MicroFiber Mop

Yo, MopGuy comin back atcha discussing the mop.  Exactly where did this brilliant cleaning necessity come from??  What did early mops look like?  What were they made of?

Well, according to the internets and other American sources, Thomas W. Stewart is credited with the invention of the mop in 1893.  Now, technically, he was the first to patent a mop.  Does this mean he invented it?  MopGuy is guessing no.  But this Thomas W. Stewart character is interesting because he was a black man from Kalamazoo Michigan.  I hear it wasn’t that easy being a black man in America around the turn of the century, so I am glad Mr. Stewart gets the credit.  Hopefully he made some cash from his patent!  Stewart’s mop patent was actually a lever system that allowed you to remove the mop part from the pole, from what I understand.  The actual mop head wasn’t in the picture.  I would assume the pole would have been made of wood, possibly pine or oak or some other tree commonly found in the north, with a metal lever system.  I have two guesses as to what the actual mop head part would have been made of, one is cotton, probably the most obvious choice, and the second is hemp.  Hemp would have still been legal to grow in the US back then and was used for many, many things other than altering one’s consciousness.  Nowadays, mop heads are made of cotton, rayon, some fancy blends of who knows what chemically made fibers, and microfiber mops.  Stewart also invented a signaling device used with roads, cars, and trains.  Cool dude for sure.

It just stands to reason that mops were around before this time, and in fact, some think the mop dates back to the time of the ancient Romans.  I bet it was Caesar!  He must have invented the mop right after he invented the salad.

There was another huge leap in mop technology in the 1950′s.  Peter and Thomas Vosbikian patented a mop that used a sponge instead of a Medusa head of fibers.  This sponge was semi detachable, allowing you to squeeze the sponge together and wring out the dirty water.

Now after that, not a whole of excitement filled the world of mopping until a miracle of technology was adapted to cleaning products.  Yes, I am talking about microfiber!  About 100 years after the first mop patent, come the newest and most current mop craze, the microfiber mop.  These fantastic devices are made of teeny tiny fibers of polyester and nylon.  They don’t leave behind lint and dust, and the heads are easily replaceable.

What’s next in the mop world??  Only time will tell.  I’m thinking Nuclear Powered Automatic Mighty Mops of Mayhem.

MopGuy out

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