I am with you on not liking the one-time-use cleaning pads. But I haven't owned a regular mop in decades.

Most of my floor care is done with the vacuum cleaner. My level of acceptable floor cleanliness is far below that of many people. I don't eat off my floors, I don't have babies crawling around, I wear shoes in the house, and have had more dogs in my house than I can count. I'm sure there are sorts of germs on my floor.

I have a supply of microfiber cloths that I use for serious cleaning. For ceramic floors, I use my canister steamer with a microfiber cloth attached. For the hardwoods and for big messes, I use the hands and knees method with the microfiber.

You can find various cleaning tools that enable you to attach a microfiber cloth to them. And there are various hacks on the internet of how to convert floor cleaning tools like the swiffer wetjet to use with a standard microfiber cloth.

I bought a pack of 25 microfiber cloths years ago, and I collect the dirty ones in the laundry room and wash them when my pile gets low.

We have a Bona mop with a couple heads, and my husband is good about mopping and washing them. You can get a foam pad to kneel on that will help with the knees. I keep one under the kitchen sink. Oh and drugs! Ibuprofen is a major food group for me.

I am a cheap user, 1 ibuprofen and I sleep in by 2 hours, so I use old fashioned tylenol.

My daughter uses 2 rags and her feet to scrub her small kitchen floor. It's a workout to do the kitchen, dining room and both bathrooms that way.

I don't get what makes microfiber cloth better than terry cloth.

graywings123, What brand is your cannister steamer?

I have a carpet shampooer that converts to a floor cleaner, which I've tried once. It is a hassle adding and removing the floor attachment and didn't do as good a job as my mop.

I have a Vapor Clean. There are many units out there; mine is one of the more expensive.

Steam cleaning is wonderful for ceramic tile. You don't use any type of cleaner, just the steam and the cloth, so there is no residue. But you can't use it on hardwood.

I don't know that microfiber is better than terry. I have used terry cloth with my steamer. But microfiber was all the rage 15 years ago and I still have the cloths.

I use microfiber mop heads -- one type is for dusting the floors (hardwood, best done daily), the other is for wet mopping. I have a a couple handfuls of them so I just throw the whole batch in the washer when the last one is used.

I have tried different replacement pads, and find the Microfiber Warehouse to be the best. Well worth the initial investment, and will pay for itself many times over. Why anyone would spend money on disposables is beyond me:

https://www.microfiberwholesale.com/products/microfiber-mop-system-2

I have a spray bottle of cleaner (water on hardwood, dilute vinegar in water on tile)-- spray, wipe with wet pad, repeat until done, is very fast and easy, unlike traditional mops.

I use a very long handled grout brush and terry cloth rag to mop the tile floors. Handle is longer than a regular mop (purchased from a janitor supply). The grout brush stays put on the terry cloth rag. Wet rag, spray with cleaner or squirt cleaner on floor and then mop standing up straight. The long handle is the secret to protect your back. Little if any bending and definitely not on your knees. Can do the same with wood or other floors using the right cleaners for floors.

I agree, a longer handle is very helpful. I like the idea of a brush head on top of terry cloth. If you come across some unknown brown sticky stuff in front of the fridge, you have a scrub brush handy to break it up.

I have a laundry basket full of old shirt, sheets, towels, etc. I'd much rather use those than a disposable.

Have any of you looked for a sponge mop lately? They lasted a long time, I owned 3 over the course of 50years, then after this last move to West Virginia they seem to have disappeared.

The type of floor dictates the type of care they need. Vileda makes many versions of sponge mops that allow for a good scrub without having to get down on hands and knees. Of course that's assuming you have a floor that is allowed to have very damp mopping.

Found it. In the US they are the O-Cedar brand. I have a cheap-o brand of the Pro-mist microfiber spray mop which needs replacement after only 3 years. My problem is that none of the stores within an hour's drive sell the O-Cedar sponge mops, nor the microfiber spray mops.

Guess I'll have to order online.

One bonus with the microfiber spray mops is that my 5yr old granddaughter can work them. She's at the age where she enjoys helping clean, especially when it involves sprayng a liquid. The windows at her level are being cleaned weekly sometimes daily.