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Mopping is hard work. Avoid the disappointment of a sticky floor afterwards by grabbing our top tips.

Mopping a floor does not always end with the desired results. When the surface feels sticky after mopping, it could be due to using the wrong cleaner, using too much cleaner, not cleaning or rinsing the floor properly.

When you mop the kitchen floor, you want results. Sparkling tiles, shining hardwood, and a lovely fresh smell. Discover how to avoid the common mistakes that give you a sticky floor instead.

The Top 4 Reasons Why Mopping Make Your Kitchen Floor Sticky

We have all been there. We sacrificed the time from our busy schedules to complete a chore that most people hate so much that they avoid it at all costs. Yep, mopping the kitchen floor. After fifteen minutes to half an hour, depending on the size of your kitchen, you are rewarded with an aching back - and a sticky surface. No wonder so many people just give up!

But there is no denying the importance of a clean kitchen floor. This high-traffic area of your home can get dirty very quickly and needs to be maintained for hygiene purposes. Having a clean floor also lift one’s spirits.

So what malicious elves are causing your floor to feel so gummy? Here they are.

1. The mopping failed to remove the dirt and stickiness that was there before you started.
2. Using the wrong floor cleaner.
3. Using the correct floor cleaner - but too much!
4. Not rinsing the floor afterwards with clean water.

How Persistent Dirt Can Leave Your Floor Feeling Sticky

Depending on the type of mess to hit your floor, like grease or oil, dirt can accumulate very quickly. Dust and debris absorb these substances and can form clumps of dirt that will smear your floor badly when you try to mop it up. Worse, they tend to harden over time and when left for too long the clumps can be hard to remove.

The best way to make sure that dirt does not survive mopping is to invest in a pre-cleaning session. Before every mopping session, give the kitchen floor a good sweep with a broom or microfibre mop. That will get rid of most of the dirt and debris. For the oily clumps, use a hard-bristle brush and cleaner to spot-clean the area. Make sure that the toughest dirt is completely gone before you mop. This will save you a lot of work and disappointment in the long run.

Pro tip: Do not leave problematic spills for later. When you accidentally make a mess with oil or grease, clean it up as soon as you can. This will also shorten the amount of time that you need to pre-clean on mopping day.

The right steam cleaner can also dislodge tough dirt. Here are the best handheld steamer reviews in case you want to add one to your cleaning routine.

How The Wrong Floor Cleaner Can Make Your Kitchen Floor Sticky

There is a lot that cleaning companies do not tell you. To be fair, most are honest and promise to make your kitchen floor good as new. But few explain that not all cleaners and floors are friends. In fact, cleaning your floor successfully has little to do with the type of flooring and everything to do with the type of dirt that you are dealing with. Using the wrong cleaner for the dirt in your kitchen can result in sticky floors.

Here are the best tips to help you choose the right cleaner.

• Always start by choosing a cleaner that is suitable for your kitchen’s flooring.
• Next, take some time to understand the type of dirt that you are dealing with. Is it a lot of greases, pawprints, or something else?
• Choose a cleaner that has an opposite pH than the dirt. If you have acidic dirt, choose an alkaline cleaner and vice versa. This tends to be more effective.
• Get the right strength cleaner. Muddy prints do not need a stronger cleaner as grease might.

Using The Correct Floor Cleaner - But Too Much!

A common misconception is that by using more cleaner you will cut the cleaning time and get better results too. True, using too little cleaner will only give you poor results but there is such a thing as using too much! There is a reason why your favourite cleaner comes with instructions. It has been tested under a wide variety of conditions to see what amount gives the best results.

If you follow the instructions, the chances are that your floor will end up squeaky clean. But why does using too much cleaner result in a sticky floor? The excess creates a gummy or soapy residue that remains behind. Once it dries, this residue feels sticky.

Not Rinsing The Floor Afterwards With Clean Water

After you are done mopping the floor with cleaner, the next step is to rinse the tiles. When the rinsing is done incorrectly, it can leave your floor feeling sticky and even dirty-looking. There is a simple way to avoid this but first, let’s look at why things can go wrong.

A common mistake people make when they mop floors is to fill a bucket with water and then to clean the entire floor with just that one bucket. Sure, when you start the water is clean and suitable for the job. But after a while, both the mop and the water will turn dirty brown. Those who choose to continue will never have a clean floor. The dirt is just getting smeared everywhere and the cleaning solution is also not completely removed, leaving behind a sticky residue.

The best thing is to stop the moment you notice the mop is starting to smear brown streaks over your kitchen floor. Throw the dirty water out of the bucket and refill with clean and warm (not hot) water. Do not forget about the mop! Rinse the mop in clean water until it no longer expresses brown water. Once you have your clean bucket of water and mop, you can continue. Repeat as many times as necessary.

A Summary On Why Mopping Can Make Kitchen Floors Sticky

• Mopping mistakes are behind most sticky kitchen floors.
• The four most common reasons include no pre-cleaning, the wrong detergent, using too much of the right detergent, and not rinsing the floor with clean water.
• Pre-cleaning consists of sweeping the entire floor to get rid of excess dirt. It also calls for spot-cleaning problems like grease and oil spills.
• The wrong detergent can leave behind too much soapy residue and this causes the floor to feel sticky even after you rinse it.
• Too much of the right cleaner can also leave behind a sticky residue.
• The correct way to rinse a floor after mopping is to start with clean water and a mop. Replace the dirty water as soon as the water turns brown and also thoroughly wash the mop before continuing.