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Buff 18″ Professional Microfiber Mop Review

Derek Hales

Written By: Derek Hales

Updated on:

Microfiber Mop

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Buff 18″ Microfiber Mop

The Buff microfiber mop is a great option for a wide variety of users. The mop includes a few microfiber cleaning pads as well as a couple of microfiber cleaning cloths. The variation users get from these two types of pads can be beneficial for almost any home. That said, as an inexpensive microfiber mop, the quality is not the best. Most of the Buff mop is well made, but there are some parts that could be redesigned with stronger materials. Overall, not a bad mop for the price you pay.Check Price

Pros

  • As a nice addition, it includes two different types of cleaning pads.
  • This mop cleans well on all indoor floor types.

Cons

  • The Velcro pads on the cleaning head are not of the greatest quality.
  • Some parts of the mop feel cheaply made.

Buff Microfiber Mop Design

The Buff microfiber mop (also known as the Microfiber Wholesale 18″ professional microfiber mop) offers a simple design. However, there are some unique characteristics about this mop.

Buff microfiber mop
Buff microfiber mop

The Look

This microfiber mop includes a stainless steel frame (handle) with rotating plastic pieces at both the top and bottom of the handle. These two clamps allow users to adjust the mop’s size.

Cleaning Heads

As you move down the mop to the cleaning head, you’ll see an aluminum base with velcro strips attached to the bottom. These velcro strips are used to grab the cleaning pad that a user will attach to the mop.

Buff 18" professional microfiber mop velcro attaching strips
Velcro strips along the bottom allow the cleaning heads to easily attach / detach

The straps on the bottom of the cleaning head are not the best quality, which is certainly an area where I believe Buff could have improved, with regard to design.

Cleaning Pads

The cleaning pads included with the Buff microfiber mop are quite nice. Two of the pads are microfiber wet mop pads and one is a microfiber dust mop pad.

Buff 18" professional microfiber mop cleaning pads
Wet mop cleaning pad

As the names suggest, the wet mop pad is for mopping with a wet cleaning pad and the dust mop pad is to be used in dry scenarios only.

Buff 18" professional microfiber dry mopping cleaning pad
Dry dusting cleaning pad

As an inexpensive microfiber mop, the Buff is nothing special. The stainless steel handle is a positive attribute, as it really shines while some blue plastic pieces along the top and bottom of the handle give it a nice contrast.

How Buff Microfiber Mop Cleans

The Buff professional microfiber mop cleans through two main processes:

  1. Wet mopping
  2. Dry mopping

The difference between these two methods boils down to which cleaning pad is attached. If a user attached the wet mop pad, they will dampen the pad and use it to lift stickier substances off of the floor.

The Buff microfiber mop does a great job on tile floors
The Buff microfiber mop does a great job on tile floors

On the contrary, the dust mopping, or dry mop pad, is to be used more as a sweeper.

In other words, if someone has a dusty hardwood floor they can attach the dust mop pad make some dry passes over the flooring they are trying to clean up. No water is required with this method.

RELATED â€“ See more ModernCastle.com mop reviews here.

Size & Dimensions

The Buff 18″ professional microfiber mop can extend all the way up to 70″ tall and is 18″ wide. Additionally, this mop weighs 4.65 pounds.

  • Length â€“ 70″
  • Width â€“ 18″
  • Weight â€“ 4.65 pounds
Buff microfiber mop size and dimensions

Accessories & Parts

While the Buff microfiber is more of a basic mop, there are some extra pieces included.

The following parts and accessories are included with the Microfiber Wholesale microfiber mop:

Wet cleaning pad included with the Buff

Wet Mop Pad: Two microfiber wet mop pads are included with this mop. These pads are washable and reusable.

Dust mopping pad included with the Buff

Dust Mop Pad: One dust mop pad is included with the Buff mop. This pad is also washable and reusable.

Microfiber cleaning cloths included with the Buff

Microfiber Cloths: As a bonus, Buff includes two microfiber cloths with the purchase of this mop. These are not designed to be used on the mop, but they are a nice addition for cleaning around your home.

Cleaning Tests

The following tests are designed to show how the Buff microfiber performs as both a mop and a sweeper.

We tested the Buff microfiber as a mop on tile flooring, spreading three different debris types across the floor and attempted to mop the debris up over three separate passes.

Next, we tested the Buff microfiber mop as a sweeper, making several sweeping passes across a dusty hardwood floor. After doing so, we took a look at the floors and made our assessment of the Buff microfiber’s cleaning performance.

Mud

100%

Honey

99%

Liquid

95%

Sweeping

100%

For starters, the mop test contains three debris types:

  • Dirt / mud
  • Honey
  • Water (dyed green for visibility)

Each of these debris types offers a different level of stickiness and consistency, allowing us to test the Buff microfiber mop against a light, heavy, and liquid substance. All three debris types are spread across our testing lane in three separate sections.

