HOW TO MAKE "THE BEST MOP IN THE WORLD"

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\Brendan the Mop Model.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\4) Cut off the hems.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\8) Lay the mop stick on top.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\mod 2 use wire to tie off the mop, making sure that it lines up with the notches..jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\mod 1 use a wooden handle and cut notches.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\11) Tie it off with a cable tie and then tie the hem around the cable tie.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\1391153328_7ea35d3e52_s.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\5) Cut the towel in half.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\7) Lay each strip so that it half covers the next.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\10) Tie it off.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\9) Roll the mop stick up in the towel.jpg$

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\6) Cut each half into strips.jpg$

Are your floors in need of a good scrub? Does the smell of your bathroom leave you gasping for air? Are you in need of perhaps the best mop ever made? If you answered yes to these questions, then you need "The Best Mop In The World".

In the shops they sell those Vileda mops. In my opinion they are just tissue on a stick, plus they wear out in no time at all. With this mop, it will last forever, and can be made with thing to be found around the house. But enough talk, let's begin.

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Step 1: What you'll need to make the mop

$C:\Documents and Settings\breden c\Desktop\mop\2) What you need..jpg$

a) an old bath towel (make sure you don't cut up your Mum's best linen)

b) a pair of scissors (sharp ones are best)

c) four cable ties

d) an old broom stick (metal is shown, but wooden ones work better)

Soozyk says: Feb 6, 2013. 2:32 PM

Love It !!!!! Thanks!

pauprint says: Oct 1, 2007. 2:49 PM

Just out of curiousity, why the four grooves on the mop end?

abadger1 says: Aug 9, 2011. 2:23 PM

I imagine it gives the ties more grip, as they have a groove to sit in, thus making it sturdier

Ysabeau says: Mar 11, 2011. 12:50 PM

Awesome instructable.
But, the great problem, is that it very difficult to find a sexy man to use this mop, first and, second, I am not sure that reuse a man (even not sexy) is a good idea.

Yerboogieman says: Jan 10, 2010. 12:26 PM

I think I made the towel strips too short.

xhmko says: Nov 30, 2009. 12:23 AM

I'm in Hong Kong and these are the mops of choice for people who clean streets and stuff..actually in China even people in restaraunts and kind of everywhere use mops like this...made out of old clothes and whatever they can get their hands on i guess

Sassy_Teach says: Oct 8, 2007. 9:07 AM

Is it tacky that I like the fact that a male is holding the mop in the instructional pictures? Actually, this seems like a great idea. Will let you know how it fares for me.

brendanconnal (author) says: Oct 11, 2007. 3:02 AM

Dear sassy_teach, My oh my, you are sassy aren't you! Why is that tacky though? Plus, I am not sure if you mean that men with mops is a good idea, or the mop itself. Whatever the case, I look forward to your reply, and I hope you can find a man to wield the mop. Best regards, Brendan

brendanconnal (author) says: Oct 2, 2007. 1:12 PM

Just so the wire grips better.

jbenfield says: Sep 25, 2007. 10:07 AM

A couple of suggestions: 1) To stop the stick from rotting or splitting at the end, put a condom over it or dip it in the liquid latex that they used for coating tool handles (a maker staple imho) 2) Cut a square or three of cloth and put them over the end of the stick before attaching the strips. You could also use one of those green plastic scrubbing pads which would give you a slightly abrasive tip for loosening hard dirt. They make quite a variety of them, so pick one that's appropriate for the surfaces that you'd be mopping. 3) Use hose clamps (quick release ones if you want to get fancy) instead of wire or string. It makes it easier to replace the cloth when it gets stinky. Great article. I would never have thought of doing this on my own. It's the most obvious things that we take for granted.

stickmop says: Sep 23, 2007. 1:45 PM

Nice mop! I make a rag variation with a stick and old bar towels. The StickMop - a short 2x2 with a hole in it that you put the broomstick in, and then put the rag over the 2x2 part (yeah, there's a stickmop.com out there if you need more info about putting two sticks together and draping a rag over it). No Swiffers in this household.

jackfr0st says: Sep 16, 2007. 12:05 PM

teh wire wight scratch hardwood

Ctrl Alt Jack says: Sep 21, 2007. 10:45 AM

To prevent scratches and make the mop even better for high pressure scrubbing: Construct as instructed. When finished, wrap the mop really tight with some thread (probably a lot of thread) BELOW the stick also. Then the wire is securely hidden under the towel, and even the stick can't poke through the towel. You will then be free to use ever so much "elbow grease" as you please without risking your floor, be it whatever material.

brendanconnal (author) says: Sep 16, 2007. 2:23 PM

Dear jackfr0st, That's a good point, however I think that this would be a more pratical item over a stylish item, so the scratches would not matter so much. What do you think I could do to stop the scratching? Brendan

jgrimes227 says: Sep 20, 2007. 2:29 PM

Yo, Just wrap the head of the mop (at the end of the handle) very tightly with string. Sorta like Boy Scout lashing. That would hold it even better than hand wrapped wire AND wouldn't scratch. I might even council covering the end of the mop handle (at the mop end with a couple of "U" shaped pieces of fabric, and the strips and lash them all together to the end of the mop handle. Definitly no scratches even from the end of the mop handle.

tachikomatic says: Sep 16, 2007. 6:03 PM

I think that he was referring to the hardwood floors that the mop would be used on, not the handle of the mop itself. To address the scratching problem, I think clipping the wire fairly close to the shaft and putting a big wire nut on on the end would do the trick.

jackfr0st says: Sep 16, 2007. 2:59 PM

brendan, i think that you could, either twist the wire back up around and tape it, or you could dir it in plasti dip

jongscx says: Sep 17, 2007. 9:47 AM

Well, tape wouldn't work well because it's going to get wet... often... and plasti-dip isn't as durable as I had hoped it would be... I had some to use on my glasses (to coat the arms) and it wore off every 2 weeks...

