Can You Actually Re-Use a Fiberglass Mop?

Naomi Dupre is president of Kirby Fiberglass, a manufacturer of fiberglass mops and fiberglass brushes for the roofing industry, and the most common question she receives is “Can you really clean and re-use a mop?”

She often visits jobsites to provide demonstrations for the crews. “I want contractors to achieve a significant cost savings,” she said. “The +best way for me to do that is to make sure they understand how to scrape out the excess asphalt and reheat the mop. An added bonus is what I learn from each crew I work with.  Every roof is different. Consequently, the more demonstrations I conduct, the more I learn.”

Dupre is a big believer in the benefits of fiberglass mops. “In a nutshell they provide opportunity for increased production and cost savings,” she said. “Safety is another large benefit. They don’t burn and catch fire like a cotton mop will. They also aid in the consistency of asphalt applied to the roof. There are fewer voids and more asphalt delivered because the mop does not absorb the asphalt like cotton. A cotton mop will get more difficult to work with at the end of the day because it absorbs more asphalt. In addition, the felt plies are fiberglass just like our mops are fiberglass. This allows for less friction; the mop will glide on the roof, making it easier to work with. The mops are made from recycled fibers and can be used multiple days, so there will be a cost savings.”

Dupre outlined the procedure for cleaning a fiberglass mop: “You just lay it down, step on the handle to keep it steady, and take a shovel to scrape asphalt out of the center of the mop. Flip it over and do it again to get the asphalt pushed out of the mop. I learned a trick from the crew at Advanced. When you do this at the lunch hour or end of the day, try to do it at the base of the roll to finish out the roll. It’s a very efficient use of the asphalt! After you will spin the mop out, it can be hung. To thaw it out, you will put it back in mop cart and add the hot. It should just take three to five minutes to soften back up. Plus, the performance will be the same as the prior day.”

For more information, visit www.kirbyfiberglass.com.