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Review: Starfiber Microfiber Mop

082208_micro.jpgAt last week's Ikea Home and garden Show we did the unthinkable: we bought an 'as seen on tv' product. And honestly, we couldn't be happier:

 
 

We've known that we really don't like using Swiffers not only because you have to throw away the cleaning pad, but also because you have to go and buy them when you run out. A traditional mop uses tons of water and ies really messy. So after we watched the demonstration, we were sold on the Starfiber Mop.

The microfiber pad can be washed 300 times before it wears out (just don't use bleach or fabric softener) and you barely have to use water to mop the floor. This is good for us because we have an Ikea floor that warps if water sits on it for long. All you need is to dampen the pad with water and then squirt a little bit of diluted vinegar on the floor or the pad and then mop away. The pad continues to absorb so it dries the floor as you mop. Rinse the pad as needed, but since it's microfiber it can hold a lot dirt and water before it has to get rinsed out. And the best part? Somehow it doesn't just push the dirt around, it really picks it up and locks it away.

The only drawback we can think of is that it takes a little more elbow grease to actually move it around on the floor. Maybe it's all the fibers, but it definitely drags more than a spongey mop or a wet swiffer.

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cleaning, best products, microfiber mop, starfiber

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Comments (26)

Even better- use Method's wood for good® floor cleaner almond with your microfiber mop. ITS HEAVEN!!

posted by lilcourt on August 25th 2008 at 4:24pm
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I use the Method O-Mop with the washable microfiber pad and noticed that it glides better with use. Dunno why.

posted by stalebetty on August 25th 2008 at 4:33pm
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I agree with using the Method "Wood for Good". It is AMAZING. Such shine and smells like almond body butter from Body Shop.

posted by atlantadesigner on August 25th 2008 at 4:33pm
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All I can say is, sham-WOW! You followin' me, camera-guy?

posted by brozek on August 25th 2008 at 4:34pm
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I bought the Swiffer starter kit. Now that I've used up the starters, I just wrap a couple of paper towels around it and spray on some vinegar and water. It works great to clean the cheap-o laminate in my apartment.

posted by A Charmer on August 25th 2008 at 4:35pm
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I have a cleaning person come once every other week, and she likes the Swiffer and the Swiffer Wet Jet, so I bought those for her. I use them occasionally and they seem to work well, but it seems like such a waste to throw those things away after one use, and they run out fast.

That said, on the other hand, I dislike the idea of washing and re-using things like this too often, because my floors get a lot of hair, dead skin cells, dust, dead bugs and God knows what else. In light of this, throwing the duster cloth away is okay by me -- I'll reduce, re-use and recycle in other ways.

posted by lightspeed on August 25th 2008 at 4:45pm
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I bought a couple of thesemicrofiber cloths for dusting, and found that they hook nicely into my old swiffer--same basic idea, but no need to buy a new tool.

posted by gingerblue on August 25th 2008 at 5:03pm
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Speaking of "As Seen On TV," I keep seeing ads for the Chamwow which is kind of the car wreck of ASOTV advertisements. I can't stop watching it, not so much for the product but because of Vince, the somewhat shady pitchman.

posted by Seaside on August 25th 2008 at 5:22pm
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I have a similar mop that I bought at a local hardware store. It's great. I usually fill up the sink though I never though of just spraying water on it. I also plan to knit some extra pads for it.

posted by Melissa A. on August 25th 2008 at 5:24pm
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I wish someone would make a mop/duster (just change the pad) with a handle that collapsed so it fit in a smaller space, and you wouldn't need two contraptions to do the job of one. That would make me very happy

posted by DRCny on August 25th 2008 at 6:44pm
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Thanks for the tip gingerblue! I think I will buy some microfiber cloths and attach them to my old Swiffer as well to and give that a try.

posted by chin on August 25th 2008 at 6:54pm
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DRCny--this one has a collapsible handle! It goes down to, say, about a foot long, definitely handy for storing underneath the sink!

posted by laure on August 25th 2008 at 6:58pm
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DO NOT...I repeat... DO NOT use vinegar on a wood floor!! I own a cleaning company and am well aware of the damage this method can cause. Vinegar is acidic and will slowly eat away at the poly coating, or wax coating, or oil, whatever your floor is sealed with. It is fine for no-wax linoleum and ceramic but don't use vinegar on wood floors! If you have new wood floors, using anything but what the manufacturer specifically recommends will void your warranty. When in doubt, use just water. I use a product called EcoMist Colloid W and a Rubbermaid commercial microfiber mop and it gets raves from my clients with wood floors.

This is the BEST way to clean wood floors:

1) use a soft microfiber dusting pad (preferably with fringe) and run it along all the baseboards without lifting it. Then run it up and down the room, like mowing the lawn, again not lifting the mop. Lifting the mop allows larger debris to get under the mop pad, which can scratch the floors. You want the larger debris to be trapped by the fringe and pushed ahead of you while dust and dirt is trapped by the microfiber pad. This is why swiffer is horrible...it can scratch!

