HEALTHCARE MOP STUDY UPDATE

I was recently asked by a friend in the business if we had any material (charts, graphs, etc)that described the labor and cost savings associated with using microfiber mops vs. conventional mops. I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t anecdotal with the exception of the 2002 EPA study done at UC Davis Medical Center. If you’ve never read it, you should… here it is. It’s probably had more to do with the switch to microfiber in the early to mid 2000’s in the US than any other single document, especially in the healthcare field. It’s also probably been quoted and paraphrased in more sales literature than any other piece about microfiber.

The focus of the study was on the labor, chemical and water savings when using microfiber mops instead of conventional mops. It also briefly touches on the huge advantage microfiber flat mops have when it comes to preventing cross contamination since only one mop is used per patient room instead of one conventional mop per two or three patient rooms.

When you look through the cost breakdown something should jump out at you… the cost of the microfiber mop. $17.40 each! That’s just for the mop pad. The study never says what size mop pad was used in the study, but we can assume they were 18” since back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s there wasn’t a variety of sizes available. Now, in 2014, the same type of microfiber wet mop pad would cost as little at $2.40 each on our website.

Because of this incredible change in the price of the mop over the last decade, I thought it would be interesting to recalculate the findings of the study with the more current pricing.

Here is how the numbers broke down:

Written by

Melissa Homer
Content Contributor at
Microfiber Wholesale

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Melissa Homer is a professional cleaning expert with over 20 years experience in the commercial and residential cleaning industry. She is a highly trained cleaning professional, business consultant, and educator that specializes in cleaning product testing and research, premium surface care, cleaning safety, cleaning procedure efficiency, training documentation, and cleaning damage repair. Melissa has worked for some of the biggest names in the professional residential cleaning industry, including P&G Professional and MaidPro. She has been interviewed and quoted in numerous leading publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Consumer Reports, Better Homes & Gardens, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post.