[Bertie Boo]

Hi everyone

What do you guys do for cleaning cloths and mops, and how do you launder them?

I know i am alone in this (seemingly) but i can't take to microfibre cloths. I use face cloths (flannels), i get 6 for £1 in the pound shop (although i did track down a stockpile on Ebay which, even with postage and packing, was still less than £1 for 6 although i didnt buy them in the end).

I keep the worn-out flannels for toilet rags. I lose so many cloths i can't afford to spend a lot. I use sponge-back scourers (i think i get 5 for 14p in Asda, not sure of exact cost).

I also have a washing machine in my garage which i use only to launder my cloths and mop heads (i use an SYR interchange mop with midi mop head) at 95degrees (albiet short wash). I was not sure i was doing the right thing but when i enrolled on my BICs course i was told that this was the exact thing to be doing where possible. Do you all have washing machines for 'work' stuff?

Anyway, i had a front loader which i killed (i guess it did not like being filled with mop heads), now i have a Hoover toploader which is basically a dfront-loader machine with a hole in the top (it is not the 'old' style of top loader with a large agitator in the middle), cost me £50 on ebay and was almost new (came from a lady who had died apparently) so i was thrilled. I dont like Hoover as a brand but this washer rocks! Loading from the top is MUCH better than the front loader i had before. Much easier.

I am also curious as to where you buy stocks of cleaning products for domestic cleaining. Mostly i buy from Asda (some of their smart-price products), a lot from Home Bargains, and only a very few products off commercial cleaning suppliers. Some people think i am wrong in buying from anywhere that does not specialise in commercial supplies BUT i  find that they are often more expensive than going to a shop, plus they are only open at times when i am actually working. I've wasted a lot of time and petrol visiting commercial suppliers and i'm rarely impressed.

I also find 5 litre containers are an impossibility for domestic work.

Thoughts and tips will be galdly received...

Bertie

[Jan K]

local supermarkets and ebay....i use teatowels and flannels and also the net body puffs make brilliant bath cleaners

vileda mop heads have been washed over and over again and not wrecked my machine

[Bertie Boo]

DG thanks for that

I only buy my rubber gloves in Wilkinson but i do love the shop.

I am one of the bad boys who uses bleach and nowhere have i been able to get it cheaper than in Homebargains. I pay 69p per 2 litre bottle.

The cleaning suppliers are not overly interested in small-fry like me. I have been using SYR mops for years but the new heads (which, according to the rep i met at the cleaning show, were re-designed to reduce costs....say no more) are usless as the handles 'spin' in the sockets when you wring them out. But, alas, no one was very interested in the point, i was met with 'Oh, strange that, no one said before", but as i said, its not often the person doing the buying is the person doing the cleaning as well, so theres a good chance that the message isnt getting cascaded back to those in the know. Oh well.

Do u launder your cloths?

Cheers

Bertie

[dg-cleaning]

yes within reason.
J cloths just get thrown after use but microfibre cloths and dusters get  laundered and re used.Wilkos sell normal yellow dusters for 10p each.If you go to a pro supplier the cost of cloths are staggering for exactly what you would buy in pound shop!I'm talking an extra £3 compared to quid shop!

[domestic bliss]

I spent £100 buying professional cleaning chemicals and the only good stuff i had from it was a limescale cleaner.  Everything else was rubbish.  Now i get most of my stuff from my local discount store.  Jay cloths i throw away after use as they are cheap enough and dusters i wash.   

[Bertie Boo]

I spent £100 buying professional cleaning chemicals and the only good stuff i had from it was a limescale cleaner.  Everything else was rubbish.  Now i get most of my stuff from my local discount store.  Jay cloths i throw away after use as they are cheap enough and dusters i wash.   

I'm so glad its not just me. i go to various places but typically i buy as follows: cream cleaner and air freshener - Asda (smartprice), wash-up liquid- Asda (2 for £1), sponge scourers -Asda/Tesco, bleach and astonish glass/tile spray - Home Bargains, plus branded products like Ajax powder and Mr sheen polish from whereever i happen to be, although i could not tell you the last time i bought a can of polish as i don't belive in the stuff. I use it so infrequently.

For years and years i had been buying Astonish kitchen cleaner which was a life-saver in a bottle. It was super for all grease and what-not in kitchens, also on bathroom sinks and shower cubicles. NOW, after all this time, i note they've changed the fragrence and it makes me feel sick/headachey. So much so i have had to stop buying it. Why do they do this?

I've since switched to Citraclean which is a commercial product. It is very good, and quite cheap (about £12 in vat for 5 litres) as you dilite it very well. I use 50ml to 500ml water in a spray for degreasing and surface cleaning etc, and 50ml to 5 litres for floor mopping. I ordered the first 10 litres of it from Greenham but i was not overpleased with the service so next time i shall shop elsewhere. It also comes in flippin' 5 litre bottles which i have to decant into 2 litre bottles in order to use it practically. But it is very good.

