You’ve noticed that your floor becomes sticky every time you mop it. This can be frustrating and can demotivate you from regularly cleaning your floor. The sticky floor left behind after every mop also negates the purpose of washing your floors by leaving them looking dirty even after scrubbing the floor with a mob.
But why is your floor sticky after you mop it? Your floor is sticky after you mop because you are not using a solution that removes the residue that had been left by other cleaning methods. Your mop is just spreading the dirt around within the sticky residue.
Susanna Lauren, a scientist at Biolin Scientific, also adds that your floor is getting sticky because you are also leaving too much of the cleaning solution on the floor. These floor cleaners contain surfactants that suspend dirt particles in water. If the surfactants are left on the floor surface due to poor rinsing, then the floor becomes sticky after mopping.
How to Get Rid of Sticky Floors After Mopping
After cleaning your floor, you may notice that your floors are still sticky. This can happen for several reasons, including using excessive floor cleaning solutions and stepping on the wet floor. When that happens, it is important to know how to clean the sticky floors and remove any residue from them. Below are some of the steps you should follow.
- You will start by getting a clean mop and a warm bucket of water for mildly sticky floors. If your floors are extremely sticky, then you should consider using hot water. Please note that at this step, your mopper should not have residue or cleaning liquid that caused your floors to be sticky. However, in some instances, when the floor is dirty and sticky, you will be required to add floor cleaners to scrub the sticky and dirty surface.
- Next, dip your mopper in the water and start cleaning the floor. In this process, you will need to repeatedly moisten your mop and wring it appropriately depending on your floor type.
- The next step is to clean your floor thoroughly while rinsing your mop frequently. During this phase, make sure you don’t leave any spots unclean. dump off the dirty water during this phase and replace it with clean water to avoid leaving sticky areas while trying to remove them.
- Finally, allow your floor to dry before getting in. In cases where you must stay, use a microfiber mop (click here) to clean all the water and remove wetness. If you don’t have access to a microfiber mop, a soft cloth will suffice.
Why is My floor Sticky After I Swiffer?
Your floor is sticky after you Swiffer because you are overusing the cleaner in the Swiffer mop, resulting in a build-up of the cleaning material. There is also a likelihood that you are spraying a large area resulting in your Swiffer mop drying before wiping the area, resulting in sticky spots.
Swiffer products are a market leader when it comes to floor cleaning. However, it is likely that you will find your floors getting sticky after using a Swiffer mop. For many people, this is always surprising and can lead them to question why one of the biggest floor-washing brands is failing them. Fortunately, if you notice that your floor gets sticky after using a Swiffer, the problem may not always be because of the tools you are using. Sometimes it is because of how you are approaching your floor cleaning.
For starters, when using a Swiffer mop, you may apply more cleaning products than is required. The result is that you will not be able to remove all the cleaning products you applied using your Swiffer. This can make your floor sticky even after thoroughly mopping it. This happens when you apply more cleaning products to the floor; it reaches a point where you are no longer washing the floor but spreading the cleaning products. Although it seems like you are doing a decent job cleaning, the cleaning products get spread all over your room. Then, after you are done cleaning, your floors get sticky.
Another reason is overestimating the area that your Swiffer can cover before it becomes too dry. This results in patches of an uncleaned floor, which, when they dry, result in a sticky floor.
Why are My Hardwood Floors Sticky?
Your hardwood floors are sticky because you may have used too much cleaning solution when mopping, and you were not able to remove all of it. There is also a chance that sticky liquids and dirt are why your hardwood floors are sticky.
You may start to notice that your hardwood floor is becoming sticky, and any attempt to mop the floor is not ending the tackiness. At this point, you may start to wonder what you are doing wrong and the step you should take to ensure that your floor is no longer getting sticky. Fortunately, we know all the main reasons that can cause your floor to be sticky, and we will highlight them while also providing a solution to each problem.
- Excessive cleaning solution when mopping: One of the main reasons why your floor is getting sticky is due to excessive cleaning solutions applied during mopping, when this happens, it means that the water used for mopping will not be enough to remove all the foam and Surfactants used in these products. This leaves your hardwood floor sticky after mopping. To avoid this, you should regulate the amount of cleaning solutions applied during mopping. You can also use more water to clean the house or replace the mopping water with clean water. This will allow you to remove all the excess cleaning solution from your hardwood floor.
- Sometimes, when cleaning your hardwood floor, your approach may be wrong, resulting in you leaving some uncleaned spots. When this happens, these uncleaned spots turn into sticky hardwood floor patches. Fortunately, this is easy to avoid. You need to ensure that when mopping, all sections are reached by the mopper.
- Spilling dirt and liquid residue on the floor: Spilling dirt and liquid residue on the floor can cause your hardwood floor to become sticky. Luckily, this can be solved by mopping your hardwood floors to remove the dirt that is making them sticky.
- Stepping on the wet hardwood floor after mopping: If you step on the floor before you are done thoroughly cleaning it, you return some of the dirt to it. When the floor dries, these patches can become sticky. This can be solved by ensuring that you are not stepping on areas that you have already cleaned up.
