Sponge mop: These mops come in handy when cleaning up a spill since sponges absorb a lot of liquid fast. Most sponge mops are also slim and lightweight, making them a good option for someone who finds other types of mops too heavy or awkward to use or doesn't want to deal with disposable or washable pads. They come with either a roller or butterfly wringing design, and can require a fair bit of strength to thoroughly squeeze out the sponge. Be sure to rinse them well before storing them to control germ growth and odors. Once the sponge mop head gets too dirty to use or it falls apart, it’s time to replace it. Like the name suggests, sponge mops feature a spongy head that usually has an attached wringer. The head can be removed so that you can rinse and replace them easily whenever necessary. Sponge mops are best used in homes with tiled floors and other uneven surfaces. However, these mops require proper maintenance to prevent the spread of bacteria. Once you are done with mopping, the mop needs to be rinsed well and then placed upright in a place where it can dry completely. You should replace the mop head when you notice symptoms such as the sponge beginning to break apart, discolour, or emit smell. String Mops

If floor cleaning is not your favorite task, a robot mop could be the answer to your prayers. Who knows more about floor-cleaning robots than iRobot, the company that invented the category? iRobot vacuums always do well in GH Cleaning Lab tests, and an early version of this mop model that we tested in our Lab was no exception.

Electric spin mops, like our recommended Bissell, use two rotating microfiber pads to scrub floors with either plain water or a cleaning formula that you dispense from the appliance. The pads are machine washable and reusable and can even be used dry for buffing floors to a shine. The most effective type of mop is the one that works best for your specific floor — there isn't a one size fits all solution, and each type of mop on the market has its own advantages. If versatility is what you are looking for, then dust mops are the ideal option for you. Dust mops are used for dry cleaning and not as a wet cleaning tool like other mops. Unlike other mops that are used primarily to clean floors, dust mops can also be used to clean ceilings, walls, and light fixtures. Dust mops usually come with a long handle, enabling users to clean often hard-to-reach places such as cobwebs on upper corners of walls. Dust mops can be made from a wide variety of materials including microfiber, synthetics, and wool. Steam Mops We updated this story in April 2023 to add new recommendations and more details about how we tested .

Unlike any mop we've ever seen, Melissa Maker's Maker's Clean mop is the first real innovation in traditional floor mops in years. If fact, we were so impressed with how it tested for us that we gave it a Good Housekeeping Best Cleaning Product Award. The mop head is taco-shaped, so it not only cleans flat surfaces with your favorite spray floor cleaner, but it squeezes into narrow spaces, like between the refrigerator and the wall, or around the toilet. The bottom edge fits perfectly into the 90-degree angles of stair treads and risers or along baseboards and floors. Replacement heads: With repeated use over a long period of time, mops become dingy and may lose their effectiveness. You may want to consider a mop that has a replaceable head option so that when it’s time for a new mop, you can replace the head rather than the whole mop. This electric scrubbing mop from Bissell will put your grandmother's old floor scrubber to shame. It's got a sleek design, is corded for non-stop power and comes with one set of soft and one set of spinning and scrubbing washable and reusable microfiber pads . To safely clean and scrub all sealed and finished floors, simply fill the tank with water and some of the included Bissell floor cleaning solution.In our recent test of 11 models, this H11 Max from Dreametech was tops in our ease of use tests. It earned a perfect score in six of our eight ease of use categories, and was easy to maneuver around furniture and into tight corners. It weighs almost 11 pounds, but was easy to push because it's self-propelled. During our performance tests it ran for 36 minutes on a single charge and cleaned up spilled ketchup without leaving any streaks behind or causing bigger messes on our test floor, though a few drops of dirty water did dribble out when we lifted it off the floor. Mop head width: Mops with a larger head can cover more ground and help cut down on cleaning time but may not be able to navigate corners and smaller spaces as easily as a more compact mop head.