Chemical Engineering in Daily Life – Question 44: Can you use a mop to clean the floor correctly?

Thread Content

Every day on my way to work, I meet a few ladies who are mopping the floors in the hallway (in TJ’s slang, all young women are called ‘aunties’; if you call them ‘misses’, you might end up getting scrubbed with a mop!). I always greet them warmly with a smile on my face, then hold my breath and walk past quickly. The smell of that floor was absolutely unbearable; whether they used machines with kerosene to clean the floor or mops soaked in water, especially when cleaning with a wet mop, that smell was terrible. People often talk about the smell of boiled human flesh; I think it’s this smell. In short, it has a much stronger smell than the smell produced by high-temperature sterilization during the fermentation and cell culture experiments carried out by my doctoral students. For some people, it’s the same at home: that mop, whether wet or dry, once it gets wet, its smell is really intense – it’s almost unbearable. The moment I smelled the floor mopped with such a mop, I headed straight for the bathroom. I have pharyngitis; it’s a reflex response – I can’t stand this smell. The problem is that many people can’t detect this smell – is it a disaster or just cleaning supplies? It’s definitely not good if a mop has an unpleasant smell. To get rid of this odor, please make your choice: 1. Keep the mop in a slightly moist state ； 2. It’s best to keep it in a bucket when not in use ； 3. Thoroughly clean it after each use, including using detergent and disinfectant ； 4. Thoroughly clean it before each use, including using detergent and disinfectant ； 5. After each use, clean it and try to wring out the water; place it in a well-ventilated area, especially on a sunny balcony, to allow it to dry naturally.