You can also use it neat (not cost effective but a huge time-saver) if you need to seriously de-grease - i've used it neat many times on the top of kitchen wall cupboards and it really does work.

Bertie

[cleanandneat]

...just a little tip, though you might use thie already.
I pu the mop heads into pillowcases (2/case) before putting it into the washing machine. It saves the machine as bits can't get stuck inside. Oh, yes, I use them ONLY for mop washing!!!

Ildiko
Clean and Neat Service

[dg-cleaning]

just out of interest how long does everyones mop heads actually last? Our main contract is 2 dusty construction site cabins, constantley dirty from workmans boots clodding over the floor all day!
I use the very thick thread mop heads buy them in bulk from supplier for £9.00 a pack of 10 so good bargain. I  specify that the mop heads are changed every 4 days but some of my friends who also own cleaning businesses think its crazy that I don't use them for longer.They are soaked in bleach every night. I budget in my invoice to the client for mop heads being changed once every 5 days so never thought anything of it.Do you think this isn't very cost effective of me?How long do you guys get out of your mops?

[Bertie Boo]

DG

I have about 12 mop heads, some are up to 3 years old, i am eternally loyal to the SYR (scott young reasearch) interchange system as i LOVE these mops. I use one mop-head per house (though i do mop bathroom, toilets, kitchens -in fact everywhere- with same mop as i consider the cross contamination factor to be neglible  in a house, and anyway, most have stinky old carpets in washrooms) and that mop head is removed afetr cleaning, thrown into the bag of wet cloths, and the bag tied up for laundring.

When i did an office i had two mops- one for toilets and one for kitchen. These mops were plunged into boiling water before use and boil-washed once a week. As for how long before changing, i would consider this to be very much an individual desicion based on the loaction and the dirt. If you think the mop is physically dirty after cleaning a portacabin 4 days running then change it. A lot of folk (by that i mean like office staff etc) seem to judge the overall cleaning by the colour of the mop that the cleaner uses. The office i took over from had this rancid old grey stringy thing nailed to a wooden pole and i was disgusted. It was also sat in a metal bucket of all things. That company was dropped in favour of me and the lady who the mop belonged too came and collected it along with all her other stuff. It was RANK lol.

Bertie

[Bertie Boo]

DG

one of my very first clients was furious as she'd bought a new washing machine and whoever delievered it never took the old one. As a matter of goodwill i asked if i could take it away (indeed did she mind if i had  a look at it as it wouldn't spin) so i did. All it needed was a belt and i used that washer for over a year to wash my cloths and mops.

When my own washer broke it was insured and i was told to pick which new washer i wanted. Having always had Bosch i must have been high on bleach vapours when i asked for a Whirlpool. It was a high-spec model and it was DIRE. I swore that when the old Zanussi in the garage died i would stick this Whirlpool out there and get a new Bosch. Well begger me if the Zanussi packed up just as soon as i said it (wey hay!) so thats what i did.

The Whirlpool was never 'right' and did odd things likes stopping mid cycle and displaying error messages. This became a more regular occurance so when i spotted a Hoover Top loader on ebay i didnt hesitate. Out with the whirlpool and in went the Hoover, which i love as loading dirty cloths out of their bags (thats summink else, i releive my clients -with permission- of their old carrier bags as i use them to hold soiled cloths) into the top is so much easier than the front loader.

With washers starting at around £150 i think its a must for us cleaning ladies, if you have the room for one.

Bertie

[dg-cleaning]

bertie you mentioned astonish cleaning products before.I find them dire!!! Especially the multi surface cleaner with orange oil, cleans nothing at all!
I prefer flash the mineral smelling one smells lovely. I think a client likes to walk in to a fresh smelling house so I make sure I have nice smelling products. 
I have however used their stainless steel cleaner which I admit did a crackin job.
Is astonish considered a cheapo product I never saw it before until recentley in pound shop?
I get my flash from pound shop too!

[Bertie Boo]

Astonish glass spray and (the old) kitchen spray rocks (or so i found). I have no idea why they only sell it in pound shops (and even THAT is limited these days) or on QVC (where it is expensive, as indeed is it buying direct off astonish).

I like the smell of Flash but its so expensive overall. For cheap smells you can add half a cup of decent washing powder to your vaccum bag, and if you use air freshener then i promise you you will not find ANYTHING more refreshing than the Asda 31p Smartprice stuff. So many people i work for go "ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!" when they catch a wiff (though i dont know how long it lasts as i spray before i leave).

I am using Citraclean at the moment, it works out to be VERY economical but you do have to decant it and mix your sprays etc. It is good for mopping but it does have a strange aftersmell (like synthetic oranges...) which, being a commercial product, does leave the room smelling like a freeshly scrubbed public washroom. A bit like when you stop at the motorway services for a quick wee...

Bertie