Cleaning enthusiasts have been left divided after one professional argued you should always wipe your floors down with a cloth before mopping
A professional cleaner has sparked debate after exposing how dirty our floors can get – especially in the bathroom. Vacuuming the entire house is probably up there on the list of the worst chores to date, but there’s something kind of satisfying about turning your noisy Dyson off and knowing every carpet and rug is spotless, while the hardwood floors are finally ready to be mopped.
However, TikTok user Rkmcgrcleantok, who runs her own cleaning business, has shattered our delusion – and pointed out that even vacuumed floors still harbour dirt and grime. In a now viral video, which has amassed over two million views, the content creator shows a piece of kitchen towel covered quickly becomes blackened, covered in hair and filth, after she uses it to wipe down the floor.
“Always wipe down the floor before mopping if you can,” she captioned the post. “You would be surprised what the vacuum doesn’t pick up.”
Hundreds of viewers flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts, with many agreeing with cleaning expert. “I’m a housekeeper and I’m always shocked by what paper towels pick up on bathroom floors that LOOK clean, especially around toilet,” one person wrote. “It’s routine for me to wipe the floor now [before mopping].”
Another agreed, commenting: “Gosh, I hate bathroom cleaning because of this. It never feels clean.” A third added: “I do that too. So glad it’s not just me being too much extra,” while a fourth penned: “The invisible dust in the bathroom is too real.”
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Others were a little more skeptical of the advice, arguing that a good vacuum should pick up all of the loose debris – allowing you to go straight to mopping. “Try a broom? Vacuums generally don’t work well on flooring,” one user suggested. Another commented: “I think you need a new vacuum. My Dyson picks up everything,” while a third said: “I never mop the bathroom. I always hand wash/scrub it two times. I have a standard size bathroom so it makes sense. I cleaned professional in college and this was how it was done.”
Of course, with big improvements in cleaning tech in recent years, you can now get ‘wet vacuums’ which have the power to clean hard surfaces with water while simultaneously getting rid of hair and grime. However, these aren’t cheap – and will set you back a whopping £799.99 from Dyson.
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