Cuban Mop - How to Use
I have over 2000 square feet of tile in the house. That's alot of sweeping and mopping.
I use my animal vacuum (Dyson) to vacuum 90% of the time. The other 10% is when I use the broom or the swifter, it reminds me why I use the vacuum 90% of the time.
So anyways. I've got mops like you wouldn't believe. I've tried just about everything out there with the exception of the Wet Jet ... I just can not justify the cost of BUYING that and then using the cleaning stuff. Like one bottle wouldn't even give me one day of cleaning!
The best, so far, and we keep going back to it faithfully, is the Cuban mop.
Just two wooden stick like things in a T shape, and your own hand towel. The thicker the better.
Just get your self a bucket of hot soapy water (personally, I use Fabuloso, Ocean Breeze scent) and get ready to mop, quickly and efficiently!
Step One:
Lay out your wet towel like so (confession: Hubby is very compulsive and brings me home a hand towel EVERY time he travels)
This is probably my favorite towel to use, it IS white but it's been stained from use, and SO nice and thick.
Then place the mop base in the center of towel:
I use my animal vacuum (Dyson) to vacuum 90% of the time. The other 10% is when I use the broom or the swifter, it reminds me why I use the vacuum 90% of the time.
So anyways. I've got mops like you wouldn't believe. I've tried just about everything out there with the exception of the Wet Jet ... I just can not justify the cost of BUYING that and then using the cleaning stuff. Like one bottle wouldn't even give me one day of cleaning!
The best, so far, and we keep going back to it faithfully, is the Cuban mop.
Just two wooden stick like things in a T shape, and your own hand towel. The thicker the better.
(forgive the crappy photo, it's O. L. D.)
Just get your self a bucket of hot soapy water (personally, I use Fabuloso, Ocean Breeze scent) and get ready to mop, quickly and efficiently!
Step One:
Lay out your wet towel like so (confession: Hubby is very compulsive and brings me home a hand towel EVERY time he travels)
Then place the mop base in the center of towel:
Then fold the one side in and over like so:
And repeat with the other side
Then do the same only fold these towards you:
It doesn't need to be perfectly neat. Then just lift the mop off the floor and let the little tails sort of hang and then just angle the mop so they tuck in ...
And using even pressure (not hard) just start mopping back and forth BUT try not to pick up the mop head any more than absolutely necessary. When you "think" you've sufficiently gotten one side dirty, just turn the handle so you use the other side of the head (what was the top). Just as with regular mopping, rinse and redo the mop as needed.
I really want to try a Vlog but not so sure I'm up to it ... we had rainy weather on Sunday and that's why the photos are DARK ... I apologize but hopefully this will give some of you a better idea how it works!
Where did you get your Cuban mop? I love Fabuloso Lavendar. Stopping by from We are That Family.
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for stopping by! I picked up mine at Publix, which is a grocery store here in Florida. I've seen them at Target and other stores too ... but don't know if they are available nationwide since we have a heavy latin american population in south Florida? Hubby said we should just make them and sell them :)
ReplyDeleteYou can also buy the Cuban mop at Ace Hardware!! I have searched publix, wal mart, target, home depot, lowe's, k mart and finally hit the jack pot at Ace! Ace is the place:)
DeleteHome Depot has them for 1.99 here in the Orlando area. As stated above, we have a large Hispanic population in Central Florida.
DeleteI've never seen this! I'm a hands and knees girl myself, but this will work for the kids; thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to be a hands and knees kind of girl too but OMG, that was alot of tile cleaning! :)
ReplyDeleteGot the mop in the mail today with two cuban cloths. Didn't know what to do with it all until a friend sent me your blog. Thank you so much! Now I know how to use it! Love it love it love it!
ReplyDeleteHey Patty, glad you found the link to use! Let me know if you think it's all that and more? :) I love love LOVE my cuban mop ...
ReplyDeleteLaurie, I use a Cuban Mop, too. It works way better than a regular mop and my Swiffer that keeps breaking. I put up my own method here: http://www.cubanmop.com
ReplyDeleteHey, I bought mine online at www.DollarDealShopping.com for only $9.99 and it came with two mop cloths. Now I am happy moping my floors without any heavy mops to carry around.
ReplyDeleteThus far, I've tried pretty much everything and still cannot get rid of the streaks. I went through several mop types and finally bought one where I can squeeze out most amount of water. It's really a workout for my arms. which can wind up being a good thing! I tried the vinegar mixture, too. I'm wondering if the problem is with the water, itself. Today I finally got down on my hands and knees and rubbed in furniture oil. The floor looks great, but I also haven't stepped on it yet. I do see some doggie prints, though. It's possible that over years of improper mopping, the laminate became so dry that it's having a bad reaction to the water. If the oil works pretty well, I will pick up one of those Cuban mops so I don't have to get down on my knees. If it doesn't work, I'm back to the drawing board. I don't mind cleaning, but I do mind cleaning when the results are so bad that it looks like I did nothing. Very frustrating!
ReplyDeletethis is almost the best thing I've ever heard of! thank you, thank you and thank you! I just used an old "star mop" I had (the ones where a microfiber pad velcroed on, which I never really liked)
ReplyDeleteThis mop is wonderful!!! I've used about every mop on the market and one day I found this "Stick" at Publix in a clearance pile of houseware items. I just got a cloth and started mopping and Woohoo!!! I have tile and hardwood floors that are really clean!!! This the best "Stick" I have ever bought.
