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Simply put, mops have evolveda lotfrom the traditional cotton mop head dripping across your floor.
The Spruce
What’s So Great About Them
Spray mops assemble in a snap and transport easily.
They are generally lightweight, so theyre good for toting from room to room.
Cost Consideration
Expect spray mops to cost anywhere from $20 to $300.
Which one won? We tested the Swiffer PowerMop Multi-Surface Kit vs. the Wet Jet.The Spruce
Its advised that you change your mops cleaning pad regularly.
Refill pads come in boxes of 4 to 25 and generally cost anywhere from $5 to $20.
Additionally, if your mop is battery-operated, it may require new batteries.
PHOTO: Amazon
If so, youll need to see how many are required and factor that into your overall cost.
It effortlessly cleaned oily salad dressing, sticky maple syrup, dust, and dried cheese sauce stains.
We especially loved how easy it was to set up this spray mop; it took just seconds.
The Swiffer PowerMop Multi-Surface Kit comes with two disposable mop heads.PHOTO: The Spruce
It sprays a fine mist of powerful cleaning solution, and the solution comes in three scents.
What Our Tester Said
“I found this mop to be really great at cleaning surface dirt.
Over the years, Swiffer has developed different iterations of their spray mop, including the popularWetJet.
Yes, you read that rightyou can top off the refillable, 22-ounce bottle with whatever your favoritefloor cleaneris.
Overall, we found that the sprayer worked well, never jamming or clogging once.
Still, the non-scratch pads are machine washable and last up to 100 washes.
During our testing, we noted that the pads washed up well after use.
In fact, after our wash, the pads were odor-free and ready to get straight back to work.
We think a dry mop is a great cleaning technique to pick up dirt and debris before wet mopping.
It also works great for dusting baseboards, moldings, and walls.
Spin Mops
Believe it or not, spin mops are trending, making appearances all over TikTok.
Many are easy to assemble and use, and all of our favorites clean up floor messes effectively.
Like some spray mops, a spin mop has a replaceable mop head.
These tend to be washable and can be used for up to three months before needing a replacement.
A spin mops cost can range anywhere from $35 to $150.
On average, spin mops tend to be $40.
On the plus side, you wont have to worry about batteries or staying loyal to a floor cleaner.
It comes equipped with a special, pedal-powered bucket that spins dirty water out of your mop.
The bucket is designed with a dual-chamber system for storing clean water and dirty water separately.
“The mop absorbed the water with ease and minimal swipes.
The mop also did an excellent job with all stains on the hardwood floor,” says our tester.
All in all, using this mop is a major cleaning win.
The heat is what makes a steam mop a wizard at cleaning, eliminating bacteria andkilling dust miteson contact.
you’re able to use one for touch-ups around your home or weekly cleaning sessions.
Steam mops are powerful cleaners and great for regular cleaning.
We also love that steam mops are versatile tools and come with a variety of attachments.
Yours can double as a squeegee,grout cleaner, scrub brush, or afabric steamer.
Depending on your model, you might even use it toclean window blinds, upholstery, or countertops.
Best of all, you wont have to use a cleaning solution.
Steam mops rely strictly on water; theres no formulas involved or storing bottles of cleaner.
Mop head replacements are generally $10 to $25 per pack, but pads are generally washable.
Before you use a steam mop, you generally need to prep your floor.
That means loosening dirt and grime with a broom or vacuum before you plug a steam mop in.
Steam mops also cant be used on every floor jot down.
Hardwood floors, or any flooring for that matter, that are sensitive to moisture arenotcompatible with steam mops.
Steam can cause damage to these delicate surfaces and possibly lead to warping.
Based on our testing, we suggest sticking to sealed floors.
Steam mops work wonders on ceramic or porcelain tile, water-resistant laminate, and linoleum.
Youll also need to pay attention to your steam mops capacity.
For the most part, steam mops can hold 12- to 15-ounces of water.
Canister-style steam mops are able to hold 60 ounces.
Steam mops can also be corded, so you may be tied to an outlet when cleaning.
PurSteam 10-in-1 Steam Mop
ThePurSteam 10-in-1 Steam Mopcan be used on so many surfaces beyond your floors.
Still, we like that the PurSteam mop heats quickly (in under 30 seconds) and cleans well.
Plus, it has a 22.4-foot cord, so its long enough to travel from room to room.
Its less than 12 pounds, so its a bit heavier than some of our other options.
Yet, we can easily overlook that, based onhow it performs.
Overall, Shark is a well-respected brand for good reason.
PHOTO: The Spruce
(We also loveShark’s vacuums.)
We think this steam mop, in particular, is pretty straightforward.
Specifically, microfiber mop pads are soft, gentle, and easy to wring out.
PHOTO: The Spruce
And these types of mops are great for both wet and dry cleaning.
We love using agood microfiber mopto clean hardwood floors, because it wont scratch the surface.
And a flat mop that uses a cloth mop head is specifically great for tile.
Generally speaking, microfiber mops tend to be easy to use and are a breeze to set up.
Theres a lot of variety when it comes to flat and microfiber mops.
The water-based formula is also gentle and fast drying.
The bucket itself requires extra time to empty and wash after each use.
Straight out of the box, we started to evaluate each mop.
What does it come with?
How much did it cost?
And how easy was it to setup and how long did it take?
Then, we rolled up our sleeves and got to the dirty work.
PHOTO: Amazon
We assessed performance and effectiveness on a range of stains.
We even kept track of how much water we used when we rinsed out and refreshed the mop heads.
Weve tested over 100 different mops to date.
PHOTO: The Spruce
Why did we skip sponge mops?
Youll notice we also veered away fromrobot mopsin this test.
Most mop heads range in size from 8 to 24 inches.
Be sure to pick a mop thatll work for your space, and think about storage, too.
Some steam mops have charging stations that can double as wall mounts.
Using the station will help you keep the unit powered up when it’s not in use.
It’ll also provide a place to neatly store all of your mops attachments.
Some mops require the use of a bucket.
A good cleaner can be the second half of the equation to spotless results.
Youll find that weve paid attention to price, drying time, and ingredients.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Michelle Lauis an editor at The Spruce, specializing in appliances, cleaning, organization, and home tech.
Then, she focused on the winners across the board and took our analysis a step further.
With the PurSteam 10-in-1 Steam Mop, you can clean without a bucket.The Spruce
PHOTO: The Spruce
PHOTO: The Spruce
PHOTO: Walmart
PHOTO: The Spruce
The Bona Premium Microfiber Floor Mop won’t scratch hardwood.The Spruce
PHOTO: Amazon
PHOTO: The Spruce
PHOTO: The Spruce
The Bosheng mop uses a swivel motion to help mop up debris.The Spruce
We’ve been testing mops for four years!The Spruce
The O-Cedar EasyWring RinseClean Spin Mop makes cleaning a breeze.The Spruce
We’ve thoroughly tested more than 100 mops.The Spruce
Spin mops, spray mops, microfiber, and steam mops—we’ve tested them all.The Spruce
