Who invented the Mop?
Mop is a tool nowadays we use for cleaning floors. It consists of a bundle of thread or yarn, or a piece of cloth, sponge, or some other absorbent material which is fixed to a stick which acts as a handle.
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Who invented the original Mop?
Though the first mop-like tool came about in the late 1400s, Thomas W Stewart patented his variant of a mop made of yarn in 1893.
History and variations:
The first mop-like tool came about in the late 1400s, Thomas W. Steward, an African-American inventor, patented it in 1893.
- Though another American inventor, Jacob Howe patented a mop holder in 1837 while Thomas W Stewart patented his variant of a mop made of yarn in 1893.
- There were also homemade mops. They were made from old pieces of cloth and long nail with a wide flat head which would hold the pieces and then nailed into a handle.
- In 1950, Peter Vosbikian patented a sponge mop. It used a lever and flat strip of metal to squeeze the mop dry.
- In 1956, the Spanish Engineer, Manuel Jalón Corominas put together a handle and a cleaning cloth that you squeeze through rollers in a bucket with a pedal. And he patented it. According to the Encarta Microsoft encyclopedia, the mop is in 5th place among the greatest Spanish discoveries and inventions in the world.
- In 1999, Scotch Brite developed a wet mop using natural cellulose and it cleans better.
Improvements of a mop don’t stop but they all generally are divided like this:
- Dry-mop or a dust-mop: This mop is made of yarn or microfiber textile and is used to pick up dust, sand or other dry dirt. When the floors are cleaned professionally, it is used as a first step in cleaning.
- Wet-mops or moist-mops: they can clean fat, dirty and dried-in liquids from the floor. They are used in a second step of professional cleaning. Their heads are made of flat sheets of microfiber cloth with a surface of looped yarn.
- Cut end mops: They have yarn that has cut ends. They are the least expensive type of mop and don’t last long. They are usually made of cotton.