Mopping Floors with Bleach | Make an Effective Floor Cleaning Solution

Bleach is quite a popular floor cleaner that can be used in a number of situations. The two most common situations when bleach use on floor cleaning are cleaning up from biologically infected and flooding. Our regular house cleaning works include cleaning and disinfecting the floor. You can use bleach regularly for cleaning linoleum, vinyl, tile, and concrete floors. If your hardwood floor is contaminated with mold or mildew, you can also use bleach for spot-cleaning or cleaning and disinfecting the entire floor.

However, the use of bleach is not completely safe, so if you want to use it for moping your floor, then you should learn the right process before you proceed.

How to mop a floor with bleach | Step by step

As we already said, bleach is safe for various flooring, including hardwood floors. You should not use a strong bleach solution on the hardwood floor to kill bacteria or other germs. Well, you should learn the accurate use of bleach for the best result and safe use.

Things you will need

• Broom
• Soft-bristle brush
• Bucket or a bowl
• Water
• One cum of regular bleach and
• mop

Step 1

If it is linoleum, vinyl, tile, or concrete floor, you can use bleach to mop them. Remove all moveable furniture from the floor and use a broom for sweeping to remove large particles or debris.

Step 2

• Take a bowl and pour one part of bleach and one part of warm water.
• You can measure it as one cup of bleach and one cup of warm water or any other quantity you need.
• Mix them well and make a powerful cleaning solution.

Step 3

Take a long-handled, soft-bristle brush and gently scrub the floor, pointing the stains or spots. Ensure that the bleach solution can not get on the baseboard or come into contact with the legs of any remaining furniture.

Step 4

Now deep the mop into the solution and wring out excess water from the mop head. The mop head should be wet but not soaked. Let the homemade bleach solution sit for at least five minutes on the floor.

In case of dealing with the flood or biologically infected flooring or mold/mildew, allow the solution to sit for 15 minutes.

Step 5

Again wring out the mop head into clean water and mop the floor.

Step 6

Make another solution using about a half cup of liquid household bleach and a gallon of water. Bleach is very effective in removing odor, oil, and build-up grease. This solution is great for cleaning the garage floor.

Read next: How to mop a floor correctly

Tips for safer bleach cleaning

Bleach is a strong cleaner that can damage your floor if you use a powerful solution regularly for a long time. Here are a few tips for safer using bleach.

1. You should never use bleach directly. Dilute it with water for a safer handle. You can pour bleach directly into the washing machine because eventually diluted water.
2. Before applying bleach solution, sanitize the floor first. You can clean the floor surface using simply detergent and water. Now apply bleach solution on the flooring and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Finally, rinse the floor with clean water.
3. Make sure that you are using a color-safe bleach that uses hydrogen peroxide instead of sodium hypochlorite or chlorine to remove stains because it can brighten the color.
4. Ensure enough air during making bleach solution because it can disturb your breath.
5. If you use hot water for making bleach solution, then do not forget to use a mask because it can release harmful chlorine gas.
6. Never use bleach along with other household chemicals like ammonia or vinegar because it can create a dangerous reaction.

Wrapping up

Bleach is undoubtedly a powerful cleaning product. But as it makes a reaction in contact with other household cleaning products, you should be very careful in using bleach. Open windows to ensure proper air circulation when you will use bleach. As a precaution, wear rubber gloves and a mask so that if any gas release from the solution cannot disturb your respiratory system.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to rinse the floor after mopping with the bleach?

No. If you have applied water and bleach solution to the floor using cloth or mop, then no need to rinse or take any further action for the floor. You should just let the floor air-dry to disinfect the area thoroughly. Bleach takes few minutes to evaporate and does not leave any harmful residue.

What can I mix with bleach to clean the floor?

For overall floor cleaning, the best bleach solution is to mix about a half cup of bleach with one gallon of water. You can use this solution for not only mopping the floor but disinfecting the tiles, sinks, countertops, stainless steel appliances, refrigerator, and other non-porous, hard surfaces.

Can I use a bleach solution to mop the wood floor?

No, the bleach solution is not completely safe for cleaning hardwood floors.

Does hot water kill bleach?

You should use cold, normal, or warm water for diluting bleach. Hot water can decompose the active ingredient of the bleach and reduce its effectiveness.

What cannot be mixed with bleach?

There are few things that you should never mix with bleach, these are-

• Ammonia- Bleach and ammonia together can produce chloramine gas which is dangerous for your eyes, respiratory tract and can create other health issues.
• Vinegar-The combination of bleach and vinegar solution can produce chlorine gas which causes coughing and irritates mucous membranes.
• Rubbing alcohol- Both elements can produce chloroform which can make you senseless.