Here is a table that illustrates was online forum users are doing to clean their hardwood floors so that they are not sticky:
| Method to clean hardwood flooring so that they are not sticky | Percentage of total results |
|---|---|
| Use Windex on sticky floors and a flat microfiber mop. The ammonia will remove the residue that had been left by harsh cleaners. | 11% |
| Use a microfiber mop (recommend the MR SIGA Microfiber Mop and a solution that is 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water. | 42% |
| Bona floor cleaner and a microfiber mop works on finished hardwood | 37% |
| Swiffer Wet Jet (click for pricing on Amazon) for hardwood flooring | 10% |
How to Clean a Sticky Floor Without a Mop
There are many ways you can approach the cleaning of a floor without a mop. There are also many mopping alternative tools and materials you can use to clean your floor. In this section, we will focus on one of the easiest ways you can clean your floor without a mop. To do this, you will need a brush, sponge or cloth, cleaning solution, bucket or sink, gloves, and a kneeling pad (optional but important for extra comfort). Follow the steps below to clean your floor.
- Choose whether you will clean with a brush, sponge, or cloth. The first thing to do is decide whether you want to scrub the floor using a brush or use soft washing materials such as sponges and clothes. The decision in this phase is made depending on the type of floor you are cleaning. For instance, laminated and hardwood floors may not need brushing. However, the tile floor can be scrubbed, so you can use a brush.
- Mix solution: In this phase, you need to measure your cleaning solution and mix it in either a portable bucket or use a sink if you have one. There are many options to choose from when cleaning your floor, including a floor cleaner, tide laundry powder, warm water and bleach, and the combination of your cleaning solution will depend on your preference.
- Remove debris before cleaning: Before starting to clean, you should ensure that there is no solid debris on the floor. This is to avoid injuries and damage to your floor. For instance, broken glasses can result in a cut. Therefore, you should sweep before cleaning.
- Soak the cloth, sponge, or brush: After sweeping, you can start cleaning the floor by first soaking the cloth, sponge, or brush into the water, running it on the floor, and starting cleaning. In this step, you may opt to do it while kneeling if it makes you possible or if you are using a cloth or a sponge.
- Let it dry: After cleaning the floor, you may opt to leave the floor to dry before stepping on it. This will help you avoid the floor becoming sticky and dirty again.
How to Clean Sticky Tiled Floors
Each type of floor requires a different approach when cleaning. For sticky tiled floors, you should follow the steps below when cleaning them.
- You will first need to get all the tools required for cleaning your tiled floors. This includes items such as vacuum cleaners or brooms, a mop, mop buckets, and rags (optional). You will also need materials such as sponges, mopping detergents, household cleaners (optional), and paper towels (optional). You can also opt to add other cleaning materials such as white vinegar and household ammonia as recommended by cleaning experts at HowToCleanStuff.
- Start by choosing the type of mop you will use. Then select the buckets you are going to use while cleaning. It is recommended that you have two buckets, one with clean water and the other with water mixed with a cleaning solution of your choice. For mopping, you can opt for a sponge mop if the tiles are smooth or a brush for rough tiles.
- Next, sweep or vacuum your floors. This will help remove dirt that is on your floor before embarking on the washing process.
- Dip your mop in the bucket with cleaning solution and wring it out with a winger or hand until it is damp. This is because too much water dripping from the mop can damage your tiles or drastically extend the time taken to dry.
- Begin mopping the floor, working from one end to the other. If you are using a sponge mop, follow a straight line while mopping, and for rag mops, mop in a figure-8 motion for effective cleaning.
- Identify spots that look dirtier and spend extra time removing the dirt on these areas. This will help you speed up your cleaning in other areas.
- The next step is that, after mopping using the bucket with cleaning solution, you need to rinse the floor with clean water. Therefore, dip your mopper in the bucket with clean water and use a cleaned mopper to rinse the floor. This will also help you avoid your floors becoming sticky after you are done.
- After rinsing thoroughly, wait for the floors to dry before stepping on them. This will also help prevent your floors from becoming sticky. It is also the last step in this guide.
Why is My Laminate Flooring Sticky After Mopping?
Your laminate floor can become sticky after mopping because of an incorrect cleaning method that results in spreading dirt on the floor when cleaning. There is also a possibility that you are responsible for the stickiness on your floor because you stepped on it while it was still wet.
You may start to notice that every time you mop your laminated floor, it becomes sticky. Although laminated floors are easy to clean, durable, and easy to install, the constant stickiness can be frustrating, especially when the root cause of the problem is not known.
There are many reasons that can cause your laminated floor to become sticky. One of these reasons is that you are cleaning your floors incorrectly, causing you to spread dirt, water with cleaning solutions, or water residue on your floors while wiping, and then you are failing to rinse your floor to get rid of the spread.
Another reason most people do not consider when washing their laminated floors is that they may be responsible for the stickiness because they step on the floor before it dries. When the floors dry, the dirt on the laminated floors becomes sticky and you may spread it around by walking on it. Luckily, this can be avoided by ensuring that you do not step on the floor after cleaning and rinsing it.