Throughout our mopping tests, we try to give real-life examples and be as consistent and fair as possible. The mopping test procedure goes as follows:

  1. Measure out 3 oz of water (dyed green for visibility) and spread the water across the back of the testing lane.
  2. Squirt honey in the middle of the testing lane, covering a majority of the width of the lane.
  3. Create a muddy substance from dirt and water then spread the mud with a shoe.
  4. Make a pass across the testing lane and compare the amount of each debris type mopped up on pass one to the untouched debris.
  5. Make pass number two across the lane and analyze the amount of each debris type mopped up.
  6. Make a third pass, if necessary.

RELATED – More of the best mop reviews on the Internet (15 mop reviews and counting)!

Mopping Tests

The 18″ professional microfiber mop performed well on our mopping tests. There were some struggles along the way, but all things considered, this mop was effective.

Cleaning Water

Water was the biggest issue for the Buff. Reason being, it struggled to absorb all of the water. This lead to more of the water being pushed and spread around our testing lane, leaving a fairly significant mess.

Water test results for Buff mop

If you find yourself constantly cleaning up large amounts of liquid spills, you’ll probably be better off with a more traditional mop, like the O-Cedar EasyWring or Goplus Spin mop.

Cleaning Mud

Mud was a much greater success for the Buff mop. With a damp microfiber cleaning pad, one pass through the mud was enough to lift it off of the tile floor.

The 18″ head was also nice with the mud because it only took us two passes to clean up the mud entirely.

Mud test results against the Buff

Cleaning Honey

The results were similar to our mud test, but it was not as easy for the Buff to mop up. With honey being a stickier substance, the mop struggled, initially, to push its way through the honey.

Honey test results against the Buff mop

Yet, as it made its way through the honey, it did an excellent job of lifting it off of the testing lane.

Just for our own due diligence, we ran this test again with a much damper cleaning pad and the mop was able to glide across the honey in a more efficient manner. Therefore, it truly depends on how damp your cleaning pad is for each debris type.

Sweeping Tests

The sweeping tests were…a sweeping success! For this test, we applied the dust mop pad to the bottom of the Buff microfiber cleaning pad and dusted a hardwood floor that had been avoided for several weeks.

What’s the difference:

The difference we saw after using the Microfiber Wholesale microfiber mop was incredible. The microfiber strands did an excellent job of grabbing a ton of dust, dirt, and hair off of our floors.

Additionally, the 18″ wide cleaning head allowed us to make fewer passes across the room we were sweeping.

Is the Buff Microfiber Mop Easy to Use?

It doesn’t get much easier than using the Buff microfiber mop. There is not much to this mop other than changing the cleaning pad and adjusting the height of the handle.

How do you change the cleaning pad you ask?

To remove the cleaning pad from the head of the Buff mop, simply use the small tab attached to the top of the pad to pull it away from the unit. This design was implemented to prevent users from having to touch the dirty pad, but rather the small tab on the pad itself.

To remove the cleaning pad simply pull it away from the velcro on the bottom of the cleaning head
To remove the cleaning pad simply pull it away from the Velcro on the bottom of the cleaning head

To replace the pad, lay it flat on the ground and press the mop’s cleaning head firmly down onto the pad. The velcro will attach to the pad and voila, you’re back in action.

You’re wondering about height adjustments?

When it comes to adjusting the handle length of the mop, simply rotate the blue plastic clamp at the top of the handle. Once the clamp is loose, slide the wand up or down to your desired height and turn the clamp back to the tight position.

Adjust the height of the mop by rotating the blue clamp
Adjust the height of the mop by rotating the blue clamp

Aside from these two features, there is not much else required by the user when operating the Buff microfiber mop.

Maneuverability

Maneuverability on the Buff is good, but not great. The width of the cleaning head is nice, but the turning radius is somewhat of a setback.

  • Weight: 4.65 pounds
  • Power: Manual
  • Height: Variable (70″ max.)
  • Turning: 30°

Big complaint…turning radius.

Probably the biggest downfall for this mop is its ability to turn. The cleaning head is a good size, at 18″ wide, yet it struggles to turn. Therefore, if you want to clean around a corner or around furniture, you have to back up and approach everything from a straight line, give or take.

If you require a mop with a sharper turning radius and more nimble maneuverability you’d probably prefer the O-Cedar ProMist or Rubbermaid Reveal.

That said:

Even though it may not be the highest rated mop with regard to turning, the Buff microfiber mop is able to lie virtually flat on the ground. This is a major pro when cleaning under low hanging furniture or obstacles in your home.

