In my home at the time of this writing are: two spin mops, one bucket, a Dyson Submarine, a hulking $1,800 robot mop-vac combo that I cannot give away fast enough, and a $40 electric mop that is the thing I recommend to people I actually know.
As a cleaning expert (I launched my advice column, “Ask a Clean Person,” in 2011; I’ve served as the resident cleaning expert for Esquire, the New York Times, and Town & Country; and I currently write about cleaning for Better Homes & Gardens), I’m frequently asked to review cleaning tools, including, and especially for our purposes, mops. (I didn’t even detail for you the vacuums, brooms, and oversize squeegees that round out my entirely unreasonable floor-care collection.) In my capacity, I do recognize the role mops play in this world, but I do not personally love them, and in general, I am an extraordinarily harsh reviewer because I don’t want people cluttering up their homes with a lot of unnecessary junk.
I tell you all that to tell you this: I believe this cheap Amazon electric spin mop deserves a spot in your home.
Electric mops are a souped-up version of the traditional spin mop. They are cordless, which lends them the convenience of grab-and-go mops and cordless vacuum cleaners, but because they are battery operated, they do most of the manual labor of pushing and pulling a mop for you.
Using an electric mop is simple: Slap the microfiber cleaning pads onto the orbital buffers — Velcro keeps the pads in place — flip the switch, and guide the mop in overlapping straight lines across the floor. After making a full pass, turn the mop off, remove the cleaning pads, and launder them. Electric mops can be used for dry mopping or in concert with a floor cleaner that is appropriate for the type of flooring being mopped. I like to use 7-Eleven glass cleaner on my bathroom tile floor because I’m obsessed with the stuff, but that’s another recommendation for another day.
This electric mop is slim and lightweight, and using it is a dream. (In addition to all my other oddities, I am a person for whom dirty floors can trigger an actual anxiety attack.) It glides over my floors, picking up hair, dust, and debris in dry-mopping mode. To clean dirt and leave the floors looking polished, I work in sections, misting the floor with a spray cleaner and going over it with the mop.
As with all mops, you’ll get the best results by sweeping or vacuuming first. In my home, I typically run a robot vacuum every other or every third day, and I find that breaking out the spin mop once a week as part of my bathroom-cleaning routine is more than enough to keep the tile floors clean; hardwood does not like to be wet-cleaned, so I rely mostly on vacuuming, using the electric spin mop to spot-clean high-traffic areas like the entryway and the door to my outdoor space. This type of mop is most suited for regular, routine cleaning jobs, but I have used it to clean up the aftermath of testing the aforementioned $1,800 robot mop-vac after it left bright-red hot-sauce smears all over my white bathroom floor.
After almost a year with this incredible tool, I’m still in awe of the minimal effort it requires of me and how darn good it is at what it does. I’ve even used it to clean my shower walls! I’m a firm believer that the best cleaning products are the ones you’ll actually use, and this electric spin mop is so easy to use that it’s the one I always reach for, even though I have literally thousands of dollars’ worth of floor-care tools in my utility closet.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
