MOPS

MOPS

Everyone familiar with household chores knows exactly what a mop is; a mop is a cleaning tool with a long handle that has some sort of absorbent head which help in cleaning a solid surface. A mop is usually used to clean surfaces such as floors, walls and woodwork and is majorly categorized into two heads i.e. wet mop and dry mop. A wet mop is typically used to clean a floor, while a dry mop is used to remove dust from the surface.
The mop was invented by Thomas W. Stewart, an African-American inventor, on June 13,1893. In 1950, Peter Vosbikian developed a sponge mop that used a lever and flat strip of metal to press against the wet mop and squeeze it dry. And after World War II, a modification was done, by introducing plastic mop. Other modifications have made mops even more adaptable to different cleaning chores. In 1999, Scotch Brite released a lint free wet mop made of natural cellulose and reinforced with internal polyester net.
Now a day, for cleaning purpose, generally four different types of mops used by the industry, each suited for a particular task: dust, sponge, wet and specialty.
Dust mops: Dust mops are designed to clean floor, walls, ceilings and light fixtures. They are lightweight, and are usually made of cotton, wool or synthetic fibers that capture dust particles and cobwebs.
Sponge mops: Sponge mops are designed to clean tiles and are used wet. Their synthetic sponge heads are attached by wringer. The advantages of using a sponge mop are that they are lightweight, relatively inexpensive, easy to replace and can be easily maintained.
Wet mops: Wet mops are designed to be used wet on any type of surface. Wet mop heads are usually made of cotton and usually available in several sizes. Wet mop heads can come with either looped or straight cut ends with a built in wringer.
Flat Mops: Flat mops especially used as a daily mop having a flat head that usually has a disposable or reusable pad that attaches to it. Reusable flat mops usually have a micro fiber or other type of cleaning pad that is washable.

EMERGING TRENDS
Due to new technology and emerging trends in floor and there coatings and an increasing awareness of environmental concerns, executive house keeper have higher expectations from the mop manufacturer and demand that hard floors not only shine and be clean, but also be safe and easy to maintain. And to full fill these demands some new trends are introduced in the market.
Light weight handles with ergonomic bends-which helps in handling the mops easily in different angles and will run for long time period.

Micro fiber mops-now a days micro fiber mops are preferred as they are easy to handle and can give the lint less cleaning by capturing and removing soil from all types of flat surfaces (floors, walls, glass and stainless steel) than a string mop. With this they have some other advantages also, as:
i) Highly launder able
ii) Have split-fiber technology,
iii) Can track lint easily,

Color-coded mops to reduce cross-contamination-helps in distinguishing the mopping rags according to there usage in different areas, as
1. Red for bathroom areas,
2. Blue for public areas,
3. Yellow for normal dusting, and
4. Green for kitchen area.

Bucket less mopping eliminates the need for a mop pail and wringer, while reducing water use and disposal by up to 90 percent

Green cleaning program helps in reducing the use of water and chemicals, which helps in increasing the life of the mops.

ECOMOP dust cloth that is ideal for economical dusting situations. This cloth is completely disposable, and electro statically attracts dust, grime and 98% of all bacteria.

CARE AND CLEANING OF MOPS
Shake the mops properly before storing them.
Avoid banging the mop head on walls, cement, or other surface.
Store it upside down or hanging from a wall so that there is no pressure on the mop head.