There’s nothing like the impending arrival of the Lunar New Year to signal the time for some spring cleaning. And one of my favourite tools to handle this annual task quickly and efficiently? The microfibre flat mop.
I’ve grown up watching my mother use the traditional cotton string mop to clean our home. And when it came time for me to take over a part of the household chores, I faithfully relied on the string mop too – after all, it was all I ever knew.
That is, until I found out about the miracle of microfibre flat mops. At this point, I sound completely like an ad. But really, microfibre flat mops are da bomb.
Now, don’t get me wrong – cotton string mops are great for scrubbing down really stubborn stains – I still like them for some heavy duty kitchen scrubbing once in a while. But for everyday use and for when you want a quick (yet thorough) spruce up, I much prefer to use microfibre flat mops because:
a) there is very little wringing involved – no need for serious arm muscles here!
b) it’s so much easier to move them around
c) they are much better at picking up hair and dust particles, which are the bane of my existence
d) they are great for corners and hard-to-reach places
e) it’s a lot less troublesome to upkeep and clean microfibre mops
In this review, I put 4 microfibre mops, spread across a range of prices, to the test on my tile flooring. I’ll be judging them mainly on ergonomic comfort, ease of manoeuvrability as well as effectiveness as a mop. Which will come up on top?
3M Scotch-Brite Super Mop
$25.95 available online at Q0010 and Lazada
SETUP: There wasn’t much setup involved. You just had to fix up the microfibre cloth to the head of the mop. There are underside jackets that help keep the cloth in place and then a simple lock mechanism to keep the cloth secure.
FEATURES & DESIGN: This 2-in-1 mop could be used either wet or dry. It features a really thick and fluffy microfibre cloth that covers all the way to a side panel. The mop comes with an adjustable rod that can reach a maximum height of 123 cm. The minimum height is 74 cm. It comes with an extra scrapper, a piece of tool that is meant to “scrap out” extra moisture or the dirt and hairs from the cloth after mopping.
USING IT:
I first soaked the mop in a bucket of detergent and water. Wringing the water from the cloth was easy enough without requiring an over exertion of strength. The mop itself was pretty lightweight to carry around, but perhaps owing to the thickness of the microfibre cloth, it didn’t have a very smooth glide and required a bit of strength to move it around my flooring.
EFFECTIVENESS: My flooring was damp, but not overly so, and it was great for picking up my pet’s hairs and the dust and grime in just one swipe. I particularly like this mop for cleaning my skirting – which I have to admit, I’ve never really cleaned it properly before.
Leifheit Profi System Mop Set
$288 available at Tangs
SETUP: There wasn’t much setup involved, as the piece I was given to review was already fixed in place. However, the mop seems to be in one piece, so I believe there isn’t much to fix up.
FEATURES & DESIGN: This mop set comes with a pail, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a flat mop in the first place. But the pail did have a useful mechanism – it helps to wring out the water from the cloth so you don’t have to use your hands. Compared to the Scotch-Brite Super Mop, the cloth was a lot thinner and less fluffy. The steel rod was not adjustable, and it was really long – almost 150cm – which might be difficult for folks who are shorter.
USING IT:
I poured a bit of detergent into the pail, which was filled with water. There is a lever underneath to un-taut the cloth to soak it in the pail. After which, we step on the mechanism to wring the excess water from the cloth. Then you just have to step down on the lever and the cloth is taut again, ready for use. It did require a bit of figuring out how to use it at first. Mop was really lightweight to carry around and it was really smooth to manoeuvre it around the house. However, I didn’t like that the microfibre cloth couldn’t be removed from the main mop handle. When it came time to wash the cloth, I had to lug the entire mop with me.
EFFECTIVENESS: The wringing of the mop in the pail still left my mop wet and my floor really damp. However, I felt that the Leifheit mop was great at picking up dust – I was surprised at how dusty my flooring is! But it didn’t do a very good job at picking up hair. I managed to collect the hairs in one bunch, but I had to use additional tissue paper to pick them up.
Bona Stone, Tile & Laminate Spray Mop
$74.80 available online at Lazada
SETUP: Setup was slightly complicated, so I had the Bona staff do it for me. She reminded me a couple of times that once the mop was fixed in place, it shouldn’t be dislodged. It might require a bit of strength to lock in the different parts together.
FEATURES & DESIGN: The mop was rather bulky and heavy, so storage might be an issue. However, it looked to be durable. The handle was encased in plastic, while the microfibre cloth was put in place using Velcro. It comes with a bottle of refillable 0.85 L liquid cartridge, which you can purchase in major supermarkets and home stores. It can also be reused to fill your own water and detergent mix.
USING IT:
Because it’s a spray mop, I didn’t have to wet the cloth separately. A few spritz of the liquid detergent and it was good to go. The liquid didn’t leave a sticky residue and it was odourless, which I liked. The floor wasn’t overly damp as well. The thick handle meant that it was comfortable to hold on to it for prolonged periods. I did like the spray function, which targeted troublesome spots specifically. However, it was also rather heavy and wasn’t the smoothest to move around. I needed to use the strength of both hands to change mopping directions.
EFFECTIVENESS: It does a good job of collecting dust and hair. And the liquid detergent made my floor feel really clean.
ProMist Microfibre Spray Mop
$19.80 available online at www.iuiga.com
SETUP: There are three parts to this spray mop, which are easily locked into place. The spray wouldn’t work properly if the parts are not tightly locked together.
FEATURES & DESIGN: Like the Bona spray mop, the microfibre cloth is put into place using Velcro strips located underneath the mop. It has a similar body shape to the Bona mop, although shorter and much lighter. The bottle can also be filled with your own liquid detergent mix. The parts are all made of plastic, so it did feel a little bit twinge bit flimsy. However, this allowed the mop to be incredibly lightweight.
USING IT:
I didn’t have to wet the cloth since it was a spray mop but I did have to fill the bottle with my own mix of water and detergent. It was very lightweight and manoeuvring it around was easy and smooth, without requiring a lot of effort.
EFFECTIVENESS: It could effortlessly pick up hairs and dust. Washing the cloth clean was also really easy. I liked that the liquid bottle could be refilled with your own liquid without having to buy a new cartridge.
FINAL VERDICT
Each of the mop I tested had their pros and cons, but I particularly liked working with the ProMist Microfibre Spray Mop from Iuiga because it required one of the least amount of effort to use and move around. For a spray mop, it’s also really affordable and not bulky. The 3M Scotch-Brite Super Mop is better off as a dry mop, while the Leifheit Profi System Mop Set’s effectiveness doesn’t quite justify the price tag. Finally, while the Bona Spray Mop is effective, I was put off by its hefty bulk.
Will you be swapping out your traditional cotton string mop for a microfibre flat mop? Or have you been using one all along? Tell us about it in the comments!
Browse through the list of Interior Designers, their reviews and portfolios at http://www.renonation.sg/pr
Submit your renovation enquiry:
The post REVIEWING: Which Microfibre Flat Mop is Best for your CNY Spring Cleaning? appeared first on Renonation.sg.