How often should I change mop water?

Change mop water every 10 square metres or whenever it looks dirty, whichever comes first. Mopping with dirty water just spreads grime around rather than cleaning. In commercial settings, some colour-coded mopping systems require a fresh bucket for each room.

What dilution ratio should I use?

Most general-purpose floor cleaners recommend 1:50 (20ml per litre of water) for regular cleaning. For heavier soiling use 1:25, and for very greasy or dirty floors use 1:10. Always check the product label as dilution rates vary between manufacturers.

Why does this calculator use 10 m² per bucket?

A standard mop bucket (14 litres) effectively cleans about 10 m² of floor before the water becomes too dirty to be effective. This varies with floor condition — clean floors might stretch to 15 m², while very dirty floors may only manage 7-8 m². We use 10 m² as a practical average.

Should I use hot or cold water?

Warm water (not boiling) is generally best. Hot water helps dissolve grease and speeds up drying. Very hot water can damage some floor types and makes cleaning products less effective by evaporating them too quickly. Lukewarm to hand-hot is ideal.

CleanCalcs

Mop Bucket Calculator

Work out water volume, detergent dose and number of bucket changes for mopping.

Floor Area

Total floor area to mop

Bucket Size

Dilution Ratio

Detergent to water ratio

How We Calculate This

This calculator works out how many bucket changes you need, the total water volume and the correct amount of cleaning product.

Formula

Bucket changes = floor area ÷ 10 m² (rounded up)

Total water = bucket changes × bucket size

Detergent per bucket = (bucket size ÷ dilution ratio) × 1000 ml

For example, a 14-litre bucket at 1:50 dilution needs 14 ÷ 50 = 0.28 litres = 280 ml of detergent per bucket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Room Cleaning Time Calculator

Estimate how long it takes to clean a single room based on size and condition.

Whole House Cleaning Time Calculator

Calculate total time to clean an entire house by number of rooms and cleaning depth.

Cleaning Product Volume Calculator

Work out how much cleaning product you need for a given floor area.

Vacuum Coverage Calculator

Calculate vacuuming time based on floor area and vacuum pass width.

Window Cleaning Calculator

Estimate time and solution needed to clean domestic windows.

Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify quantities and timings for your specific situation.