money We Put the Best Spin Mops on the Market to the Test—Here's What We Found Out
Courtesy of Getty
In a world of robot mops and Alexa-operated devices, it's easy to think that your home should clean itself. While that would be nice, we don't live in that reality just yet. To give your kitchen or bathroom the deep cleaning that it needs, you're going to have to put in some elbow grease. If you use a traditional string mop or a Swiffer for deep cleaning, it's time to upgrade to a spin mop.
Related: We Tested a Variety of Cordless Stick Vacuums—These Are the Ones Worth Buying
Spin mops contain circular or triangular microfiber mop heads that quickly absorb spills and messes rather than just pushing the liquid around like a traditional mop does. They also come with a bucket designed to hold soapy water and a circular basket that sits inside the bucket. This basket spins, and the centrifugal force wrings out the mop head.
We spent a month testing the most popular spin mops on the market to determine the best ones available. These spin mops excelled in containing and cleaning up large spills and sticky messes, and we found that some also came with clever features that made this chore a bit easier.
The Best Spin Mops
O-Cedar Spin Mop — This spin mop is a best-seller for a reason. It's the only one that keeps the dirty water separate from the clean water, and at $50, it's a great value for your money.
Hurricane Spin Mop — This was the lightest spin mop bucket we tested, even when full of water. Its narrow design also makes it easy to store away under a sink.
Fuller Brush Spin Mop — At $100, this is a splurge, but the mop head spins while cleaning, making this mop effortless to use.
Simpli-Magic Spin Mop — We were pleasantly surprised by this $40 spin mop. Though it required a little bit more elbow grease, it cleaned just as well as the others.
Mopnado Deluxe Spin Mop — This option looks luxe, comes with a large easy-to-roll bucket and a scrub head for super sticky messes.
How We Tested
Courtesy of Erin Johnson
We put each spin mop through a series of tests. First, we noted the look and feel of each bucket and how easy (or difficult) it was to fill each bucket with water and carry it to our testing space. Then we tested its cleaning ability through water spills, Coke spills, and sticky syrup after we'd let it sit on the floor for an hour. After that, we tested durability by knocking over each spin mop. Then we noted how easy it was to clean the spin mop head.
Courtesy of Erin Johnson
While each spin mop is unique, these are the five that stood out during our testing as the best spin mops on the market for their ease of use, excellent cleaning ability, and durability.
O-Cedar Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $44.99 (orig. $49.99); amazon.com
BUY IT: $44.98 (orig. $49.98); homedepot.com
BUY IT: $44.99; target.com
What you'll love: It has an easy-to-fill water tank, a triangular mop head, and keeps the dirty water separate from the clean water.
What you should know: As with most spin mops, it took a few minutes to get the hang of the spinning basket.
Our tester had only positive things to say about the O-Cedar spin mop. Several features set it apart from the rest of the spin mops we tested. It comes with a triangular mop head to get into corners and hard-to-reach spots behind toilets or pedestal sinks. The water tank also separates from the large bucket so that you can fill it in the kitchen sink without having to fit the entire bucket under your faucet.
Courtesy of Bronwyn Barnes
What makes the O-Cedar Spin Mop superior is its ability to keep the dirty water separate from the clean water so that you can dunk your spin mop in the clean water with confidence.
What our tester said: "There's a reason the O-Cedar is a best-seller. The telescopic mop handle is easily adjustable, the triangular mop head does a great job of getting into corners and cleaning along walls, and the separated clean water tank is an absolute game-changer." — Bronwyn Barnes, Senior Product Reviews Editor
Hurricane Spin Mop
Courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond
BUY IT: $49.99; bedbathandbeyond.com
BUY IT: $49.99; target.com
BUY IT: $65.10; walmart.com
What you'll love: It's small, lightweight, and the light blue color is visually appealing.
What you should know: The mop head is smaller than some of the others we tested.
Due to the smaller mop head, the Hurricane spin mop took a little bit longer to clean up our staged messes, but in the end, it finished the job. The bucket is lightweight, so it was still easy for our tester to cart around when filled with water.
This spin mop has a manual foot pump, so operating it takes a little bit more elbow grease, but it's an excellent option for someone with a small living space.
What our tester said: "While other spin mop buckets are bold primary colors, I love that this one was a refreshing light blue. I wish the mop head was larger, but I know the small size of the bucket and mop head would make it easy to store away in an apartment." — Erin Johnson, Senior Product Reviews Writer
Fuller Brush Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $99.99; amazon.com
What you'll love: It spins as it's cleaning, has a cushioned handle, and it even worked well on finished concrete.
What you should know: The mop head was difficult to snap on and off.
At $100, this spin mop is the most expensive on our list, but several special features make it worth the splurge. The handle has an ergonomic grip, so it's easy to push around your home without discomfort. The bucket and mop are super durable and easy to use. But most spectacularly, the spin mop head spins when cleaning your floors.
Courtesy of Bronwyn Barnes
Our tester had to hold the mop just right to activate the spinning feature (upright with both hands on it, swiping back and forth), but she was impressed with how well it cleaned. While it advertises itself as great for hardwood floors and tile, our tester found it also worked well on finished concrete.
