up that will cause more work.
- Switch Cleaners: Look for a cleaner that says it is residue free. Only use just enough cleaner to clean the floor. Where hard surface floor cleaning is concerned less is more, too much cleaner means left behind residue and a dirty floor.
NOTE: Only use the ammonia to clean floors when there is a considerable amount of unsightly residue on your floors. You do not want to use ammonia as a routine cleaning solution because it can strip away the finish on your floor.
If you have hard surface floors that you just can’t seem to get sparkling clean it is time to call in a professional deep cleaner. For hard surface floor cleaning give us a call today.