ReplyDeleteI live in Miami and our housekeeper bought this mop to use in our home. She comes twice a month for deep cleanings, so I try to keep up on the cleaning during her off weeks. I had never seen a Cuban mop before, but when I saw how easy it was to mop the floor with it, I asked her to show me how she wraps the cloth. My cloth looks similar to a shammy cloth with a hole in the middle. Put the handle of the mop through the hole to where the cloth is laying flat and completely covering the bottom T. Take one side of the cloth (the side closest to you when you're holding the mop in front of you) and fold it underneath the bottom T. You can cover more area this way. Use back and forth motions and reposition the mop on a different section of cloth every few passes as the section gets dirty. Rinse the cloth with hot, soapy water and start again. The trick is to have a saturated, hot cloth. Wringing the cloth out too much or using cold water may not get your floors as clean. This method is so easy and it'll get your floors clean FAST!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy mother was Cuban, born in Havana and she told me about this mop several times. Alas, she died before I started using it. I bought mine from the Cuban Market in Miami. It arrived and I did not have the wisdom as how to use it. Thanks to you I now know. Many thanks.
Marilyn Maguire 1/2 Cuban
I live in Miami and this is a most popular mop. I try it and am not as good as a housekeeper I used to have. She left for a real job that uses her skills she went to school for, dental assistant, but really? When she could do houses?!!! My house at least?! Anyway was proud and happy for her. But sad for me. I like the mop ok but have trouble keeping the towel on it. And it just moves the pet hair around. You can see your mop line. Don't know how to do that except wipe that up separately. Not real happy with this CM on tile. The grout lines never seem to get wiped. Advice from other users is true. Do not wring out too dry. Better drippy than no water. Hotter the better. Love the fabuloso
ReplyDeleteJust left long message. To paraphrase like the CM but have trouble with it leaving pet hair at the 'mop line'. And this is after vacuums floor first. Also have trouble keeping towel on the T part. I learned from my housekeeper that left for her dental assist job after years of study. Yeah for that but sad for me!!
ReplyDeleteI love my cuban mop but I don't see the necessity for all that folding, I just cut a hole in the middle of the towel or orange thing and drop it down on the "t" part and start moping. .. Very efficient...I don't know what choose a profile means so I will just choose annonymous... Patience in Miami...
ReplyDeleteI also have tons of tile, first was in my house but even now that we have moved to an apartment, still lots of tile. 1350 square feet in the apartment, not a lick of carpeting. So moping is a very big chore especially since we have ducks in our community, lots of ducks, that poop any place they want, lol. Usually I used a swifter and the cleaning solution that attaches to it, plus the cleaning pads. Well, that was a very expensive cleaning method. I used at least 11 pads and almost a full bottle of cleaner to do the entire three bedroom, two bath apartment. Also took at least an hour of time. Those mops don't cover much area and that means lots of swiping back and forth. One day we dragged dog poop into our apartment because we took a short cut across the lawn ( most people clean up their pet's poop, but a few take their dogs on a stealth poop in the middle of the night and don't pick it up) and that was the last time I stepped off the sidewalk around here. Anyway, I knew the swifter pads would never clean up this mess and I also had to clean the outside steps and our porch, 17 steps, ugh! We had walked all over the apartment and most of it needed cleaning. This is when I figured out the "Cuban" mop method. Didn't have a mop stick but my swifter mop was just as good. Took a clean, small plastic trash bucket, filled the bottom with 3 or 4 inches of hot water, a drop or two of dish soap and a couple caps of bleach. Had to use some bleach to sanitize the poop bacteria. Then so I didn't have to reuse one towel and turn the water into poop soup, I used four old towels. The water stayed clean, the four towels were going to be tossed in the dumpster after cleaning the floors because I was in no way going to wash dog poop in my clothes washer and I never touched the poop because I used gloves and a clean towel for each section. A long story to say that I just throw the towel on the floor, put my mop in the middle or a little off center, throw one end over and just let the other drag behind, I cover large areas like this and can move my mop easily to a cleaner spot on the towel, I also flip the towel over. Now that the poop cleaning episode is over I clean my floors in the same manner except I fill a bathroom sink with my cleaning water and I have three old towels I throw in the washer when I am done and reuse until their life is over. I still never touch the dirty towel or put them in my clean water in the sink, still use gloves to remove the towel from the mop, lol. Then a clean old towel for the next area of the house. They get washed seperately from our household items though in the washer. Still not keen on washing floor towels with house items, lol. Now my swifter mop is broken at the handle and I need to get the mop stick. Sorry for the book length post. I found your site because I was looking for the mop stick and what it was called so I can buy it tomorrow. I am so happy to clean my floors this way, so inexpensive, so much faster, done in about 20 minutes the entire apartment and floors don't have cleaning solution residue that was always sticky.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in cuba and I still remember that we used to have an aluminum cuban mop exactly like the wood version but aluminum. I have tried unsuccessfully to find one but no luck so far. The best part is that they last forever. The wood mop is not always that great, mine has broken twice.If snyone comes across the aluminum cuban mop please advise where to find it.
ReplyDelete