This microfibre mop can even be used on wooden floors
21.3.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Martin Jungfer
Wooden floors can be sensitive. Sure, they’re natural and cosy, but more demanding to clean than a tile floor. I tested the Spray Mop from Bona on my oiled parquet floor.
To date, we haven’t yet invested in a cleaning robot for our home. Instead, our wooden floors are cared for by humans. Recently, I’ve been trying out the Spray Mop from Bona for this review. And I’m impressed with its handling and cleaning performance.
I used to mop floors excessively many, many years ago when I was doing my national service in the army. To this day, I have somewhat of an aversion to this chore. But as they say, you should face your demons.
And so, I take the Spray Mop from Bona out of its box. In fact, it’s a set including a mop, a cleaning pad and cleaning solution. I’m already happy with the fact I won’t be needing a bucket, nor have to figure out how to dose the cleaning product.
This is because the ready-to-use mixture is already contained in the bottle. In my case, I’ll be using it on oiled parquet floors. Before giving it a whirl, I had a close look at the ingredients.
- Water: the main ingredient for any cleaning agent, as it’s essential in distributing the chemicals on the floor. In addition, water also helps remove dirt.
- Soybean fatty acid: it serves as a mild surfactant that helps dissolve dirt and grease. The acid’s considered an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic surfactants, which are usually found in cheap cleaning products. Sodium lauryl ether sulphate, for example.
- Glycerine: a trivalent alcohol (can’t believe I still remember this from chemistry class at school) that acts as a moisturiser and prevents rapid drying when you’re cleaning. Glycerine also makes the product spread more evenly over the floor’s surface.
- Alanine compounds: for itscomplexing agent, Bona has gone for another environmentally friendly alternative, just like with the fatty acid from soybeans. EDTA would be cheaper, but it’s also harmful to the environment. Alanine compounds bind calcium and magnesium ions from hard water. This prevents streaks after cleaning. Thanks to the alanine, the surfactants in the cleaning agent work better and the wood is protected against discolouration. In other words, it’s pretty important stuff.
- Benzisothiazolinone: not even Bona can do entirely without chemicals. This preservative makes the detergent keep for longer, as it prevents bacteria and fungi from thriving in the liquid.
- Sodium prithione: this last ingredient is also responsible for the final cleanse. It’s a declared preservative and effectively keeps bacteria, yeasts and fungi at bay. It also adds a pleasant smell.
Right, enough of the chemistry lesson. I guess I could’ve summarised the ingredients far more succinctly. Just like Bona has on the bottle of its cleaning solution:
Bona solution is suitable for oiled wood floors.
Now that’s settled, what about the microfibre mop pad? Microfibre on wooden floors is a combination that’s likely to make a whole generation of cleaning pros’ hair stand on end. Why? Because microfibre cloths are often sprinkled with abrasive grains, which would cause scratches on pricey parquet floors.
However, the cleaning pad from Bona promises to leave no traces. Instead, it wows with a «unique design with dual zone cleaning action». The pad features dark blue fibres on the outside and light-blue ones in the middle. The dark parts wipe off dirt, the lighter parts absorb it. I can confirm that this worked when I tried it out.
One click and off you go!
If a cleaning solution works, that’s already great news. How much effort it costs to clean is an equally important factor that needs to be considered. This is where the Bona Spray Mop really impressed me.
For starters, assembly is easy peasy. All you need to do is take the pole out of the box and slide it into the bottle holder. Then you click it onto the swivel joint holding the bit to which the pad attaches. Lastly, you connect the top part of the pole with the lower part.
Before you start mopping, you need to press the pad holder onto the pad, which attaches perfectly using Velcro. Then you twist off the cap of the cleaning agent bottle and place it upside down in the holder. When you hear a click, you’ll know it’s in place.
Now the mop’s ready for use! It feels sturdy and well made. I particularly like the fact it feels comfortable to use for me, someone’s who’s just over 1.90 metres tall. My wife, who’s almost 20 centimetres shorter, also likes the length. There’s softer foam at the top of the handle, which allows a comfortable grip and prevents sweaty hands from slipping. There’s a second foam cover for your other hand further down the handle.
One weak point is the swivel joint above the pad holder. If you exert too much pressure when you’re not working at a right angle, the plastic visibly resents it (see photo). Here, I would’ve preferred a sturdier material, possibly even a metal element.
From mop to spray wiper
What sets the Bona Spray Mop apart from a bog-standard floor mop is that it applies the cleaning agent to the floor itself. All you need to do is pull the lever briefly to create mist. The nozzle at the bottom distributes the agent over a triangular area about 50 centimetres wide.
You can use the lever to control how much cleaning agent you wish to apply to the floor before running the pad over it. There’s no dripping and you have full control. That’s a plus, as wooden floors that have merely been oiled but not sealed don’t appreciate too much moisture.
The Bona cleaner leaves no traces and dries quickly. This means there’s no need to tell the family to keep off those spaces.
Not kicking the bucket just yet
If you were under the impression that a spray wiper means you can ditch your bucket, I’ll have to disappoint you. After a few square metres of content spray mopping on the wooden floor, you’ll have to rinse the pad in clean water. Otherwise you’ll just be pushing dirt around. If you can’t be bothered with the rinsing, simply pop the pad in the washing machine. According to Bona, it’s built to survive 500 wash cycles.
Once the work is done, you take the bottle of cleaning agent out of the Spray Mop, screw it shut and store it away until the next use. After I removed the bottle, some of the cleaning agent remained in the mop and was dripping. That’s why I prefer to take the bottle out in the cellar rather than in the living room, where I’d be getting the parquet wet.
By the way, the mop itself can’t be taken apart. What therefore I hath joined together, let not man put asunder. I’ll just store it in the broom holder in the cellar for now then.
In a nutshell
Pampering for your parquet floor
The Bona Spray Mop is ready for use as fast as a cordless vacuum cleaner. This means wooden floors are likely to be treated to a pampering session more often. Bona’s solution doesn’t just clean, it also cares for wooden floors – and it shows. Especially in places where parquet is subject to heavy wear, for example around the dining table. The spray wiper is sturdy, except for the swivel joint that feels a bit flimsy to me. The mop pad is robust and durable.
Admittedly, there are more affordable cleaning solutions out there to refill the mop. However, the stuff lasts forever and is far more eco-friendly than most cheaper alternatives. Besides, if you go for the 2.5-litre canister the price per litre drops significantly.
Pro
- Solid finish
- Cleaning solution (relatively) eco-friendly
- Two spray functions available
- Quality cleaning pad that stays in place with Velcro
- Comfortable for average-height to tall people
Contra
- Can’t be disassembled
- Cleaning solution (relatively) expensive
- Not very comfortable for shorter people, as there’s no size adjustment function
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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