Is the Viral O'Cedar Spin Mop Worth It?

Given that I am a self-proclaimed "neat freak," I find myself regularly inspired and influenced by the constant pool of cleaning videos on TikTok — a side of the app known as "CleanTok." I have four kids, and three of them are six and under, so here's the situation at my house: I do a thorough cleaning at the end of every day (and smaller cleanups during the day, too) so that my family begins every morning with a fresh slate — which gets completely obliterated by dinnertime. I utter some variation of "This place is a disaster" at least once every 24 hours. 

With so many messy memory-making kiddos running around and wreaking havoc in my house, the floors have to be cleaned daily. I thought the easiest way to do that was with a Swiffer Wet Jet, but while perusing "CleanTok" videos, I continued to see the O'Cedar spin mop being used. I had to expand my horizons and give O'Cedar a try. The results? After the first mopping, I honestly questioned my identity. How dare I call myself a neat freak when the mop water looked like an actual mud puddle? I was immediately and permanently converted to the spin mop side, and now that I've regained my status as a cleaning goddess, I've even got opinions on whether the mop is worth it (spoiler: it totally is) and tips on how to get the most out of one. 

How Does it Work?

There are two different O'Cedar spin mops: the EasyWring and the EasyWring Rinse Clean. I bought the EasyWring, which retails for around $35 (the Rinse Clean version is about $50). With the mop, you'll get a microfiber head and a bucket, which includes a built-in wringer. To spin the wringer and drain water from your mop, O'Cedar provides a nifty, easy-to-use foot pedal. All you have to do is add your favorite solution to the bucket, fill it with hot water, dip and drench your mop head, place it in the wringer, and tap the foot pedal a couple of times with your foot until your mop head reaches desired wetness (I usually tap it three times). 

The Rinse Clean version is similar in every way, except it contains two different tanks to keep clean and dirty water separate. 

Mop Heads Matter

The microfiber mop heads are machine washable, but need to be replaced about once every three months. When it came time to replace mine, I found a two-pack of off-brand replacements for $9 on Amazon and I figured I'd give those a whirl instead of paying $10 for an O'Cedar brand replacement at Walmart. The replacement heads I bought are a far cry from the one my mop came with and they don't stay attached very well, so I will definitely be opting for the actual O'Cedar microfiber after I exhaust the lifespan of my discount two-pack. 

Gallery: Ways to Spring Clean With Everyday Household Items

The "Mop Until its Clear" Hack

If you spring for the Rinse Clean spin mop model, you don't have to play by this rule, but TikTok has spoken when it comes to the O.G. EasyWring's mop water: If you finish mopping and dump out gray, brown, or black water, you should mop your floors multiple times until the water runs clear. Otherwise, you're just sticking your mop into dirty water over and over again, lathering it all over your floors. It might look nice when you're done, but it's not truly clean until your water doesn't resemble chocolate milk. 

The Competition

The Libman spin mop is O'Cedar's key rival, and although I haven't tried it myself, my experience with O'Cedar has proven lucrative enough that I don't find my eyes wandering to Libman land. Like O'Cedar, Libman also offers a base version (retailing for about $35) of its spin mop and a deluxe model dubbed the Tornado (which runs closer to $60). 

Final Thoughts

Listen, I'm not trying to be dramatic, but the O'Cedar EasyWring spin mop changed my life. I used to think that pushing a button on a Swiffer and scooting it around my floors was as quick and easy as mopping could get, but somehow, filling a bucket full of cleaning solution and water and dipping my mop into it is easier, quicker, and gets my floors exponentially cleaner. The elbow grease I'd have to put behind a Swiffer scrub accomplishes less than a glide of the spin mop. The thing is magical, truly. 

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