jackfr0st says: Sep 17, 2007. 4:16 PM

well you could use a bunch of ducttape, it will last geting wet, trust me

stib says: Sep 20, 2007. 8:47 PM

Why not use plastic cable ties - the mainstay of the backyard engineers toolkit.

jongscx says: Sep 17, 2007. 4:20 PM

That is true. However, I would like to add that if you bent the wire with any sharp pieces pointing into the wood before wrapping it. Because even if the tip of anything sharp is covered, it will probobly poke through whatever is covering it if anything is rubbed against it. (speaking from experience with improperly installed bicycle brake cable..)

jackfr0st says: Sep 17, 2007. 5:39 PM

if you folded the tip ove then tucked it against the wood, it would be good for duck tapping

julibelle says: Sep 20, 2007. 8:31 PM

ooohhhh, sexypouty boy - here in the land of 'swimmin' pool, movie stars' the housekeepers take a piece of old towel about 18"x18", cut a small hole in the center, thread it over a broom or an old mop head - viola! Most of the ladies have 4 or fiv of these and just use a sink of Murphy's Oil soap and just throw them in the washer - n funk, no wringing...easy peasy! They also use these as semi dry mops by just sort of lightly whisking over the surface....good 4 dog hair...the ladies have all that but not so many sexy pouty mopping boys!

Asmalldharma says: Sep 20, 2007. 7:13 PM

I think everyone is forgetting something very important here...it's a towel. It's washable. Yes, you'll have to take it apart to wash it when it gets funky...but if it's so easy to put together, it's just as easy to take it apart.

haptotrope says: Sep 20, 2007. 2:28 PM

I would figure that the towel shreds would cut messily and leave dusty lints everywhere. I would probably take a serger to the sides of the mop strips then toss them in a washer/drier to clear off the fuzz.

purekatherine says: Sep 20, 2007. 3:06 PM

Thanks for mentioning this my Trashion friend, i'll try doing this when i try my mop.

purekatherine says: Sep 20, 2007. 3:03 PM

I think i've got an idea to improve the mop just a bit. I'm at work right now, so I'll have to give it a go later, but if it helps I'll definitely post it!

brendanconnal (author) says: Sep 16, 2007. 8:32 AM

Carpespasm dear, Your interest in instructable mine I thank you for. May your floors clean be, and your potty sweet of smell. This Shakepeare talk love I, Brendan

lemonie says: Sep 16, 2007. 10:21 AM

Hello, (Having known other people's damp-towels) this mop could get quite 'whiffy'. What do you recommend as cleaning products to use with this, that won't leave it nasty? L

jgrimes227 says: Sep 20, 2007. 2:32 PM

The nasty smell comes from not thoroughly rinsing out the mop when finished mopping. Left alone with the dirt in it the mop will really had a foul and nasty smell.

brendanconnal (author) says: Sep 16, 2007. 2:29 PM

Dear Lemonie, Long time no hear. It looks like you still have Aftershock eyes, so it good to know that some things never change. With regards to smelly towels, you have to remember that towels are left out to dry, and we use them a few times before we wash them. When you use a mop, you squeeze it out in one of those buckets with the holes in to get all the water out, and if you are using bleach or just normal floor cleaner, it should not get too stinky. Just remember to squeeze out and let dry and everything should be fine. Thanks for the comment. It was good to hear from you again. Brendan

lemonie says: Sep 16, 2007. 2:34 PM

Well, it's nice to see you back again (the shoe-leather still looks good). I guess that bleach and dryness answer the question. Towels are so obvious for this, it's a good one. L

ausisit says: Sep 20, 2007. 2:16 PM

Good on ya brendanconnal for sticking to the big corporations that is what I love to see. Then maybe after a while they might start producing things cheaper. A great post for the world to note. We like to use this sort of thinking over at ausis.info to help out as many people as possible with our solutions.

Ward_Nox says: Sep 18, 2007. 9:46 PM

TOXIC AVENGER! TOXIC AVENGER! I had no friends no girls to love me so i decided to get radioactive ugly. Nice mop

karencv says: Sep 17, 2007. 4:40 PM

Its not really the best mop ever. Its just a mop. Made from found stuff, assuming you have a towel and a handle. Hard to wring out. Hard to get it clean. Falls apart.

brendanconnal (author) says: Sep 18, 2007. 10:03 AM

Dear karencv, Sorry to hear that you do not like my mop. As for "falls apart", it all depends on how much effort you put into it. I do believe though that if you take the time to make it, and try it out, you too will agree that it is a great mop. Leave me a message when you have tried it. Brendan

karencv says: Sep 18, 2007. 3:34 PM

No, the mop is fine. It works good, it has some drawbacks. Its the title that I disagreed with.

James (pseudo-geek) says: Sep 18, 2007. 4:45 AM

um. I dont believe that ou have ever tried to mop anything sticky. it does NOT work with regular mops. the towel-mop give enough friction and weight to remove sticky stuff.

Mr. Rig It says: Sep 16, 2007. 9:44 AM

Great idea, You can also make a broom for outside using the same method. with small tree branches. Hey how about a his and hers versions :)

brendanconnal (author) says: Sep 16, 2007. 2:21 PM

Dear chowdeshell, Such high praise - thank you! I agree that you could make one of those witch's brooms if you could find the birch twigs. I think that you could also use pieces of straw if you cannot find the birch. I think that you should make an instructable on that - go for it! What do you think the "his and hers" versions would look like? I am thinking green for the guys (coz green is my favorite colour) and red(?) for the girls. Get back to me with your ideas. Brendan