Laundry and dishwasher detergent pods have become standard cleaning products in many households, giving traditional liquid and powder detergents a run for their money. And now, the people at O-Cedar, makers of the cult-favorite EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop (the best mop we’ve tested), have gotten into the business of detergent pods with the introduction of pre-portioned pacs designed for use with their mop systems, as well as any other type of mop and bucket.
Packed with concentrated enzymes, the O-Cedar Pacs give you a premeasured solution that’s perfect for cleaning all the floors in your home.
How I found O-Cedar Pacs
I saw the O-Cedar Pacs on Amazon,?and I had to have them. I don’t especially love mopping, but I do have the classic O-Cedar Spin Mop, and I’d been alternating between using it with diluted dish soap and more traditional mopping agents like Fabuloso and Mr. Clean Multipurpose Cleaner.
After using O-Cedar’s mopping pods for a few months, I’ve found that mopping feels less like a dreaded chore, and I love how clean my floors look when I’m done. In informal testing, I’ve found them to be the best floor cleaning agent I’ve tried.
They come in two scents, Crisp Citrus and Lavender. I bought them both! O-Cedar boasts that their mopping pods are “a pick-me-up for your senses,” and, to some extent, I’ve found that to be true. They do smell very good, and I find that I look forward to using them, which is … weird because, again, I don’t especially like mopping! But I do like mopping with these pods, and the way they smell —?and the way they leave my home smelling after I’ve used them — does suggest that my senses are enjoying a bit of a pick-me-up.
Why O-Cedar Pacs are a score
The O-Cedar mopping pacs solve a problem created by the (often very misguided) cleaning content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, namely that they provide a good alternative to using laundry or dishwashing detergent pods to create a floor-cleaning solution for mopping.
The problem with using laundry or dishwashing detergent pods to clean floors is that they’re not formulated for cleaning hard surfaces, and they contain ingredients that can cause costly permanent damage to floors, at worst, or leave residue behind that attracts and traps dirt, leaving floors in a feedback loop of filth.
Ideally, mopping should be done with a diluted cleaning solution that is formulated for the type of flooring you have (e.g. hardwood, laminate, tile, etc.).?But truth be told, using pods is just more fun. I don’t know why! But they’re appealing, and so the O-Cedar Pacs are a welcome new product that fills a void in the cleaning-supplies market.
The other problem the pre-measured pacs solve is the very human tendency to use way, way, way too much when dispensing cleaning agents of all types. This is true in laundry, it’s true in cleaning kitchen surfaces and it’s definitely true that most of us are using too many suds to clean our floors. Residue from cleaning products can leave just-cleaned surfaces looking dull and dingy. It can even attract more dirt, as soil particles adhere to the detergent that’s been left behind. You may have heard sayings like “more detergent doesn’t equal more clean” and that’s very true,?but it can be hard to break the habit of overusing cleaning products. The O-Cedar pacs solve that problem by measuring out the right amount of cleaner for you.
While these pacs are very effective and lots of fun to use, there is one downside: the price. At $1 per pod, they aren’t necessarily expensive —?but they’re not as cost-effective as using traditional mopping solutions. But if you’re passionate about floorcare or if you really like nicely scented cleaning products, it’s worth taking the O-Cedar Pacs Hard Floor Cleaner for a spin.
