With two dogs in our household I do a lot of floor cleaning. We have untamed acreage, which translates into mud and dirt being tracked into the house constantly.

I have wood laminate and glazed tile floors to clean. I had been using the Swiffer Wet cloths on the Swiffer duster for quick cleaning, and a basic sponge mop that you squeeze out for major cleaning. What a pain! I just had to give the Swiffer WetJet a try.

~ The Swiffer WetJet Starter Kit

The WetJet Starter Kit comes neatly packaged in a box. I was all excited to give it a try - never would have imagined I'd be so enthusiastic about mopping floors - so I was hoping this thing would be easy to assemble.

The WetJet device consists of three pieces, which I found snapped together VERY easily. I hardly had to look at the instructions. Next I had to insert the 4 non-rechargeable AA batteries, which were included with the starter kit. I looked in the box and didn't see them. I went through all the packing material and everything I had pulled out of the box. Didn't see the darn batteries. I kept looking, and finally found them in styrofoam at the very bottom of the box. Okay, whew! There is a battery compartment which has a diagram for the correct position of the batteries, so it's a no brainer.

Next you insert the cartridge of Swiffer WetJet Cleaning Solution, which is also included in the starter kit. The cleaning solution bottle does not even have to be opened. You simply put the bottle upside down into the holder on the WetJet device and push it into the housing. No dripping, no mess. It's a great design.

Okay, lastly you attach the WetJet cleaning pad. A box of six cleaning pads is also included with the starter kit. The cleaning pads are quite thick - much thicker than the Swiffer Wet cloths. As another review mentioned, they do look a lot like a Maxi-pad.

The WAY COOL thing is the manner in which the cleaning pads attach to the WetJet. The WetJet head has a Velcro-like surface. You can simply throw the pad on the floor and place the WetJet head on the pad. It sticks. You don't even have to bend over. Or, you can hold the head of the WetJet in one hand and press the pad and the head together. No poking the cloth into those sharp holes like you do with the Swiffer Wet cloths.

~ My WetJet Cleaning Experience

For best results you should vacuum or sweep your floor first, especially if it's really dirty. My floor had gobs of dog hair and mud, so I vacuumed first.

Now I was ready to try my WetJet. There is a button near the top of the handle that you press to spray the cleaning solution. I pressed it, and I could hear solution being sprayed on the floor, but I couldn't really see it. I sprayed a little more, then moved the WetJet back and forth. Ohh, that was fun!

As I moved along and the angle of the light changed I could see the spray pattern better and was able to judge more accurately how much to spray. I noticed that the spray would shoot forward quite a bit and if I wasn't careful it would spray on the kitchen cabinet, or fridge, etc. So I hit the spray button when I was further back and away from such objects, and it worked great.

The cleaning pad soaked up and spread the solution quite nicely. It left the floor barely damp, so it dried quickly. There were a couple spots that needed a little scrubbing action, and the WetJet does NOT have an abrasive scrubber, so I did have to spot clean just a couple places. On greasy or oily spots, mud, dirt and the like, everything came up with just a couple back and forth passes.

I did my whole floor with one cleaning pad. The User Guide says each pad should clean approximately 323 square feet, which is about the entire floor area of two large rooms. My floor was very dirty, and one pad did everything. No stopping to change pads, wring out a mop, mess around with buckets, rinse, etc. Just spray and mop.

I found I could also do my tile floor, which had a textured tile that is somewhat rough. I could not use the Swiffer Wet cloths on the tile floor. The Swiffer WetJet did my rough textured tile floor, but I did that last. I noticed when I was done, though, that the rough tile had ripped up the cleaning pad a little bit, but the pad stayed tightly attached to the WetJet head, and did the job.

The WetJet was quite light and easy to push, even with a full bottle of cleaning solution.

When I was all through, I just removed the pad and threw it away. Wow! No hassle, no mess. My floors looked great! I hung up the WetJet by the little hook on its handle, all ready for the next time. No dripping wet mop. And now I just put on a fresh cleaning pad so that it's ready to go for any quick clean-ups.

~ Comparison Between Swiffer WetJet and Swiffer Wet Cloths

Prior to getting the Swiffer WetJet I was using the Swiffer Wet disposable cloths attached to the Swiffer duster. My problem was I had to change cloths often - usually three to do all my floors. They would dry out quickly. Here are some differences with the Swiffer WetJet:

~ Swiffer WetJet cleans more square feet without having to change cleaning pads.

~ Swiffer WetJet cleaning pads are thicker, and do not seem to get as dirty.

~ Swiffer WetJet allows you to control the amount of cleaning solution, so you can apply more to really dirty areas.

~ Swiffer WetJet pads attach WAY more easily - no poking cloths into those sharp holes.

On the flip side:

~ Swiffer WetJet head cannot get into some of the places the Swiffer duster can. The WetJet head is a bit thicker, and cannot get into some smaller places, like underneath certain things.

~ The green/purple color scheme is a little obnoxious, but I can live with that!

~ Other Things to Note

The Swiffer WetJet cleans wood and laminate floors, marble, stone tiles, ceramic tiles and vinyl. It should not be used on unfinished, oiled, or waxed wooden boards, or on non-sealed tiles or carpeted floors.

While it is recommended that you vacuum your floors first, I have sometimes not bothered and found that the WetJet does a wonderful job of picking up dog hair and dirt while it cleans.

The user guide says that one cartridge of cleaning solution should clean 1076 square feet, which is about the entire floor area of 8 rooms. Replacement cleaning solution cartridges are about $4.

I'm ecstatically pleased with the Swiffer WetJet. There is just no mess to deal with. It's simple to use and ready to go at any moment. Get one!

Questions? 1-800-742-9220
www.wetjet.com

Can be purchased at K-Mart or Wal-Mart for about $25





Recommended: Yes