Tired of buying expensive mop head refills? Want to avoid single use mop head refills? You can diy mop head alternatives. This is a diy mop head roundup.

Introduction

My new apartment has neither carpet nor tiles for flooring. Hard floors like wood, laminate, vinyl, etc require less mop water than tiles. Mop buckets and sponge mops are not the best option for keeping these floors clean. Making mop heads that would work with the mops I already had was more cost effective than buying an entirely new mop.

1) Cuban Mop

This T-shaped wooden mop is common in Cuba, other parts of the Caribbean, Latin America and parts of Europe. The shape is similar to that of my BeeMaid style sponge mop without a sponge mop head installed. Make a Cuban mop easily or purchase one from a variety of retailers.

Make a Cuban mop head by folding a towel over the short or top bar of the “T”. Use a dry towel for dusting and damp or wet towel for mopping. Refold your towel to mop with the inner side when the outer side gets dirty. Use cotton, cotton blends and microfiber towels for the mop head. No sewing required.

2) String Mop

Patent number 499,402 was awarded to African-American Thomas W. Steward, on June 13, 1893, for inventing the mop. This string mop’s head was made of yarns and included a wringing feature.

Make a string mop head by tying thick cord or yarn to a broom handle or by cutting or tearing fabric into strips then tying them to a broom handle. Upcycle old towels and old t-shirts into string mop heads. Use  cotton, cotton blends and microfiber fabrics for this mop head. No sewing required.

3) Flat Mop

Flat mops heads are low and flat compared to Cuban and string mops. Cleaning solution is either stored in the flat mop handle or in a separate spray bottle. In both cases, less cleaning solution and/or water is needed compared to bucket and mop systems.

My double-sided flat mop and it’s refills have been discontinued by the manufacturer. Making mop heads was more economical than buying an entirely different mop with mop heads.

Make flat mop pads by tracing around or measuring the head of your mop or your existing mop pad. Mop heads may have grippy teeth on the bottom to grip the single-sided pad, grippy pockets on the top to poke the corners of the map pad into, or no mop head securing features. In this case, the mop pad will have buttons, snaps or hook and loop closure to secure it to the mop. Single sided mop pads may fold up around the sides of the mop head and be secured at the top or the mop head or may slide into pockets on either short end of the mop pad. Double-sided mop pads may have a hook and loop closure along one long edge.

Use cotton, cotton blends and microfiber fabrics for this mop head. Upcycle old towels. Some beginner sewing may be required depending upon the design of your mop head.

4) Turtle Mop

My Mom always has a “floor cloth” in the kitchen. This old towel or rag was used to mop up random drops of water from the floor. We pushed or pulled the “floor cloth” over the floor with our feet. Turtle mops are cute or fancy versions. If you don’t have a large area to mop and/or don’t have a broom handle, floor clothes and/or turtle mops (aka foot mops) are helpful.

Turtle mops are ovals of fabric sewn together with six small projections representing the head, tail and four limbs of a turtle. They may or may not have filling such as small fabric scraps or thin batting inside of them.

Use cotton, cotton blends and microfiber fabrics can all be used for this mop head. Upcycle old clothing for the nonabsorbent layers and old towels for the absorbent layer. Beginner sewing required for the turtle shape.

Conclusion

These four diy mop heads vary from no-sew to beginner sewing. Use old towels, old t-shirts, microfiber cloths, yarns or scrap fabrics to create these mops. This is a great project for upcycling a variety of clothing and household linens.

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Tanya

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