When I wanted to know if it was worth investing extra money in real Enjo products, I looked for reviews online. All I could find was housewives gushing over their latest purchase. There was nothing that gave an opinion of how Enjo performed over time, so I decided to write it and share it here.

At the beginning of December 2009, by handing over a small fortune that would constitute three months’ wages in some countries I’ve lived in, I became a new owner of several Enjo products. After careful consideration, a free in-home demonstration and lots of internet research, I decided that my expensive “investment” in quality cleaning tools was warranted. (Plus I had received a nice tax-return payment which made me feel a bit financially reckless.)

My initial Enjo purchase included the mop, two floor fibres (matt floor and dry/dust), two kitchen all-purpose cloths and a pack of tea-towels. For the purpose of fully reviewing these products, I’ve written an article that tracks how I think these products are performing over time.

Basically my housekeeping style is lazy. I’m not a very clean person, although I can tidy up. I’m happy to walk out of the messy kitchen and spend a couple hours on the computer instead. I can even go to bed without tidying the kitchen, leaving it all to the morning. And I hate to clean the floors, which are everywhere in my house!

So I’m hoping that the simplicity of Enjo’s products will help me to modify some of my habits.

Enjo mop review
My main purchase was the Enjo mop, so I'll be focusing on how well it performs over time.

AFTER ONE WEEK (at 38 weeks pregnant)

THE MOP:
I’ve mopped the kitchen floor three times in a week, which has got to be a record! I used the dry dust cloth once on the floor. After cleaning the floor this way, I didn’t bother to vacuum in the kitchen, which is usually how I have to clean the floor.

The mop seems very easy to use, certainly better than the mops I’ve used in the past. It features a neat swiveling head that means you can spin the cloth around with a minimal amount of arm movement. My back didn’t hurt after mopping the floor, something that was inevitable with my cheaper, knock-off version (Sabco).

KITCHEN CLOTHS:
I love the kitchen all-purpose cloth. I’ve rotated the cloths once (more because I could swap them around, than because one of them was really dirty). I find the cloth is great at cleaning dishes, wiping down surfaces, and even wiping yoghurt off faces and hands! It’s easy to rinse, dries quickly and doesn’t smell. The kitchen is tidier and cleaner than it has been in years. My sink is shiny, and all the dishes get neatly put into the dishwasher. I also lost my normal kitchen wiper-upper early this week when Aisha took it outside to “play” with, and you know what, I haven’t missed it!

David commented last night that the house was looking tidy. He thought it was because I had cleaned up before his father’s visit, but it’s really because I’ve been motivated to clean by the guilt of the dollars spent… I hope this lasts!

TEA-TOWELS:
After using a tea towel once, I put it away because I could see it would end up being used (like all my other tea towels) as a general hand-wipe for grubby hands, rather than just as a dryer for clean dishes. I need to be brave enough to keep one out and just make use of it.

AFTER ONE MONTH (with a newborn)

THE MOP:
It’s just so easy to use. Plus I must be displaying some latent nesting characteristics as I found myself mopping the whole house in the quiet of the morning after feeding the baby at 4.30! I’m mostly just using the wet mop head, as it saves me having to do the floors twice. It cleans up the bits and pieces as well as wiping the spots off the floor.

When I reach a dried patch that’s particularly stubborn, I just rub at it with my toe on the corner of the mop-cloth, and that seems to make it come out. So I’m still not having to bend down.

KITCHEN CLOTHS:
I’m learning to wipe up after every meal so the kitchen is still looking good. It’s important to keep washing the cloth, so I usually rotate my two every couple of days. So far they haven’t gotten smelly or slimy. After a wash, they’re as a good as new.

TEA-TOWELS:
I really would like to use the tea-towels, but it bugs me that they’re white with a bright yellow stripe. They look so “Enjo-ish” that I’m embarassed. So they’re still packed away in the cupboard. If they were boring white, they’d be on display.

