A Cuban mop? You might be thinking..Can we get one of those now with that U.S.-Cuban deal?

Funny…well, actually down here in South Florida you can buy a Cuban mop at any local pharmacy or supermarket. They are also available at several online stores. You can even get them in Amazon.  So, basically you can get Cuban mops in many places.. and they have always being available…I just wrote the U.S. Cuban deal thing to add some drama.

So, what is a Cuban mop? If you live in South Florida or if you are Cuban or a Cuban American or a frequent visitor to a Cuban/Cuban American household…wherever that might be, you know what a Cuban mop is. As a matter of fact, if you live in South Florida, chances are that somewhere in you household… there is a Cuban mop.  And you would know that we call it “trapero” in Spanish.

But… a Cuban mop is basically just a wooden T stick with a rag. And the way I use the Cuban mop is very easy: 1) fill up a bucket with water 2) mix the water with your favorite floor cleaner or…not (you can use water alone if that is how you usually clean your floors), 3) immerse the rag in the bucket, 4) take the rag out of the bucket, 5) squeeze the excess water from the rag, 6) wrap the rag around the T stick, 7) just guide the rag around the floor with the stick, 8) flip the stick around to use the other side of the rag, 9) drop the dirty rag in the washing machine, 10) repeat steps 1 to 9 with a clean rag.

I am not sure if you noticed…but I wrote “the way I use the Cuban mop” in the instructions above. My mother and some other Cuban mop owners I know, just clean the rag under the faucet before immersing it again in the bucket.  I personally hate using the same rag again and again since no matter how well you clean the rag, dirt stays in it.  And it sort of feels like I am taking the dirt from one room to the next.  So, by the time I am done mopping, all I rags are inside the machine and ready for the wash.

So, let me show you what wooden T stick and one of the rags (chamois cloth) look like.  The usual way of wrapping the towel around the mop is to just fold it over.  Notice that I opened a hole in the middle of the rag you see in the photo.  I find that the rag holds much better that way. The rag could actually be any old towel..and I use old towels as well. However, if you have dark floors, the chamois or any lint free cloth will work better.

Cuban Mop