Mud on the floor? How to keep your hallway and floors clean this autumn

Rain, leaves and soggy lawns. In late October, autumn really makes its way in through the front door, and you can tell from the floor. Shoes, boots, prams and paws bring mud on the floor with them, and suddenly there's grit and grey streaks all over the hallway. If you mop with an ordinary mop and bucket, you often end up just moving the dirty water around.

The good news is that you don't need to mop more often. You just need to do things in the right order and stop most of the dirt at the door. Here's our simple autumn routine.

Why do floors get dirty so quickly in autumn?

When it's wet outside, soil and sand stick to the soles of your shoes and get carried several metres into your home. Most of it lands within the first couple of metres of the door, but some of it travels on into the kitchen and living room.

Two things in particular make it tricky:

• Grit scratches. It's the tiny grains of sand, not the mud itself, that wear down lacquer, oil and surfaces when they're trodden or wiped around.
• Wet mud smears. If you tackle it with a wet mop while it's still wet, it easily turns into a grey film across the whole floor.

That's why one rule applies all autumn: dry before wet.

How to remove mud from the floor – step by step

1. Let the mud dry

It may sound wrong, but leave the wet patch for a while. Once the mud has dried, most of it can be swept or vacuumed up instead of being smeared around. If you need to deal with something straight away, pick up the worst of it with a dry cloth.

2. Sweep or vacuum up the grit first

Vacuum or sweep thoroughly, especially along the skirting boards, under the shoe rack and in the first few metres from the door. The more grit you remove now, the less wear your floor gets when you mop afterwards.

3. Mop with clean water all the way

This is where many people go wrong. With an ordinary bucket the water quickly turns grey, and after the first room you're mopping with water that's already dirty. That's exactly the problem FreshMop 3-in-1 Technology is designed to solve.

FreshMop keeps clean and dirty water separate, so you mop with clean water all the way. You wring out the cloth without touching it and without bending down. The dirty water is channelled into a separate chamber, so you don't have to change the water halfway through. One mix is enough for the whole floor. That's especially welcome on the days when the hallway has taken a real beating.

4. Wring the cloth out well – especially on wood

Wooden and laminate floors do best with as little water as possible. FreshMop cleans almost dry, so the floor doesn't need drying afterwards. That makes it particularly well suited to wooden floors. The system also lets you clean with a rich soap solution, because excess water is easily removed.

For the soap solution, you can use a mild soap that suits your floor. Our Cleansing Soap is a fragrance-free pure soap for untreated, oiled and soap-treated wood, as well as laminate and linoleum, among others. With long-term use, it leaves a protective layer. Always test it first in a spot that isn't visible.

5. Mop in lanes towards the door

Start in the far corner and work your way out towards the door, so you don't walk on what you've just cleaned. The flat mop head gets under furniture and right into the corners, where grit likes to collect.

6. Rinse the cloth and let it dry completely

A mop left wet and dirty after cleaning soon starts to smell. Rinse the cloth after use and let it air-dry completely. FreshMop cloths can be machine-washed at 60 degrees. Don't use fabric softener, as it reduces absorbency, and don't put them in the tumble dryer.

Stop the mud at the door

Dirt that never gets further than the hallway is dirt you don't have to clean up twice. A few small habits make a big difference:

• Two mats rather than one. A coarse mat outside takes the worst off the soles, and a soft, absorbent mat inside takes care of the moisture.
• Give wet shoes a set place. A tray with a raised edge by the door keeps water and mud off the floor.
• Wipe paws at the door. Keep an old towel or cloth ready for when the dog comes in from a wet walk.
• Shake and vacuum the mats regularly. A saturated mat can't hold anything back.
• Do the daily minimum. A quick once-over with the vacuum in the first few metres from the door takes just a couple of minutes and saves you plenty of work at the weekend.

And then the shoes

Wet shoes and boots should dry at room temperature, not on a hot radiator. Once they're dry, you can put a red cedar shoe freshener in them. It absorbs moisture and unwanted odours, leaves a natural scent of cedarwood and helps shoes keep their shape.

A simple weekly plan for autumn

• Every day (2 minutes): Vacuum the first few metres from the front door, and put wet shoes in their place.
• Once a week: Shake and vacuum the mats, and mop the hallway and corridor with FreshMop.
• After a really wet day: Let the mud patches dry, vacuum them up and give the floor a quick go with the mop.
• After every mopping: Rinse the cloth and let it dry completely, or put it in the wash at 60 degrees.

Frequently asked questions about mud on the floor

Should I remove mud while it's wet or dry?

As a rule, when it's dry. Wet mud easily smears into a grey film, while dry mud can be swept or vacuumed away. Only pick up the biggest clumps straight away.

Why does my floor look grey and streaky after mopping?

It's often because there was still grit and dirt on the floor when you started, or because you carried on mopping with water that was already dirty. Vacuum first, and mop with clean water all the way.

Can I use FreshMop on wooden floors?

Yes. FreshMop cleans almost dry and is particularly well suited to wooden floors, because you can control how damp the cloth is. Use a product that suits your floor's finish.

A little every day, and clean water when you mop

Mud on the floor is part and parcel of autumn, but it doesn't have to take over your home. Stop most of it at the door, deal with the grit first and mop with clean water all the way. That makes cleaning the floor both quicker and better.

Find FreshMop 3-in-1 Technology at micare. If you'd like extra cloths and a handle extension from the start, take a look at FreshMop Technology Complete with 6 mop cloths.