Sponge mop technology is exciting. After all, who would not be drawn in by the latest mop varieties with their bells and whistles and pretty colors. The draw would be irresistible for yours truly had she not steadfastly used a Quickie sponge mop since August 2005. My Quickie came for cheap (about $12, to be exact).The Quickie Creators introduced one brilliant revenue-generating design flaw, namely, that the plastic screw tops that hold the sponge to the mop base eventually crack in two, forcing users to have no option other than to buy sponge refills.
That would be fine, if refills were available. But they have not been since the first signs of The Great Quickie Refill Drought in the spring of 2007. After multiple Home Depot visits, online searches, and random checks in local grocery stores over the course of six months, I gave up on the possibility of finding Quickie refills anywhere. I also came to the end of my refill stash. Stubborn, I refused to purchase a new mop which of course were in abundance while sponge refill bins remained bare...
...until one day in November when I was wasting time in Duane Reade before a job interview. Lo and behold, the Duane Reade at the base of The Helmsley Building is the Duane Reade of all Duane Reades, and happened to have a full wall of Quickie refills, which I snatched up to my great satisfaction. Finally, I would be able to replace the crusty brown sponge I had been using for months to clean my floor. I loaded up a bag of sponge refills and hit the streets.
... dusty interlude ...
Two days ago, ready for some heavy duty mopping, I ripped open the packet containing a fresh, squishy blue sponge, and pulled it up to my mop when...I realized that Quickie had pulled a fast one and changed the sponge size. I couldn't fit the sponge on my mop. Who would have thought that 1.5 inches could make such a difference?
I fished the old crusty brown sponge out of the trash can and sighed when I realized that the new plastic screw tops would not even attach the old sponge to the mop.
Defeated, I cleaned the bathroom floor with a Swiffer.
Yesterday I walked three blocks to Home Depot and finally purchased a new Quickie. It only took nine months.
Okay, I suppose it IS boring - but if you want a clean floor, and you know the type of mop you want, and you can't find it... Frustrating. And ridiculous to have to spend time and effort on something so ordinary. I SO agree with you, Bebe!
ReplyDelete