AFTER SIX MONTHS

THE MOP:
The floors are still looking better than they have ever before. We are trying to sell the house, so during these last months, I’ve been trying to keep it clean (if not spotless) for the potential buyers who come through with no warning. The mop means that I clean the floors in about twenty minutes. The wet-cloth is picking up all the bits and pieces so I don’t have to sweep or vacuum first.

When I first bought my stuff from Enjo, the rep gave me some Method Sweet Water foaming handwash, and that’s been a delight to use. One container lasted us six months (even in our ensuite, which is the busiest bathroom in the house), so at $6 a bottle, it’s good value. I contacted the rep and bought some refills for the future.

Anyhow, because I was so delighted with the nice-smelling, earth-friendly handwash, I started looking for other Method products. In these past couple of months, I’ve discovered a spray-on cleaner by Method, which I spray in front of me as I clean the floors and it gives the mop a bit more moisture. Plus, it’s scented with ylang-ylang, which makes the whole house smell nice. The spray-on is billed as a shower cleaner, and is biodegradable.

Sometimes I also just swish around the house with the dry mop cloth on. It picks up all the grit and sand (especially after a trip to the beach), and it holds it within the fibres until I’m completely done. This is definitely better than sweeping each room and using the dustpan and brush to sweep up the bits before moving on to the next room. I don’t feel like I’m just moving the dust around — I’m definitely collecting it.

KITCHEN CLOTHS:
One of the kitchen cloths is fraying on one side. I’ve been using them to clean my knives, so I don’t know if I accidentally cut it, or if it’s just because they’re being used daily.

I’ve noticed that if you don’t hang up the cloth to dry and just leave it wadded in the sink, it does go slimy. So rotation, drying and regular washing seems to be key.
It’s still a great cloth to use, but the honeymoon period is over for this baby. I’m not sure that this is more meritorious than any other kitchen cloth and wouldn’t necessarily try to talk you into buying it.

TEA-TOWELS:
After feeling guilty about leaving these in the cupboard for months and months, I finally got one out… and fell in love. These have been raved about as super-absorbent, and it really is so. I love this tea-towel and feel protective about the one good one that is out, but I know there are five more in the cupboard…

AFTER TWELVE MONTHS

THE MOP:
I am (yawn) so over doing the floors. I clean them and then the kids eat and they get dirty again. Or someone brings dirt in from outside, or grass clippings, or worse.

But the mop, well, I still feel that it was a good investment. It zips across the floors nicely, the dry and mop cloths have kept their miracle, dirt-grabbing powers, and the mop stick hasn’t broken despite being played with by small children.

I’ve used the Enjo mop enough that I’m in the habit of cleaning the floors quite regularly. If you came over to visit — without prior notice — you might think that I was a clean person!

KITCHEN CLOTHS:
The magic has definitely left these. I don’t notice anything spectacular about the way these clean the counter and find I’m using a lot of scrubbing to get food off the dishes. I’m about to go out and buy a multipack of washable kitchen cloths from a supermarket chain.

TEA-TOWELS:
I still love these tea-towels. After many, many uses, easy-care washing and line-drying, they retain their super-absorbant qualities. They’re still soft and bright. Still, pity about the colours…

THE VERDICT

During the last twelve months, the house has been cleaner than ever. Some of it has to do with the fact that we’ve had the house on the market for most of that time — and so I had to keep it in show-room condition.

But credit must go to Enjo for offering products that simplify cleaning and encourage regular, easy tidy-ups. I think my initial investment in Enjo has definitely paid off.

THE MOP:
Yes, go for it. The mop is built very well, and the cloths have gone the distance. I wash my cloths regularly (always inside their little care bag) and they come out as good as new.

KITCHEN CLOTHS:
Skip them. Maybe I didn’t do something right which made them lose their magic. But I would rather invest my dollar into something cheaper which I felt better about replacing when it needed doing.

TEA-TOWELS:
Absolutely. My favourite. The best tea-towels money can buy — if only they came in white!

METHOD PRODUCTS
It was a pleasant surprise to find a whole line of earth-friendly cleaners that work well and smell great! I highly recommend them and would love to start using more in our home!

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What about you, do you use Enjo too?