I’ll Never Struggle with a Mop and Bucket Ever Again—I Tried the New Swiffer PowerMop
Updated: Feb. 08, 2024
The Swiffer PowerMop delivers a "mop and bucket" deep clean in half the time. Here's why one Shopping Editor decided to forgo her favorite floor mop for this battery-powered newcomer.
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When it comes to keeping a clean home, I’m always hunting for shortcuts. I’ve tested hundreds of floor cleaners—sprays, mops and scrubbers—with middling results. And that’s without kids—I can’t imagine juggling cleaning products and scrubbing sticky messes while wrangling tiny people.
Normally, I opt for my tried-and-true mop and bucket when it’s time to clean my laminate floors. Nothing else pulls up gunk as efficiently—the only tradeoff is the time it takes to mop, wring and repeat. Recently, a moving incident left me without my precious cleaning duo. When Swiffer offered to send me the new Swiffer PowerMop, I accepted. After all, if I’m not a fan, I can always defer back to the basic mop and bucket.
Luckily for me, there’s no need to place that Amazon order. Watch out, floor cleaners—there’s a new scrubbing sheriff in town!
What is the Swiffer PowerMop?
The Swiffer PowerMop is the newest device in Swiffer’s line of affordable spray mops. Like its WetJet predecessors, the PowerMop provides a powerful clean on almost any hard floor, including wood, laminate and tile. Part of the draw is the distinct cleaning pad. It features over 300 “scrubbing strips” that grab dirt, small debris and pet hair as they buff away spills and dried-on messes.
The biggest difference between the PowerMop and other models is the inclusion of a battery pack. Two AA batteries bolster the mop’s powerful trigger-action jets, delivering a generous stream of cleaning solution that dissolves dirt and pulls up stuck-on gunk.
Product features
Each Swiffer PowerMop starter kit arrives with the mop, two cleaning pads, a bottle of “fresh” scent solution and a package of two AA batteries. There are three cleaning solution scents on the market: fresh, lemon (meant for wood floors) and lavender. I was sent a sample of the fresh and lavender scents to test.
My apartment floors consist of tile and laminate, so I tested the PowerMop on both. According to Swiffer, the PowerMop is safe for use on all floor types. As with any floor cleaner, always check to see if the solution you choose is safe for cleaning hardwood floors prior to application.
The included cleaning pads look similar to the ones compatible with the Swiffer 360 duster, minus the fluffy filler. The stiff little shreds of material scrub away caked-on dirt without damaging floors. Just like the cleaning solution, the device’s mop heads are available to purchase separately. They come in boxes of five and retail for around $12.
While Swiffer plans to roll out the PowerMop to other stores in June, the spray mop is only available at Walmart for the time being.
How we tested it
Setting it up
Because the Swiffer PowerMop isn’t a vacuum mop, I began by using my vacuum made for pet hair to eliminate any loose dirt, cat hair and debris. This gave me a clear, crumb-free surface to test out the mopping power of the Swiffer spray mop.
Assembling the mop was a piece of cake. The box arrives with a dismantled mop connected by a set of wires going down the center pole. Snapping the pieces together was simple, but I did have to maneuver the wires a little. They were slightly longer than the pole to accommodate the PowerMop’s ability to dismantle after cleaning.
Personally, I can’t see myself taking the Swiffer apart for storage—especially since the pieces are all connected—but it could be handy for those trying to save space. Once assembled, the mop has a sleek, modern design and appealing colors. I wouldn’t mind guests seeing it propped in a corner when not in use.
After putting the device together, the rest of the setup was pretty intuitive. I unlatched the battery pack in the back of the mop and added the two included AA batteries. It easily snaps back in. After that, I unwrapped a mop head and smoothed it mop-side down on the Swiffer’s generously sized head.
Using the Swiffer PowerMop
Because I misplaced my mop and bucket while moving, I had an embarrassing amount of dirt and dried-on mystery stains littering my apartment’s laminate and tile floors. I began by mopping my bedroom, where I spilled a Vernors the day prior. I used a paper towel to clean up the mess, but there was still a pretty sizable white, sticky film that clung on for dear life.
Using the trigger button on the mop’s center pole, I squirted a sizable dose of cleaning solution on the stain. Being familiar with other spray mops, I expected there to be a noticeable “hiss” when the liquid was dispensed. On the contrary, the mop was almost completely silent!
I also appreciated that the jets shot a fine mist in a wide distribution, rather than a targeted stream of solution directly ahead. This made it incredibly easy to mop a sizable section of my floor with a single spray. I felt that I wasted far less product than some of the other mops I’ve tried in the past. As a bonus, no spray ended up pooling on top of the mop, which is an issue I’ve had with previous devices.
