Three years ago, when I first married Mr. Burt and we were living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment near the Baylor campus while I was finishing school, I purchased a Clorox Ready Mop because #1, it seemed like just the thing when there were only three miniscule tiled areas in the whole apartment (entryway, kitchen, bathroom) to mop; and #2, Swiffer Wetjets cost about $10 more back then. It served me faithfully for about a year and a half, when, on January 12, 2006, the handle snapped right in half during use.
I bought a second Clorox Ready Mop to replace it, even though I noticed at the time that the Swiffer Wetjet prices were coming down and the Clorox Ready Mop’s cost was on the rise. Because I had all that Ready Mop solution and a whole box of cleansing pads for it at home.
Clorox Ready Mop #2 served me until last week, when it simply refused to squirt mop solution out. I would have broken down and replaced it with a Swiffer even if the price difference between the two hadn’t crept to a mere $3, because I don’t buy a worthless product three times.
And apparently a Swiffer is anything but worthless. Take its Troubleshooting Guide, for instance:
Problem: Floor has streaks or hazing
Possible Cause: Not using enough solution; large dirt or dust particles
Solution: Try using more solution to evenly wet the area to be cleaned; sweep or vacuum before using Wetjet
Problem: Implement won’t spray
Possible Cause: Bottle is inserted incorrectly; batteries are inserted improperly or have expired
Solution: Check that the bottle is fully and securely inserted; check that the batteries are properly inserted or replace batteries if motor still does not run.
Problem: The pad does not stick to the device
Possible Cause: The wrong side of the pad is attached to the device
Solution: Check to be sure that the printed side that says Swiffer is attached to the device
Problem: Tough stains or spots aren’t removed.
Possible Cause: Tough spots and stains may need soaking
Solution: Spray the area and allow the solution to sit for a few minutes. Replace the Scrubbing strip if it appears dirty. If these suggestions do not work, contact the flooring manufacturer for specific instructions.
Problem: Device leaks
Possible Cause: The bottle is not properly inserted
Solution: Check to make sure the solution bottle is firmly and fully inserted into the device.
The Swiffer Wetjet is foolproof. If there’s a problem, I’m just being a fool. Or my floors have issues.
Also, the box warned me to avoid accidents. I had planned on being very careless before, but now I’ll try to avoid…
What the heck can go wrong when you’re mopping without a bucket of water?
01/09/2007 at 8:02 am Permalink
maybe the Swiffer people get a lot of phone calls about these things. which kinda makes you wonder how anyone who can’t use a Swiffer would get along doing normal mopping in this century.
01/09/2007 at 8:35 am Permalink
You see, I just don’t think someone who had a hard time figuring out which side of the pad to stick to the Swiffer would be able to handle such a complex task as calling in about their problem. For that matter, they might have difficulty reading the manual, too.
01/09/2007 at 8:41 am Permalink
But what if the problem was Velcro failure, and not wrong side up at all?
01/09/2007 at 11:14 am Permalink
better yet, everyone should get a magic eraser mop. the magic eraser is amazing! i cleaned the entire kitchen floor with it and it looked brand new. swiffer just spreads around the dirt because that’s what we had been using. you know, those people should hire me for all the publicity i give them. i should just drop out of college now!
01/09/2007 at 11:29 am Permalink
I didn’t know there was a magic eraser mop! I wish I had bought one because you are such a good salesperson, and because Mr. Clean is sexy.
07/09/2007 at 7:24 am Permalink
Why does a mop need batteries? Does it have a headlight so you can clean your floor at night in case of a power failure? Or is it like an electric toothbrush, with a spinning head to get those stubborn sticky spots? Maybe it has a proximity alarm to let the poor dimwitted moppers know when they’re about to run over the cat (that would be those same dimwitted moppers who don’t know which side of the velcro goes where).
07/09/2007 at 8:35 am Permalink
The mop liquid squirter is motorized, it’s the only difference between the Swiffer and the Clorox Mop. It does produce a steadier flow of liquid, though it seems kind of excessive to me to need four AA batteries just to squirt evenly across my floor…