If you’re like me and think everything needs to be a power tool, you might have considered using a rotary tool to wash dishes or scrub the sink. But most tools with a spinning head—like sanders and polishers—aren’t geared for washing dishes, and they often aren't the right size, either. Luckily, there’s a power tool made just for kitchen cleaning, and it comes with some handy attachments.
How the Dremel Versa Power Scrubber works
The Dremel Versa Power Scrubber Kit can scrub sinks, cooktops, countertops, and pretty much any kitchen surface. It comes with a variety of Scrub Daddy cleaning pads that attach to the rotating surface with Velcro, similar to the way sandpaper attaches to a palm sander. The cleaning pads vary from a lightly abrasive polishing pad to a heavy-duty scrub sponge that’s great for pots and pans. The tool also has a rubber splash guard that extends down over the scrubbing surface.
Features
One of the biggest innovations for this Dremel is that it’s cordless and waterproof. It’s designed to be used in the sink, so getting it wet isn’t a problem. You can charge it with the micro USB cable that comes with it, or you can choose a longer cord (the one it comes with is pretty short). The kit comes with five scrub pads that can be easily swapped out. The rubber splash guard detaches for easy cleaning and access to the scrub pad when not in use.
Advantages
The scrubbing tool is definitely faster for cleaning pots and pans, especially ones that have burned food stuck to them (as mine often do). It can be easier on your wrists and fingers for cleaning a glass cooktop, too; the tool is easy to hold and doesn’t require as much pressure as a sponge would. You can use less soap with the rotary scrubber. And it’s just more fun to use than a plain old sponge.
Disadvantages
The head of the scrub pads for this cleaning tool are about two inches in diameter, making them too large for cleaning cups or smaller dishes. It doesn’t always get into corners well—the scrub pads are flat circles—so it won’t do all of your tough scrubbing for you. Even though there’s a splatter guard, it can tend to kick up some water and soap when you’re using it, so I would use it with an apron and rolled up sleeves. There might be a tendency for the Velcro that holds the scrub pads onto the tool to peel. While this is fixable with some glue, it’s annoying, especially given that the tool itself costs around $60 (albeit on sale right now for $49.99).
At $49.99, the Dremel Versa Power Scrubber Kit is an upgrade for anyone who hates scrubbing pots and pans or glass cooktops. It works well for these applications, but if you don’t have any heavy duty cleaning to do, it’s not all that practical. While the Dremel scrubber makes dishwashing and cleaning in general more tolerable, it’s also not a universally useful tool for all dishes, or all surfaces.The main draw for this little scrubbing tool is that it’s fun and saves some scrub time.