The best mops of 2025 for every type of floor, tested and reviewed

Table of contents

Best mops of 2025

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Factors to consider when choosing a mop

Here are some things to think about when deciding which mop type works best for your home.

Mop style:

• String (round) mops consist of a bunch of rope or fabric pieces that are woven together. These mops are particularly good at trapping water and high-density substances like jelly or spaghetti sauce. Given the flexibility of the strings, they're also able to get into narrow crevices and up against ledges.

  • Rope mop heads are tougher, both as a material and against stuck-on substances.

  • Fabric string mop heads are gentler on delicate surfaces, so they may be best for hardwood floors. They can typically go in the washing machine when they need cleaning.

• Flat mops have long, thin pads that attach to a mop head (or base). They're usually not as absorbent (or "webby") as string mops, and therefore not able to capture or contain as much liquid or dirt. Their rectangular shape makes for wider, more streamlined passes, so they're ideal for everyday cleaning — especially in shallow areas, such as under a bed or sofa.

  • Scrubbing pads are tougher against caked-on dirt and sticky messes, but may not be suitable for hardwood or other more delicate surfaces.

  • Microfiber pads are gentler, making them great for dusting and maintenance-washing, plus delicate floors.

• Electric mops often offer a deeper clean and mean less manual scrubbing. This category includes steam mops, spin mops (which use automatically spinning pads to buff and/or scrub surfaces) and wet vacs (which combine suction with pads or moistened brush rollers for wet/dry messes like spilled cereal and milk).

Cleaning mechanism: Bucket or spray? It all comes down to preference, as well as the task at hand.

• Traditional mops with a bucket typically have a manual squeegee or wringer for squeezing out extra water and debris. More sophisticated bucket systems feature two sections — one for clean water and one for dirty — so the water you’re replenishing the mop with is clean.

• Spray mop systems involve a spray bottle or canister that you fill up with water/cleaning solution and attach to the mop pole. You pull a lever to release the water, which eliminates the need to carry around a bucket. Because you're not actively cleaning or squeegeeing your mop pad, you might have to replace it as you go, especially for bigger homes or messier jobs.

Maintenance: The best mop is the mop you'll actually use! Here are a few more things to consider when it comes to convenience.

• High-capacity water tanks and buckets mean less refills, especially for larger homes, while lower capacities often mean less heavy lifting.

• Single-use mop pads can be tossed when finished, but require replenishing. Traditional mop pads are more cost-efficient, but need (machine) washing.

• Vacuum-style mops typically require the least amount of effort when cleaning, but you may need to empty a dust cup or clean brush rollers.

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How we tested mops

We assessed each mop based on things like comfort, agility and absorbency. We also considered convenience: How easy the mop was to set up and use and how much maintenance it needed.

To gauge performance, we also set up a "kitchen obstacle course," spilling splatter-prone spaghetti sauce, gooey chocolate syrup, clumpy grape jelly and sticky honey on a kitchen floor. We then put each mop through its paces.

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Other mops we tested

Libman Tornado Spin Mop System ($53): This string-mop-and-bucket system is similar in form and function to O-Cedar’s, except it doesn't have a separate chamber for clean water. We also preferred the O-Cedar's foot pedal, and how the triangular shape of the mop head allowed us to get into corners.

Bona Hardwood Floor Premium Spray Mop ($42): This spray mop didn’t come with a mini scrubber or extra mop pads like the Rubbermaid Reveal. That said, it arrived pre-filled with an expert-recommended, wood-safe cleaning solution, and it holds more water/cleaner solution overall. We'd consider it the best spray mop for hardwood floors as long as you don’t mind sticking to one pad or springing on a few replacement pads.

O-Cedar ProMist Max Microfiber Spray Mop ($35): The mop pad on this O-Cedar spray mop didn’t have quite as much grit for scrubbing as others. But we liked how the soft microfiber mop pad attracted hair and dust and felt gentle enough for delicate surfaces. You should be able to get two uses out of the pad before tossing it in the wash, as it completely surrounds the mop head and the mop head flips.

O-Cedar H2prO Flat Mop System ($50): Like O-Cedar’s RinseClean, the H2prO has separate chambers for clean and discarded water, in this case with a squeegee versus a spinner for wringing. We like how the clean water chamber detaches from the bucket for easy filling, and how the flat, absorbent mop can get under shallow areas (it’s also compact for smaller spaces). Ultimately, we went with the RinseClean for our top mop-and-bucket pick because it got more of our testing substances up in one go and cleaned better around curves and in tight corners.

Joymoop Flat Mop and Bucket Set ($45): This system consists of a flat mop and a tall bucket with a squeegee. The mop head large, and the pad has some grit to it, though it's not as absorbent as others. You have to keep the bucket pretty full in order to get the entire mop pad wet, and the water can get dirty easily. But I’ve had one for a while and would recommend it for “maintenance” washing (and occasional scrubbing).

Bissell Powerfresh Steam Mop ($103): This steam mop was incredibly easy to set up, and just as easy to use. It has two steam settings and comes with two mop pads (one a soft microfiber and one terry for a gentle scrub). You can remove the mop head to reveal a brush that can be used on stickier substances. The drawbacks: This steamer doesn’t double as a handheld, and doesn’t come with all of the accessories our top steam mop has, but it does what it promises.

Shark Steam Genius ($130): With this Shark steam mop, you get three steam settings, including a special “steam blaster” for targeting particularly sticky or stubborn messes. It broke down caked-on honey and jelly with ease. We liked how we could discard the dual-sided terry mop pads (it comes with two) hands-free. But there's no handheld option and no accessories.

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Mop FAQs

What’s the best mop for tile floors?

While most mops are compatible with tile floors, string mops are better at getting into grout lines and crevices that flat mops might be too surface-level to reach. Steam mops can also help when it comes to lifting particularly sticky or gooey substances, such as jelly or honey. This is a place where a good spin scrubber or grout cleaner can also come in handy.

What’s the most convenient mop?

Mops with single-use pads are probably the most convenient in terms of prep and cleanup (you just attach a wet pad to the mop head and toss it when you're done), but they may not be as durable or tough on dirt as cloth pads. They'll also require you to replace and purchase mop pads more frequently. We prefer traditional mop-and-bucket systems or spray-style mops with reusable pads.

How do you clean a mop?

For a mop-and-bucket system, you’d typically rinse and wring out the mop pad in the bucket, then empty and rinse out the bucket itself, allowing everything to dry before storing.

For a spray or canister-style mop, you’d empty the tank and rinse that out, cleaning or replacing any pads or brush rolls as directed. Some mop machines also have a self-cleaning function.

With single-use, wet-pad mops, you just throw the wet pad into the garbage when finished … easy on the cleaner, but the pads can stack up in terms of financial (and environmental) impact.

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We received complimentary samples of some products and purchased others ourselves, but we reviewed all products using the same objective criteria.