Haven't Owned a Dust Mop in Years

Think for a moment on the efficiency of the common dust mop.  In open areas, particles roll under the dust-mop and remain on the floor, and small particles become airborne in the flow of air over the mop, remain in the air for hours, and settle back to earth unless inhaled by an opportunistic passer-by.  Corners and edges are missed (dirt piles up in the corners, day by day).  Areas around and under furniture are bypassed entirely.  And dust is a biggie hereabouts - we're a janitiorial service in Phoenix, AZ.

The remedy is to replace the dust-mop with a back pack vacuum.

A standard rule of thumb in the industry holds that, when damp-mopping (should one be thorough enough to dump the mop water when it becomes dirty), one should plan to dump the mop water twice as often if you dust-mopped, rather than vacuumed, before hand.  

The above applies to VCT (vinyl) floors.  Imagine the additional effect of texture and grout lines in rough stone and ceramic floors.  Most all dirt stays on the floor, to be turned to mud when the damp-mop hits.

Hard to argue that the janitor with his dust-mop is simply trying to keep costs down for his client.  Although a decent back pack vacuum (with hard-floor nozzle) costs a good deal more than the dust mop (check any janitorial supply firm), its greater efficiency saves much more in labor costs over the months.  Further, the more dust particles one removes from the building tonight, by vacuuming the floor, the fewer particles need to be dusted off surfaces tomorrow.  Saves time, and labor costs, both nights.

Finally, a HEPA filter on the vacuum, followed by damp-mopping with a microfiber mop (to pull up any particles missed by the vacuum) gives one clean, unstreaked floors and improved indoor air quality.  Hard to find a dust mop with a HEPA filter.

A bit about us:

My firm, CBN Building Maintenance, provides commercial cleaning services in Phoenix AZ and the wider metro area.  We've been in business since 1974; hold the BBB's A-plus rating; and have long been in the forefront of the industry in environmentally sensitive cleaning for health, safety and security.  Our program can generally improve Indoor Air Quality, in the size range of most allergens, by a factor of 50%, as reflected in our ongoing IAQ sampling.

Comments

[Cleaning Products]

If you want to save electricity, then dust mop is right for you instead of using vacuum cleaner. It has the same result I think.

[Bob Croft]

Correct, as far as the client can see. The tiny dust particles that a properly filtered vacuum (preferably a HEPA filter) will capture are dangerous to one's health when inhaled; dust mops either leave the particles on the floor or, via the airflow over the top of the dustmop, propel them into the air. Indoor air quality takes a big, and measurable, hit.
Further, dust mops leave debris along edges and in corners, unless very carefully used; they also take longer to use in any but a wide-open floor, so cost more in labor.