Swiffer? I hardly know her!

 Okay. I am obsessed with my Swiffer Wet Jet.

 I don't know what happened but this former non-mopper is now a hardcore Swiffering fool (and yes, I just made a verb: to swiffer.) I admit, I had an uneasy set-up introduction to this no-assembly-required item. I mean, "no assembly required" pretty much suggests that you can just take this puppy out of the box, slap a disposable cleaning pad on the end of it, and get mopping. I guess I'm at the lower end of the gene pool, because I was surprised that there was a compartment for batteries (4 AA), a compartment for Swiffer cleaner fluid that was like some weird Land of the Lost crystal matrix table, and a telescoping handle. Once I let my nightly cocktail wear off and scraped up enough IQ points to assemble everything correctly (i.e. insert the batteries correctly behind the fluid compartment and latching its door so that they didn't fly out and take out an eye), I got to work.

 The Swiffer Wet Jet is like my favorite new toy. It zips around corners with its swivel head, has a little scrubber pad to get rid of stubborn goop, and never needs to go near a bucket. It just sprays the cleaner on your floor and you mop. Throw out the dirty pad. Voila! I feel a little guilty about those disposable mop pads, so sometimes I use a washable chamois-type cloth and then throw that in the laundry. This would be a good cost-cutting measure as well as an eco-friendly one, since these disposables are an expense (about $7 for 12.) I'm also not 100% in love with all the scents of the Swiffer Wet Jet fluid, one of which was "Open Window"--open window where? at the Coty eau de toilette factory?--but they are mostly pleasant and are available for wood floors or in multi purpose formula for other flooring.

 I can't even tell you how addictive this thing is, though. You will crave the meditative pleasures of spraying and cleaning your floor and seeing all the junk that gets stuck to the pad. It's lightweight, not drippy or messy and gets the job done. It has changed my cleaning routine, which isn't saying much, since I didn't really have a cleaning routine, but hey...everyone needs that new backpack to get excited about school...or a new haircut to help feel great about a new job...or in my case, a new nifty mop that makes me excited about turning over a new leaf in a new home.