What our tester said: "The rotating mop head spins and swivels, which helped contain and absorb syrup and drink spills with fewer swipes, and made it easy to maneuver across hardwood and tile flooring. My one complaint is that the centrifuge empties dirty water from the mop back into the bucket chamber instead of keeping it separate." — Bronwyn Barnes, Senior Product Reviews Editor
Mopnado Deluxe Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $59.99; amazon.com
BUY IT: $77.47; walmart.com
What you'll love: It's durable, easy to transport, and comes with a scrub brush head.
What you should know: It was too large to fit into our tester's sink, so filling it with water was difficult.
As stated in the name, this is a deluxe spin mop. The bucket is large and made of durable plastic, and the wheels and handle made it easy to transport from the sink to our staged messes. However, the bucket was so large that it was difficult to fill it with water in the sink, so our tester ended up pouring water into the bucket from a large pitcher.
While the regular mop head performed well in testing, the Mopnado Deluxe Spin Mop also comes with a scrub brush head that can be used to tackle super sticky messes. If you've got a large space that needs a serious cleaning, this is an excellent spin mop option.
What our tester said: "This spin mop is a steal for $60. When you open the box, you can tell it's well-made, and despite looking luxe, it was straightforward to use. It soaked up the messes quickly, and even though the dirty water didn't separate from the clean water, the spinning basket wrung out the mop head thoroughly each time, so I felt confident in my clean." — Erin Johnson, Senior Product Reviews Writer
Simpli-Magic Spin Mop
Courtesy of Home Depot
BUY IT: $39.74; homedepot.com
BUY IT: $44.99 (orig. $49.99); amazon.com
What you'll love: It's easy to use, comes with multiple mop heads, and you can adjust the height of the pole.
What you should know: You have to pump the foot pedal manually.
This spin mop surprised our testers. It doesn't look luxe, but it did an outstanding job cleaning up our messes. It comes with three different brush heads, and while it has a manual foot pump, it was still the easiest to use.
Whether we remembered to lock in the spin lever or not, this spin mop worked, making it simple to use for even the most forgetful cleaners. It also has a telescopic pole that you can adjust to your preferred height for cleaning.
What our tester said: "This was so easy to use. You dunk the mop into the centrifuge, and then the foot pedal works whether you remember to flip the lever on the mop or not. The mop handle isn't super durable, but it does adjust to multiple heights. Also, this mopped up the syrup spill easily in one swipe. It continues to pleasantly surprise me." — Erin Johnson, Senior Product Reviews Writer
Other Spin Mops We Tested
Vileda Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $83.99; amazon.com
The Vileda spin mop has a triangle mop head which makes it easy to clean in corners or tight spots, but for the price point, we were surprised to see that it didn't come with more helpful features or an extra mop head.
Tsmine Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $67.79 (orig. $79.99); amazon.com
The light blue color is a nice touch, but this spin mop was harder to use than the others. It was difficult to lock and unlock the spinning feature, and certain parts of the bucket were already starting to look worn by the end of our tests.
Libman Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $41.30; amazon.com
The Libman spin mop failed the durability test before our testing had even begun. After our tester accidentally dropped it on the way to the studio, the spinning basket stopped working.
Boomjoy Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $59.99; amazon.com
If you're concerned about aesthetics, this is a great option. The bucket is small (but big enough for a good clean), and the white and gray coloring feels fresh and clean. However, the water leaked a little bit when using the spinning centrifuge.
Oshang Spin Mop
Courtesy of Amazon
BUY IT: $79.99; amazon.com
This mop would have been one of our top picks, but it's currently out of stock. Our tester loved the ease of use and the thorough cleaning this spin mop delivered. The handle has cushioning, which makes the experience of mopping much more enjoyable.
FAQs
What should I look for in a spin mop?
While every cleaning situation is unique, there are a few things to look for when buying a spin mop.
Microfiber mop head
Quality spin mops will come with a microfiber mop head, which quickly absorbs large messes without pushing liquid around. It also dries quickly, so it's easy to clean.
Separation of water
The O-Cedar was the only spin mop that kept the clean water separate from the dirty water, so opt for that specific spin mop if this is important to you. However, the spinning baskets of the other spin mops we tested did a great job wringing out the mop heads, so unless you're constantly cleaning up large messes, the other options would work well for everyday cleaning and a once-in-a-while big spill.
Handle comfort
While some models had plastic handles, others offered an ergonomic grip. If you're planning on mopping a larger space, your hands will thank you for opting for a model with a cushioned handle like the Fuller or Oshang.
How do you use a spin mop?
While they are all made to perform the same primary function, following the specific instructions for the spin mop you choose to buy will help you get the most out of it. In general, you fill the bucket to the max water line. Add a bit of cleaner or soap. Lock the spin mop head into place, then dunk it into the bucket. After soaking it, place the spin mop into the spinning basket. Depending on the model, you'll either push down on the foot pedal or let the centrifuge do the work to wring out the mop head.
Once you wring it to your desired level, mop up your mess, then repeat the process.
How do you clean a spin mop head?
Spin mops take much of the messy work out of mopping, but you'll still need to get your hands a little dirty (and wet) to clean the mop head. Each spin mop head has different instructions for cleaning, so follow your model's care routine. Some mop heads are machine-washable, while others are hand-wash only. Alternatively, you can fill your bucket with clean soapy water, dunk it, and use the centrifuge to wring it out until it's dry.
