Mopping With This $9 Laundry Staple Is the Secret to Making Floors Shine

Mopping floors can often feel like you’re just pushing around dirty water and not really getting anything clean. Or you’re left with a streaky or cloudy surface that looks worse than when you started. However, you probably already have the perfect solution sitting next to your washer and dryer: Powdered laundry detergent. 

Even if you’re someone who prefers laundry tabs or liquid soap to get your clothes clean, you might want to pick up a pack of the powdered stuff for your hardwood, tile, or vinyl floors. The experts at Go Clean Co specifically recommend using Tide (Buy at Walmart, $8.96), but it should work with most brands. Plus, you only need a sprinkle to do the job, so grabbing a small box should be plenty.

According to Go Clean Co, adding the detergent to your mop water will help lift up dirt from hard floors instead of just swishing it all around. The gunk also won’t cling to the mop as you dunk it back into the water to rinse it off, only to fall right back onto the floor when you start wiping it down again.

The cleaning company recommends investing in a spin mop like the O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop (Buy on Amazon, $29.98). This type of mop will ensure you can really squeeze out excess water before wiping down your floors — which will help you avoid those dreaded streaky results.

To use their method, add a teaspoon of Tide to hot water and use the foot pedal on your spin mop about seven to ten times. If you’re not using a spin mop, just be sure to wring it out really well. In both cases, the goal is to make sure it’s not dripping before you start wiping down the floor. 

Then mop your floor as usual, re-dunking when it gets too dried out. You will probably notice the water getting dingy quickly (because the detergent is working so well!), so it is also a good idea to change it out at least once while you work through a room.

You can find countless fans of this method on social media. One Reddit user who tried it out wrote, “I’ve used it on my hardwood and it’s awesome! And I’ve been afraid to try most cleaners because technically my hardwood is cork. Try it!” Another commented claiming the Tide mixture also works great for cleaning blinds, walls, and cabinets.

We’re sure you’ll be just as pleased with the results in your home, too!