Hey guys! I hope 2022 is off to a great start for you. I have been MIA on here for quite some time now. Seems as though a newborn, 4-year-old, and 5-year-old will have that effect. My first blog of 2022 falls in the cleaning category, and I am letting you in on a little secret. Something that has made housekeeping SO much easier for me.
I’m about to share with you a cleaning product/tool that is hands down in my top 3 favorite cleaning products. It might just even be #1. I mean this was a legit GAME-CHANGER for me. I am so excited to share it with you!
Bothered…
I know I can’t be the only one who is bothered by crumbs, dirt, hair, etc. on my wood floors. I mean…when I can SEE it while I’m sitting and FEEL it while I’m walking, it seems to yell at me until I do something about it. Therefore, our floors often need to be cleaned daily. (And no, this post is NOT about a Roomba, although I have one of those too, and could not live without it.)
So can we talk about mealtimes…with toddlers?! I don’t know if it’s just my kids, but they are incapable of keeping their food on the table, much less on their plates. I find that there is food and crumbs under and around the table after every meal.
A couple years ago, I had 2 toddlers, eating 3 meals a day, equating to 6 (or more) messes on the floor. And since we are talking about food…wet food, dry food, and everything in between, I never wanted to use my regular vacuum to clean it up. That wouldn’t have worked for the yogurt and applesauce anyway. I also obviously couldn’t just use a wet mop and push it all around. Therefore, I found myself on the floor, on my hands and knees, wiping everything up with rags, paper towels, baby wipes, whatever I had at the time. THREE TIMES A DAY.
So what?
Sure, that wasn’t horrible. I’m only 32, not 82, and I don’t find myself to be a lazy person, so what’s the big deal? The big deal is I had 2 young kids, now 3, and I have plenty of better things to do than wipe my floors on my hands and knees 3 times a day. Plus, it’s 2022. There’s gotta be something out there for that, right?
Right! I knew I wanted something that vacuumed up the cheerios and the bread crumbs, something that was strong enough to also vacuum the sticky rice and mac n’ cheese, and something that would then MOP the floor after said rice and mac n’ cheese was sucked up. And I wanted this to happen simultaneously. Because life is short. Ain’t no one got time for all that. So I began my search, and I stumbled across my new and forever BFF… the Shark VacMop!
Let me tell you all the reasons I love this tool SO much!
#1
First and foremost, the sheer functionality of it. It vacuums AND mops, guys. At the same time if you want! The vacuum/suction part is at the very front of the device, so that any debris is sucked up and locked away before any mopping is done. There is a cloth pad (much like a Swiffer pad) attached behind that compartment for mopping. There are 2 different control buttons on the handle- one to activate the vacuum, and another to spray the cleaner when you are mopping.
This multi-function capability is exactly what I needed for cleaning up food under the table. The powerful suction is strong enough to pick up pretty much everything. And the mop is perfect to clean up the stick that’s left behind.
#2
Another reason I love the VacMop so much is because it’s CORDLESS and battery-powered! So convenient, quick, and easy to just pull it out and use it when needed and quickly put it away. The battery will last a pretty long time, too. I have the charger plugged in right off the kitchen, so I just hook the magnetic charging port to it each night. It probably doesn’t need to be charged that often, especially if you only use it in short spurts like I do.
#3
One of my favorite things about this device is that the pads are DISPOSABLE. And it’s actually funny that this is one of my favorite parts, because when I initially began my search for something like this, I didn’t want something disposable. This was only because I was thinking about the cost of having to continuously replace something. But let me tell you… the convenience of pressing a button to release the pad in the garbage (with all its disgusting food that is locked away) is a game-changer. I am SO glad I don’t have to worry about emptying/cleaning a tank or a filter. It is SO easy!
What’s the $ ?
The cost of the Shark VacMop itself is $80 and you can conveniently find it on Amazon! That COMES WITH 12 disposable pads AND a 12 oz. bottle of the cleaning solution! For a vacuum, one that I use 3 times a day, that makes my life SO much easier, I’d say that’s a pretty good price. You can ask my husband how many times I have finished using it and said, “That’s the best $80 I’ve ever spent!” He will tell you A LOT. It is so true, though. And if this one ever dies out on me, you can bet I’m ordering a new one ASAP.
And the cost of the pads that I was worried about in the beginning…let’s break that down…I get a 30-pack on Amazon for $24. That’s 80 cents per pad. And these pads are NOT a one-time use, one and done sort of thing. At least for me, since I’m only using it under the table several times a day, one disposable pad honestly lasts me about a week until I throw it out. That’s 80 cents per week, and $3.20 per month. The fact that I even entertained the thought of NOT having disposable pads is laughable.
The cost of the liquid cleaning solution that you can use for mopping is $9.95 for a 67 oz. refill bottle. And trust me when I say…it lasts A. LONG. TIME. I have only bought the refill bottle once, and I have had this for 2 years. Also, I’m sure you could pour your own cleaning solution into the VacMop if you wanted. Vinegar + water is my FAVORITE and CHEAPEST homemade cleaning solution that can be used on anything and everything. But that’s a whole other post for another time.
Let’s compare…
I wanted to compare this $80 price tag to that of the Bissell Crosswave, because I hear a lot of people talking about that one for a wet/dry vacuum. The Crosswave is well over $200 for the basic, original one. Now, I have never had the Crosswave, so I can’t speak for how well it works. But for me, the Shark VacMop is exactly what I need for my under-the-table jobs. And you could very well use it on your entire floor as well.
Try it out!
So there you have it. One of my FAVORITE cleaning devices that just makes my day-to-day mom life so much easier. And who doesn’t want a little more ease in their lives?! If you have kids, or pets, and food messes drive you bonkers like they did me, try out the Shark VacMop. You won’t regret it. And after you do, please tell me how much you love it!
Happy cleaning!
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