I Hated Mopping Until I Found This Incredible Gem (It Changed Everything!)

I’ve never owned a “real” mop as an adult. That’s mostly due to the fact that, up until now, I’ve never really had storage space for one. Also, cleaning up soda spills at my movie-theater job in high school made me pretty averse to the whole thing: the dirty water, the grimy mop head that you have to wring out by hand, the elbow grease required to push it around. Even though I know it’s likely the best option for heavy-duty floor cleaning, I just haven’t convinced myself that it’s a necessity in my apartment.

To my surprise, O-Cedar has me changing my tune. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be all that shocked after hearing my mom, grandma, and other editors sing the praises of its original model. That one is already a step up from most traditional mops, but the brand has a newer, more innovative version in the form of its O-Cedar EasyWring RinseClean Spin Mop System. Now, I can break out the big guns for a deep clean, but not have to deal with any of the downsides that I’m used to.

With the RinseClean spin mop, you’ll never find yourself using dirty water on your floors again, all thanks to its two-compartment design (that’s what makes it stand apart from the original). The tank nests inside of a larger bucket. On the tank is a small cap; that’s where you fill it up with water and cleaning solution. Then, you lift a red lever to fill the upper chamber with however much water you need. After that, you can dip the microfiber mop head into the bucket and can get to work on any type of hard floor.

That’s when you can take advantage of my favorite feature. Right next to the clean water section is a hands-free wringing system to get rid of the dirty water. Stick the mop head in the compartment, loosen your grip on the mop’s handle, push down on the foot pedal, and boom! As it spins, all of the excess water goes into the larger bucket that you can empty out later. Finally, you can toss the mop head into the washing machine and reuse it for up to three months.

After one pass of the mop and a few minutes of drying, my hardwood floors shine — and that’s even more impressive when you consider that I’m tracking in the dirt and debris of New York City into my apartment every day. I was surprised at how little effort I had to put into the whole thing from the very beginning: There was barely anything to do for assembly, aside from attaching the mop head to handle, adjusting the height, and placing one bucket inside of the other.

Filling it with water wasn’t much of a hassle either, despite having to use my tub’s spout instead of my shallow sink. I’ve used some mild dish soap — O-Cedar has some scented pods that I want to get my hands on — but I’ve also cleaned with water only, and the microfiber material still does a great job at picking up all the grime and hair. The mop is so lightweight that, even when drenched, it glides over my hardwood floor. The triangular swivel head and long arm (I’m 5’2” for reference) makes it so I barely have to move in my narrow entryway. 

The wringing system is a huge help in keeping my floors from becoming a complete soppy mess and taking forever to dry. It does need a few spins before the material stops dripping completely — microfiber absorbs a lot of water — but I have so much fun with the foot pedal that I hardly mind. Plus, it doesn’t splash as it rotates! My other small gripe is that the bucket is wobbly if you carry it by the handle (which also has a handy built-in notch for propping the mop up). Both hands are needed unless you drag the whole thing.

Then comes the most satisfying part: throwing out the gross water that’s collected in the separate bottom bucket. Keep in mind that I’m dealing with a tiny studio instead of a whole house, so usually I only need to dump and refill it once. The clean water chamber is on the smaller side, and some shoppers say they have to go haul it back to their sink or tub a few times.

Like 40,000-plus Amazon shoppers, I still think it’s worth it for all of the benefits — another being that the microfiber mop head lasts for so long. I’ve machine-washed it a couple of times, and it’s held up, so I don’t doubt I’ll get the full three months of use out of it. I guess you could say I’m a mopping convert now!

Buy: O-Cedar EasyWring RinseClean Spin Mop System, $49.96 (normally $54.99)