2) use the hose attachment on you vacuum to run the perimeter of the room and suck up any trapped dirt near the baseboards.

3) Using a spray bottle, mist the floor lightly with water, or a cleaner specifically formulated for wood floors like EcoMist Colloid W, Dr Bonners, or Method. DO NOT use Murphy's Oil Soap on your floors, nor should you use Orange Glo. Murphy's Oil Soap will ruin the floors and Orange Glo makes them dangerously slippery. Again, when in doubt, just use water.

4) After lightly misting a small area, use a seperate microfiber pad that is labeled for wet use and mop the area following the grain of the wood.

5) continue to spray as you go. The floor should dry behind you. Never dump a bucket of soapy water on a wood floor...it will warp, cup, split, and generally need replacing really quickly.

I recommend the Rubbermaid Commercial Mop with a seperate wet and dry mopping head..they just velcro to the mop. You can get them at Home Depot for about 20 bucks and they do have replacement heads when you start to get icked out by the old ones, but all you need to do is run the wet mop under the shower tap and use some shampoo to clean it out, while the dry mop can be vacuumed with an attachment then thrown into the wash.

posted by amiencc on August 25th 2008 at 7:41pm
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Thank you for the tips, amiencc; we are about to rip out all the carpets in our home and put in hard wood flooring -- these instructions will come in very handy! But I may just stay lazy and get a Scooba for wood floors... :-P

posted by spiffy on August 25th 2008 at 11:23pm
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I use my Swiffer Wet Jet with washable terry barmop towels that I pick up cheaply at Walmart. After using, I throw them into a mesh hamper that I keep just for cleaning cloths and wash them when I have enough to make a small washload. I also have some of the microfiber cloths in my stash, so will try using those with the Swiffer. I also like the idea of making some knitted Swiffer pads. I knit, so will definitely whip one up to try it and if it works well, will make more. Thanks for the great ideas!

posted by Maureen on August 26th 2008 at 1:31am
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Strange about the vinegar comment. One old granny I know has been giving her wood floors a warm water vinegar mopping every day for over a decade and the floors look fantastic.

posted by randomname on August 26th 2008 at 2:17am
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I got my microfiber mop from The Clean Team. They have a full line of cleaning products, all of which I've had great success with. Their mops are built around the extendable Versapole, which screws into the various mop-heads. I have two - one with a terry-cloth towelish mophead (great for kitchen floors) and a wooly pad which is like a giant duster for the floor. I got the microfiber head about a month ago - it has two mops - a duster and a cool wet mop with some scrubbiness to it. The microfiber mops interchange using a velcro backing, so it is easy to switch from one to the other.

I've been using their products for nearly 10 years now. I bought the whole speed cleaning kit - their method really does get a small house/apartment clean in under an hour. It seems to be a family company with very friendly customer service, and they will answer cleaning questions over the phone for customers.

posted by feathers on August 26th 2008 at 3:08am
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The real question is--is it endorsed by Billy Mays?

I want him and Vince "ShamWow!" to have some sort of product-pitching showdown.

posted by inertia on August 26th 2008 at 4:03am
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I have that mop as well, And I feel the same way, It's so easy to use!

posted by love on August 26th 2008 at 4:56am
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...I have method's o-mop & prefer it to anything else.. It came in a great biodegradable (and great looking) package with a microfiber cloth & non-toxic floor cleaner. Plus, the o-mop's neutral color is less "offensive" than that cobalt blue.

posted by ashleyandpancake on August 26th 2008 at 5:47am
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I have a steam mop with washable pads. I saw one advertised on TV, but I bought the cheaper version at Best Buy. It doesn't require soap. I'm pretty pleased because the floor dries super quick, without scratching.

posted by gquaker on August 26th 2008 at 6:36am
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I love my microfibre mop (thank you Walmart) but I hate that I have to wring out the pad, then attach it, rather than being able to wring it off while actually on the mop itself.

Otherwise, lovelovelove it.

posted by Melissa82 on August 26th 2008 at 8:10am
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gquaker. i have one of those too. but i have the shark steam mop. besides the flimsy handle, it works great.

posted by animalhouze on August 26th 2008 at 9:43am
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Love my Method O mop but my housekeeper hates it: she prefers to vacuum although it doesn't get the floors as clean. sigh.

posted by ebrown on August 26th 2008 at 2:15pm
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I've been doing the diluted vinegar thing since I moved into my all-hardwood-floors apartment five months ago. This post inspired/scared me enough to go get the Method Wood-For-Good today. Amazing! And smells great. (Almost every floor cleaner has that nauseating artificial orange scent. Ugh!)

posted by Amymj on August 26th 2008 at 3:10pm
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The Method O-mop is built as well as the Bushman governs. Its truly a POS.

posted by SeanG on August 31st 2008 at 2:03am
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