What is the difference between mopping and scrubbing?

Answer 1

Mopping and scrubbing are often used interchangeably, but they do or can have differences.

Mopping is done with a mop, regardless of size or type of mop. (Ex. household mop or the longer industrial mops) The friction between the floor surface and mop's twisted strings can differ depending how much pressure or force the person uses.

Scrubbing (manually) does not involve a mop. Typically, it means getting down on your hands and knees with a rag and bucket of water to do a more thorough cleaning.

Scrubbing (mechanical) involves a large machine which has a scrubber attached to the bottom. The friction is caused by a motor that moves the whole unit side to side as a person guides the machine. These are used in hospitals, schools, office buildings. The machines are quite heavy. As a side note, after scrubbing (cleaning), the machine can be tipped backwards and a waxer head attached. This applies wax evenly across the floor. After waxing, a polisher head can be attached. The polishing head is a soft, often white, cloth that polishes a waxed floor to a high sheen. In many hospitals, cleaning (scrubbing), waxing and polishing is routine. Most hospitals still use the standard square pail (marked "caution") which is on wheels with large mop for daily cleaning.

Did you know--- As part of their education, students in nursing schools used to have to scrub floors on their hands and knees up until about the 1940s. All nurses prior to 1920 also scrubbed hospital hallways/floors manually.