Best rated Spin Mops of 2023 – No messy wringing or back pain needed for clean floors

The evolution of mopping

For centuries, people have tackled the dreaded task of scrubbing floors. At first that meant down on hands and knees, scrubbing a soapy rag over hard stone. That resulted in painful conditions like bursitis of the knee, aptly nicknamed, “housemaid’s knee.” Later, yarn-head mops helped with the knee pain, but still resulted back pain and chapped hands. Thankfully, mopping has come a long way since then!

MELBA ESPINAL

Cleaning Service Owner

The rise of mopping technology

Brilliant innovations in mop design have revolutionized floor cleaning. Twenty-five years ago, inventor Joy Mangano forever changed how we mop with her Miracle Mop, the first self-wringing mop that brought a collective sigh of relief from homeowners all across the US.

Since then, thousands of other mopping products have hit the shelves. From simple self-wringing mops to robotic mops, we have a huge variety to choose from that fits into everyone’s budget.

Spin mops are one just of those options. They are hugely popular for several reasons.

1. Hands free mopping – the spinning self-wringing action keeps hot water and cleaning chemicals off your skin.
2. Water control – most spin mops can be used wet or dry or anywhere in between thanks to advanced spinning technology.
3. Quicker drying time – better wringing means less water left on the floor so you can get right back on it.
4. It’s fun – okay, so mopping still isn’t at the top of our list of “fun” chores, but the spinning action can be fun to watch and the results satisfying.

How do spin mops work?

If you think back to science class, you might remember something called centrifugal force. That’s an inertial force that acts outward on an object moving around a center. The spinning baskets in a spin mop bucket use that centrifugal force to remove water effectively.

Basically, the longer and faster you spin it, the more centrifugal force will push water out of the mop. So you can easily have only a slightly damp mop if needed.

How you use a spin mop depends on how it’s designed. Some have foot pedals on the bucket that operate the spinning basket. Some are activated by pumping down on the mop handle. Still, others are electric or battery powered.

But the basic operation of most spin mops looks like this:

1. Fill the bucket then add your preferred cleaning solution.
2. Dunk the mop head in the water, lift and place it in the spinning basket.
3. Either use the foot pump or handle to spin the basket until the mop is as wet or dry as you want.
4. Mop a section of floor.
5. Repeat.

Tips to get the most out of your spin mop

Did you know that spin mops aren’t just for floors? You can use them for:

• Tiled bathroom walls
• Shower doors
• Windows
• Blinds (dry for simple dusting)
• High cabinet doors
• Tops of appliances like refrigerators
• Car roofs

Here are some other tips & tricks for spin mopping:

• Spin mops usually have a locking mechanism on the handle. It should be UNLOCKED for spinning/rinsing and LOCKED while mopping the floor.
• For a quicker, more thorough mopping, remove all rugs, trash cans, chairs, and other small furniture out of the room to clear your work space.
• Angle the mop at about 45 degrees for general mopping.
• 
  When spinning or rinsing in the bucket (and when changing mop heads sometimes), you have to keep the mop straight up and down at a 90 degree angle to the floor. If yours isn’t spinning correctly, make sure 1. that the handle is UNLOCKED and 2. that you have it standing straight up and not at an angle.
• ALWAYS sweep or vacuum before you mop. If you have a lot of dust/hair that the broom or vacuum misses, use your microfiber mop heads DRY as a dust mop to pick all that loose debris up before you wet mop. Just rinse it out before mopping.
• Wood floors, unless completely sealed, do not like water. Spin the heck out of that mop before cleaning hardwood floors.
• For spin mops with round heads, work in a figure 8 pattern to make the most of the scrubbing power by using all the surfaces of the mop head.
• 
  Start mopping in the far corner of your room and mop toward the door.
• If you have trouble lifting a full bucket, or you have a sink that’s too shallow for filling the bucket, try this hack. Use a pool noodle as a makeshift hose. Put one end on your faucet and the other in your bucket. You may have to hold it in place while filling, but this will keep you from having to lift a full bucket twice.
• If you don’t want to change the water between rooms, mop the kitchen first, then other hard floor areas, and the bathroom last. This will keep bathroom germs contained to the bathroom only.
• Rinse the mop head frequently during mopping, and change the rinse water as soon as it looks murky or brown. This will prevent redistributing dirt on your clean floors.

What we hope to see in the future

While researching customer experiences, we came across several good suggestions that we hope more spin mop manufacturers implement soon. Some of these are already featured in many of the mops we listed. But you rarely find these all in one model.

1. Separate compartments for clean and dirty water in the bucket
2. Drain plugs on all buckets
3. Wheels AND extendable handles for people who can’t easily lift a filled bucket
4. More than one extra mop pad included
5. More colors offered
6. Interchangeable large and small mop heads
7. Variable speed settings (on electric models)

Recap: Features of a good spin mop

The best spin mops will make your life easier, not more frustrating. Ease of use may be your primary deciding factor. The bucket/mop system should be easy to spin, easy to rinse, easy to change mop heads, easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and easy to move from place to place.

Look for features like:

• The spinning mechanism – Is it operated with a foot pedal or handle pump? Which would you prefer? Hardware in a foot pedal can sometimes be a bit flimsy, so keep that in mind.
• Agitator – This will keep the excess dirt out of your mop so you won’t have to change water or slop dirt back onto the floor.
• Soap dispenser – Though not a biggie, it can be more convenient to just fill up a built-in dispenser with cleaning fluid so you’re not having to scrounge around for the bottle.
• Accessories – Spin mops are pretty light when it comes to accessories. But some do come with scrubber brushes, cleaning gloves and extra mop heads that can come in handy.
• Drain plug – This is surprisingly not a common feature on spin mop buckets, but it should be. It makes dumping the dirty water a lot easier and less messy.
• 
  Splash guard – One of these on the mop bucket will keep dirty and excess water IN the bucket where it belongs and not on your floor (or you).
• Wheels – If you still have nightmares about carrying around heavy buckets of dirty mop water that splashed all over your feet, wheels will be a dream come true. A good compromise is a self-balancing bucket that will make carrying easier.

The mop itself is important too, especially the size and shape of the mop head. A triangular shape will usually clean corners better than a circular one. A larger mop head will clean a larger room faster, while a smaller one will fit behind toilets, under furniture and other tight spaces.

Author

Melba Espinal is a proud mother and self-professed “neat-freak.” She started a successful cleaning service to earn money while obtaining her degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. After growing the business from a part-time job to a full operation with a fleet of vehicles and a team of employees, she now focuses on helping homeowners with her expert tips and advice!

Melba Espinal

Cleaning Service Owner