Mop Vacuum Showdown: Is It a Game Changer or a Total Letdown?

I'm back with my Kerher series, and this is my fourth purchase - a mop vacuum thingy that I'm still trying to figure out.

I'll be honest, this was a total impulse buy. I was cleaning and thought to myself, 'Ugh, I'm so sick of washing floors with a mop and bucket.' It's just such a hassle - constantly wringing out the mop and washing my hands afterwards. It looks unprofessional from the outside, and it's exhausting for me. And those special buckets with the self-wringing feature? Not very effective in practice. So, I bought this mop vacuum thingy as an add-on to my regular floor cleaner. It's not meant to replace the mop, but rather enhance the cleaning process and make a good impression on clients.

Okay, now let's get into the nitty-gritty. At first glance, this thing has a pretty complex design. But in reality, it's just two interchangeable rollers, a clean water tank, a dirty water tank, and some hoses that sometimes come loose.

The most important thing to remember is to thoroughly vacuum the floor with a regular vacuum before using this thing. It can't pick up big debris or hair no matter how hard you try.

If you've got stubborn stains on the floor, this thing might be able to help, but it's not going to get them out on the first or even second try. You'll need some patience and elbow grease.

The dirty water tank is ridiculously small. If you fill it up too much, it'll start spilling all over the floor, so you'll need to keep an eye on it at all times.

The clean water tank is a bit smaller, but it's enough for a 100-150 square foot area. Plus, you can add a bit of cleaning solution to it, which is a big plus. The cleaning solution that came with it was a nice touch, too.

You'll need to clean all the nooks and crannies, as well as the seams, regularly. And don't even get me started on the rollers - you'll need to take them off and wash them after every use, or they'll start smelling like wet rags. I just toss them in the washing machine with my mop heads at 60 degrees, and so far, so good. Just make sure to rinse and disinfect them first.

And then there's the cord. Finally, a decent length - 7 meters. But, of course, there are some quirks. It's a pain to wind it back up after cleaning, and you'll need to keep an eye out so it doesn't get in the way. There's a cordless version of this thing, but that's not my cup of tea.

But, literally, within two weeks, the cord clip broke off.

My husband managed to MacGyver a fix with a screw, but it's a bit of a hack job, and it's totally ruined the aesthetic for me.

Okay, let's get to the good stuff – the vacuum's performance. As I mentioned earlier, it's great at picking up small debris, but it's a total hair-hater. However, it does wrap around the hair roller holders pretty well. Check out how much dirt it collects after just 2-3 cleanings:

To get the floor really clean, you need to work in a crisscross pattern, since there's a decent amount of empty space between the rollers.

The vacuum does a killer job on hardwood floors, parquet, laminate, and tile, but it's completely not designed for ceramic tile – it leaves stains and puddles, so you need to wipe it down with a dry mop and a ton of fibers.

Honestly, if you look closely, it leaves stripes on the floor after cleaning, but in any case, these stripes look way better than the marks from a wet mop. You need to work on the floor quickly and with some energy.I also picked up replacement rollers with black stripes for cleaning stone surfaces, but they look identical to the original rollers that came with the set. By the way, finding replacement rollers at a decent price is a total pain – AliExpress comes to the rescue.

Now, I'll be honest – this vacuum mostly just collects dust in the corner. Because most of the time, I'm dealing with small spaces that need to be cleaned by hand. But on larger areas, this vacuum is a total lifesaver. On really large areas, it gets tiring, but it does a great job. I'll let you in on a secret: I kind of regret buying it, and I wish I had gotten the professional version instead, but that's way too expensive.

So, who would this vacuum be suitable for? Maybe someone who doesn't have time for cleaning to get a quick result before guests arrive. For regular maintenance cleanings. I'd recommend it if you have a space of around 100 square meters that's not cluttered with too much furniture. By the way, you still need to clean under furniture by hand because the angle isn't steep enough to get into tight spaces. There are just some nuances and subtleties to using it.

This vacuum is pretty and interesting, but I'm already over it. I want a new toy. So, before buying this thing, it's worth thinking twice about what specific purposes it's for. In some cases, it's a lifesaver, and in others, it's just a useless gadget that makes things more complicated...