Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ll have heard of Scrub Daddy, his wife Scrub Mommy, and the wide range of cleaning essentials they have spawned.
The smiling scrubbers have grown in popularity since their launch in 2012 and have a dedicated following of cleaning enthusiasts who love the work they do.
From the scrubbers which can be used to shift tough stains but are also gentle enough not to scuff or mark, to magic erasers that make crayon marks on walls vanish to cleaning pastes and sprays, the range covered almost every area of your home.
However, the one thing missing from Scrub Daddy’s wide selection was a mop, specifically a mop that incorporated the Scrub Daddy’s highly engineered polymer foam called FlexTexture, which changes texture based on water temperature.
The basic rule is that when used with cold water FlexTexture remains firm and can be used for extra scrubbing power. When used with warm water, the polymer foam becomes softer making it suitable for lighter cleaning jobs and is more absorbent.
There were calls on social media for Scrub Daddy to get into the mop game with fans even discussing attaching their scrubbers to their existing mops in a bid to get the cleaning magic on their floors.
Luckily, Scrub Daddy has stepped up and the Mop Daddy Butterfly Mop was created. The firm wrote in a social media post: “We get it, you wanted a mop. We launched a mop. Enjoy.”
I’ve always been a fan of the Flash Speed Mop Wet Cloths for the convenience of them. But with a home that is only carpeted upstairs, I go through a lot of packs of these every month. The price and the fact I am throwing them away after using them had made me start to think about the impact on my wallet and the environment.
So I decided try Scrub Daddy’s new mop to see if it could match the cleaning prowess of the other product. Initially, I wasn’t convinced it would turn me from my convenient mopping routine, however.
It says it’s suitable for all of floor types and I have four types of flooring; laminate, real wood, click laminate and linoleum. But could it tackle them all in a household with two kids, a husband with dirty work boots, a dog who is keen on rolling in mud and a cat who sheds constantly?
The set up is easy. Take the cardboard off the mop head and you’re good to go. It has an extendable handle which is adjusted with a simple twist so your mop is at a comfortable level.
The mop is made of thick, durable foam and in the middle is a strip of FlexTexture. The idea is you mop and when you come across a sticky mess or a stubborn stain you press down to activate the scrubber strip which is slightly indented.
To rinse the head you simply pull up the lever and the mop head folds, like butterfly wings, and water and soap is squeezed out.
Off I went in the living room which is laminate flooring. The foam surrounding the famous Scrub Daddy FlexTexture strip did a good job of mopping and some push pressure to activate the scrubber strip removed a couple of stains on parts of the floor easily.
The mop has adjustable angles so mopping under tables and couches wasn’t an issue. The neck clicks to a 45-degree angle for comfortable upright mopping and a 90-degree angle for sliding under furniture. So far so good.
In the bathroom I tackled the lino. Again, I used warm water and it left the floors looking really clean. The foam is very absorbent and the lino dried in no time – much faster than when using my old mop with wet cloths which could leave it soaking for hours. It claims to absorb 60 percent more liquid than the leading competitor and I don’t doubt it.
On my real wooden hall floors, I switched to cold water as it’s a high traffic area and needed a tougher scrub. Again, it was no problem for the Mop Daddy Butterfly Mop. And again, the floors were dry far quicker than when using my previous mop system.
Finally, I moved onto the kitchen where we have click laminate flooring which is slightly textured and annoyingly clings to dirt. I went for cold water again to make the FlexTexture harder as that floor can, at times, be a disgrace with bits of food stuck to it and dog footprints a standard decoration.
Mop Daddy’s Butterfly Mop rose to the challenge once again, removing the grime with just a bit of effort.
My floors looked and felt cleaner than ever and the bonus was they dried faster so there were fewer streaks, especially on the laminate, where streaks and smears has been a constant bug bear.
Once I’d finished I took the mop head off and flung it in the washing machine. It can be reused once cleaned. You could also wash it in a dishwasher. I reckon it will last me a couple of months before I’ll need to replace it and I mop a lot.
The mop was utilised just a day later when the dog came in from a dip in the river and shook all over the floor. A quick swipe round with the butterfly mop and that mess was gone and dry – its absorbency once again proven.
One slight issue is when squeezing the mop, there was loud cracking noises and I thought I had broken it on the first attempt. I hadn’t, it’s just made of a very strong plastic and that scary noise wore off as I rinsed and squeezed repeatedly.
Another tip is don’t use too much cleaner with your mop. Because its highly absorbent soap suds will just keep coming if you go overboard. Less is more with this mop.
It also felt like a bit more of a work out than using the wet cloths on my old mop. But that’s not a bad thing really and the upside is my floors were sparkling and stayed cleaner, and looking cleaner, for a good couple of days longer than usual.
I’ve seen people using the mop to clean shower screens and front doors. I’ll be giving that a go.
But for the floors, I am a convert. Scrub Daddy definitely scrubs up well.
The Mop Daddy Butterfly Mop is priced at £19.99 and refill mop heads are £6.99. It is available at Scrub Daddy’s website.