Although some flooring materials — namely, hardwood and some engineered laminate materials — require a more delicate touch, most hard flooring is safe to mop.

Ceramic tiles and linoleum are sturdy and typically sealed well enough to be mopped without incident, but floors with more seams, like hardwood and vinyl plank, can be more vulnerable to excess moisture. For these floors, use only the minimum amount of liquid necessary to complete the task, and never allow water or cleaning solution to sit or pool for any extended period.

If your floors are severely worn, cracked or buckled, you might want to consult a flooring professional about repairs before beginning a mopping routine.

Miller said that mop heads made out of microfiber are a good choice for a versatile and effective mop, especially for dry and wet mopping. "A good microfiber mop actually has a natural static charge to it," he said. "So when you're cleaning a floor, that static charge attracts dirt and debris and hair and lint and all that stuff."

Miller added that using a microfiber head to dry mop floors every day can prevent damage from dirt, food, and other particles from being dragged across the floor. 

Stapf said that microfiber mops generally hold less moisture, making them a good choice for preventing water damage to hardwood floors. "If you want to speed up the drying process, you can go over the floors with a microfiber sweeper or open the windows," she said.

Steam mops use heat to release water vapor from the head while you mop, whereas a spray mop doesn't use any heat and has a built-in dispenser for water or cleaning solution so you can spray liquid onto the floors while you mop.

Steam mops can get up to boiling temperatures and are ideal for sanitizing floors or cleaning tile or sealed laminate. However, Miller warns that steam mops can be damaging to certain floors. "We never suggest using steam on a wood floor; the steam mops are vapor water and that vapor water is forced into the wood, the open wood cells, and cavities and will damage wood and also damage finishes," he said. 

With a spray mop, you can control how much liquid you want on your floor depending on the amount of spray you use. Some spray mops may have a button you press to dispense liquid or a squeeze handle to manually spray the liquid.