The Buff can virtually lie flat on the ground before the head lifts up
The Buff can virtually lie flat on the ground before the head lifts up

For example, if a drink spills and ends up under your couch, the Buff allows you to reach under the couch without having the move the couch in its entirety.

Overall movement:

Another note to add to the movement of this mop is its ability to glide across your floors. Initially, I struggled to get a smooth glide when mopping my hardwood floors. Yet, after changing the angle of the handle slightly I noticed a big difference in the overall ease of movement.

The mop is not heavy, so it really depends on the angle at which you push this mop that effects its gliding ability.

Bottom line:

At the end of the day, the Buff Microfiber mop is best for covering a lot of floor space, back and forth, really quick. What it lacks in turn it makes up for in length and overall coverage.

QUESTION – What’s the best mop of the year?

Maintenance Tasks & Costs

The following table indicates the frequency at which you will likely want to replace the various parts and components of the mop. However, your individual experiences may vary.

Accessory / PartReplacement FrequencyReplacement Cost
Cleaning padAs neededCheck Price

Maintenance on the Buff 18″ microfiber mop is painless. Wash and replace the cleaning pads. That’s it.

Annual maintenance costs will depend on how often you replace the cleaning pads. If you were to replace each pad one time a year, maintenance costs would be around $13 / year.

Buff Microfiber Mop Specifications

Below is a complete list of important specifications and features included on the Buff microfiber mop:

Specifications
TypeMicrofiber mop
ManufacturerBuff
ModelProfessional
LengthVariable; 70" (max)
Width18"
Weight4.65 lbs.
Floor TypeAll hard floor (indoor)
CordlessYes
ReturnsVaries by retailer
Warranty1-Year limited
PriceCheck Price

Is Buff Microfiber worth it?

The Buff microfiber mop offers a good value and is definitely worth it. The low cost, extra accessories, and above average cleaning performance all combine for a well-valued product.

To sum it up:

Throughout our cleaning tests, we saw the Buff excel in most areas. Water was the only debris that gave the mop any trouble.

The Buff microfiber mop offers a good value

Maneuverability was a bit of a disappointment, mostly with regards to turning radius. This Buff struggles to turn left and right but does have the ability to lie flat on the ground.

Ongoing costs?

Maintenance costs are low, as the user only needs to purchase replacement cleaning pads after the initial ones are no longer performing well.

With regard to warranty and returns, Microfiber Wholesale offers a 1-year warranty as well as a 30-day return period (via Amazon).

Who Should Buy the Buff Microfiber Mop?

The Buff microfiber could be a good choice for a wide variety of users. That said, those who are cleaning up dry or lightly stuck on messes are going to benefit most from this specific unit.

I would recommend the Buff Microfiber Wholesale 18″ mop if you’re looking for the following features in a mop:

  • Want a microfiber mop – As a microfiber mop, the strands on the cleaning pads do a great job of agitating and lifting dirt and debris off of your floors. That said, they are not the best when it comes to absorbing water or other liquids.
  • Want to cover a lot of ground quick – The length and cleaning pad width of the Buff allows it to cover a lot of ground super quick, especially if you’re making forward and back cleaning paths. It’s not the best when it comes to turning radius, but for a mop like this I think it’s more about just covering a lot of ground in front of you more than anything else.
  • Want two types of cleaning pads – Buff includes both wet and dry mopping pads so users have the option of swapping pads for more specific cleaning styles.
  • Want an above average performer – This microfiber mop performed above average, but did struggle with liquids. If you’re not mopping up huge liquid messes, this could be a great addition to your home.

For more information on the Buff microfiber mop visit here.

Why did the Buff Microfiber score the way it did?

  • Design – The design of the Buff is simple, yet effective. Marks for variable handle height, 18″ width, and steel handle.
  • Performance – Overall, the mop performed great. Biggest issue was cleaning liquid.
  • Quality – The stainless steel stick is nice, but the plastic connection points feel cheaply made.
  • Usability – Extremely easy to use, however does not maneuver as well as we would have liked to see.
  • Value – Low cost, above average performance, and some nice extra cleaning accessories. Solid value overall.
  • Design - 93%
    93%
  • Performance - 98%
    98%
  • Quality - 88%
    88%
  • Usability - 93%
    93%
  • Value - 90%
    90%
92%

Summary

The Buff is a microfiber mop designed to give users the option of wet or dry mopping. Buff includes two different cleaning pads with this mop to help differentiate between the dry and wet mopping. All in all, this mop is a strong performer but could use improvements in terms of build quality. While the stainless steel handle is nice, the plastic pieces connecting the handle and cleaning head are a bit less impressive. That said, this mop is on the low end of the pricing scale, which is more or less the reason Buff decided to go with less expensive materials all around.

About Derek Hales

Derek HalesDerek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.