How to Fix a Mop Bucket

A mop bucket is an essential part of your floor mopping tool kit. If it’s broken or not working as it should, you’ll find it extremely difficult to mop your floors.

That’s why we have come up with this guide that will help you understand how to fix a mop bucket. It contains common mop bucket problems, along with solutions that you can perform at home.

How to Fix a Mop Bucket

Finding out that your mop bucket isn’t working properly can be a frustrating experience. Similar to fixing a broken mop, you need your bucket to hold water in order to mop.

If you have a flawed or broken mop bucket, the following list of mop bucket problems and solutions can help tackle the situation.

Fixing a Leaky Bucket

Although it’s not the most common mop bucket problem, it can happen. Even if there is a small hole in your mop bucket, it’ll make a mess and wet your floor.

It can be extremely dangerous for water-sensitive floors, such as laminate and wood. Therefore, it’s important not to use such a mop bucket without fixing it.

Solution

The easiest and most effective way to fix a leaky mop bucket is to use a hot glue gun. First, you’ll need to fill the bucket to identify the leaky spot(s) and mark it.

After that, you’ll need to empty the bucket and fill the holes with a hot glue gun. Make sure that you let the glue dry completely before adding water to the bucket.

Fixing a Jammed Wringer Tub

Jammed wringer/drying tub is one of the most common problems that occur in spin mop buckets. It happens when the axle of the wringer tub becomes clogged with dirt and debris that your mop released while wringing. Then, the wringer tub fails to spin in order to remove excess water.

Solution

To solve this problem, you’ll need to remove the wringer tub from the bucket. Most spin mop buckets have a wringer tub secured with hook and loop closure. You’ll need to unlock those closures to remove the wringer tub.

Now you’ll find a rotating spindle attached to the bottom of the wringer tub. It’ll have grime and you’ll need to clean it thoroughly using a dry piece of cloth.

After that, you’ll need to apply a lubricant, such as WD40, on the spindle and spin it a few times. It’ll fix the jam and allow the wringer tub to start spinning again.

Important Note: If you notice that the spindle isn’t jammed and moving freely, then the wringer tub is not properly installed. You’ll need to make sure that all the clips of the hook and loop closure are properly locked in to solve this problem.

Fixing a Jammed Bucket Pedal

Many mop buckets come with a pedal that you need to press in order to spin the drying tub. But sometimes this pedal gets jammed due to dirt and debris and fails to rotate the drying. As a result, you can’t remove excess water from your mop head to mop the floor effectively.

Solution

The first step that you’ll need to perform to solve this problem is to place your mop bucket upside down. Here, you’ll see a couple of screws securing the pedal with the bucket. You’ll need to unscrew them using a screwdriver to remove the pedal from the bucket.

Now you’ll see some gears probably clogged up with grime and you’ll need to clean them using a dry piece of cloth. Then, you can apply a lubricant to the gears and install the pedal back in its place.

If the pedal still doesn’t work, you’ll need to inspect the main gear of the pedal because it might be broken or jammed. In such a case, you’ll need to replace the bearing to solve the problem.

Fixing a Clogged Up Wringer Tub

The winger tub gets clogged when you don’t clean your mop bucket after every use. The dust and debris block the tub holes that allow the excess water to escape the mop head.

As a result, your mop head stays wet even when you have performed the wringing process. This problem can also occur when you have an old mop that sheds its strings. These strings get stuck in the holes of the drying tub and keep the mop head from releasing water.

Solution

The easiest way to solve this problem is to unclog your wringing tub’s holes and clean it thoroughly. You can use an old toothbrush to remove dust and debris stuck in the holes.

It’ll allow the water escaping from the mop head to pass through the wringer tub easily. To prevent this problem from occurring again, we recommend you clean your mop bucket after every use.

Tips to Prevent Mop Bucket Problems

The following is the list of tips that you can use to prevent common mop bucket problems from occurring in the future.

• Use your mop bucket carefully and avoid dropping any heavy item on it. It’s also important to keep them away from heat sources.
• Wash your mop bucket after every use and don’t store it in a dry and cool spot. It’ll prevent the mechanical parts of the bucker’s wringer mechanism from getting clogged up.
• Keep your mop head clean and dry as dirty and wet mops can become infected with bacteria and mold. Such a mop can jam the bucket’s mechanical components.
• If you have an old and damaged mop head that sheds strings, consider replacing it with a new one.
• Apply lubricant to mechanical parts of your mop bucket at least once a month to keep them free of jams.

Final Words

Cleaning a floor without a mop bucket is a very cumbersome task that’ll leave you tired. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that your mop bucket is in good condition to mop your floors conveniently and effectively.

We hope this guide will help you understand how to fix the most common problems related to a mop bucket. Make sure that you follow the tips listed above to prevent these problems from occurring again in the future.