I’m a Cleaning Writer, and I Strongly Believe This $16 Bucket Is the Greatest Bucket of All Time

They say “write what you know,” but, for me, writing about cleaning involves writing about also what I’ve learned. Yes, I can probably tell you more than the average person about ways to clean grout or how to get labels off of jars. But the best part of writing about cleaning is discovering and trying the tools, products, and methods I learn about along the way.

This is exactly what happened when I wrote about cleaning bucket features. Prior to writing about buckets, I hadn’t put much thought into what made a bucket a good one, or why I would want certain features. Exploring the topic, though, made me realize that there were options out there that solved the bucket limitations I’d accepted without question.

I was especially enamored with the OXO Good Grips Angled Measuring Bucket. As with most things OXO does, this bucket has earned my respect and admiration. With a wealth of thought-out features I didn’t know I needed until I saw them, this bucket is the Cadillac of cleaning buckets, and for only $15.99, it can be yours.

First off, I like the color. The white is clean and fresh and it just adds to the cleaning mood, in my opinion. I know if it gets scuffed, a swipe with a melamine sponge will take care of it. The handle features a soft rubber grip, making it comfortable and secure when carrying around a load of clean or dirty water.

There’s also a hook on the handle that — get this — holds your mop handle upright. Genius! It latches flush against the handle when not in use. The bucket also features not one but two pour spouts. This means you can dump out your dirty water without having to rotate your bucket or contort your body to pour.

Yet with all of that going for it, the very best feature of this bucket is its built-in measurement marks. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find them thrilling. Up the inner sides of the bucket are measuring lines that are angled so they’re easily visible when glancing down into the bucket (if you own an OXO measuring cup, it’s similar). One side shows gallons and the other shows liters. But the most exciting measuring guides are in the bottom of the bucket. There are indentations that show if you’ve added a cup, half a cup, or a quarter cup of whatever cleaner you’re diluting.

I know I should, but I rarely use measuring cups to apportion the amount of bleach or concentrated cleaner I’m adding to my bucket. Yet I do want my cleaning solutions to be potent enough but not so over-concentrated that leftover detergent or cleaner attracts more dirt or leaves a residue after I’ve cleaned. The measuring marks mean correctly apportioned solutions with no extra tools and I’m in love with them.

This bucket is so perfect that I can’t wait to gift one for a house warming gift. In the meantime, I wanted to share this gift with all of you: Not all buckets are created equal, and this is a great one.

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: I’m a Cleaning Writer, and IMO This $16 Find is the Cadillac of Buckets