As far as the mop pads go, I appreciate the stiff, built-in scrubbers. Rather than a flat head, the scrubbers mimic a traditional mop and offer a more efficient clean. In just a pass or two, I was able to lift off set-in dirt without having to add too much force or use excessive amounts of solution.
The mop head swivels a full 360 degrees, so it was super easy to slide the mop under side tables, behind my cat tree and—best of all—around my toilet. Despite the larger size of the mopping head when compared to the WetJet, I didn’t feel like it was too bulky to effectively slide into smaller spaces. In fact, I was able to breeze through my entire 900-square-foot apartment in under 20 minutes!
Pros
- Swivel head makes it easy to get into tight spaces
- Larger head than other spray mops
- Lightweight
- Most messes eliminated in one pass
- Picks up dust, pet hair and small debris
- Adds a lasting fresh scent to rooms
- Powerful jets
- No solution buildup on the mop head
- Comes with two pads
- Arrives with batteries
Cons
- Cord inside the handle makes it tricky to snap poles together
- Can feel sticky before it dries
- Needs to be propped up to stand
FAQ
Is Swiffer PowerMop safe for hardwood floors?
According to Swiffer, the Power mop can be used on finished hardwood and bamboo, but should not be used on unfinished, oiled or waxed wooden floors.
Is the Swiffer PowerMop better than other Swiffers?
What other reviewers had to say
The small swath of reviewers who got their hands on the new Swiffer PowerMop praise its lightweight size and powerful spraying action. “I used my new Swiffer PowerMop today for the first time,” writes verified purchaser Tasteofgeorgia. “I was amazed to see how easy it was to maneuver. (It also fit behind the toilet, which is a tight squeeze!) The scented liquid spray was fresh and light, and the scent lasted for several hours. I’m very pleased with my new mop.”
Product comparison
Unlike the microfiber mop I previously used, the sprayers on the PowerMop eliminate the need for spray solutions. That frees up my left hand to hold my nephew or my Stanley cup while cleaning. Plus, the solution never builds up on the top of the mop head—that’s a frequent problem I’ve experienced across the board when it comes to spray mops.
While traditional floor mops are just as good at pulling up dried-on messes, I prefer the ease and lightweight of the Swiffer PowerMop. Not having to wring out the mop head or replace dirty water is a big win for me.
I wish that the PowerMop was better at picking up larger pieces of debris—but it’s not a vacuum mop like the Shark VacMop. There’s no suction, so it can’t eliminate big messes like cereal spills. However, it’s still pretty efficient when it comes to catching smaller debris like dust or pet hair.
Final verdict
Those light on time will love how easy it is to clean an entire house in under an hour. My 900-square-foot apartment was fully mopped in about 20 minutes—much faster than my usual 40-minute mopping routine. The best part? My PowerMop made an even bigger difference than the old mop and bucket I was using. My floors are squeaky clean, my entire apartment smells amazing and every single surface—from laminate to tile—boasts a beautiful glow for days after.
The fresh, clean scent isn’t overpowering to my sensitive nose, and the incredible smell lasts for around two hours after mopping. Apart from pulling up dirt and debris, my entire floor was far less dull and felt cleaner underfoot. Of course, this product-loving shopping editor adored it—but even my husband was impressed with the results and asked about the device.
Supplemented with a steam cleaner and vacuum, the PowerMop provides a comparable clean to products that ring up at more than twice the price. I highly recommend it to those looking for a low-cost spray mop that delivers a deep clean rather than one that pushes around dirt. Sure, it’s not an all-in-one solution that picks up debris, but it’s a darn good floor cleaner that delivers noticeable results.
Some reviewers do note that the mop leaves a bit of a sticky residue on certain floor types. After trying it on tile and laminate, I didn’t experience any stickiness once the floors dried down. It’s important to always allow floors to dry naturally before walking on them to avoid slipping or adding dirt back to the floor. I’ll sometimes switch on a powerful cooling fan to speed this up when I’m in a hurry.
Overall, the Swiffer PowerMop is the perfect in-between solution for those who can’t afford (or don’t want to spend the money on) a $100 vacuum mop or an expensive robot mop. It offers a deep clean in a fraction of the time it takes to wrangle a traditional mop and bucket—definitely worth it for those tight on time.
Plus, the flexible head and 360-degree rotation make it so easy to slip behind fixtures, between appliances and under couches. I’m permanently swapping out my mop with the PowerMop, making it my new go-to floor cleaner.
Where to buy the Swiffer PowerMop
The Swiffer PowerMop is available on Amazon and Walmart for a meager $30. Say goodbye to that bulky mop and bucket and hello to a clean-smelling, gleaming floor.
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Originally Published: June 01, 2023
