wipe

It is one of those tasselled mops, dip it into the soap-charged water, squeeze it in the plastic sieve, give it a twirl and let it drop on the floor. The tassels are all spread out, the whole thing is a bit like an octopus on a stick with a surfeit of tentacles.. Push it back and forth on the dusty floorboards, then take  it out, agitate it in the water, squeeze it in the plastic sieve, give it a twirl and let it drop on the floor. 

Push it back and forth on the wet floorboards, see the wood shine through now. It is cleaner, the ingrained dust from all the work last week has been taken up by the tassels. Or fibrous cloth fronds. Or whatever you may like to call the things. Go over the whole floor on the covered balcony of the second floor, and then start on the steps.

The mop is useful for cleaning the vertical face of the steps, without bending down. Then go over the flat surface, worn by all the feet stepping there. Then the next step, and so on until the first floor laning is reached. Do the landing too. At this stage the water is so dirty that it all turns into a matter of just spreading the dirt around. So go into the bathroom and tip the black brew into the loo. Fill the bucket again, put in a squirt of wood soap, and finish the landing.

Then start on the long stair, all the way down to the entrance passageway.

Altogether, an hours work.