Recommendations for steam mop

[CC12005]

Does this work on laminate "hardwood" floors too? TIA

 

[amyy]

http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Pro-Shar...2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1276970993&sr=8-2

This is the one I have. I was reading on their website that they just came out with a model that vacuums and you can also use as a steam mop.

I just started using it and am using it on our laminate floors too. I have read mixed reviews on using it on laminate floors but decided to give it a try. Our tile and laminate just looks so much cleaner and I couldn't believe how spills just melted away. I just think it is the greatest thing because I hated doing floors before and they never seemed clean. When it breaks I wouldn't mind my next one as a gift and I usually hate practical gifts.

 

[katied]

I have the Eureka Enviro too. I love it. We use it on our tile floors - kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, basement. It does a great job. It's very easy to use, much easier clean up too than mopping. I'm also happy not using chemicals.

We've had ours about 4 months, and it was definately a good purchase.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

If you use a steam cleaner on laminate floors, is there any chance that they will eventually buckle and ruin? I want to use one cause my floors are never really clean just using a laminate floor cleaner and microcloth.

Our dishwasher hose busted last year and ruined our new laminate floor in the kitchen in our old house so I am really paranoid about messing up the floors in my new house.

 

[Disfan3]

If you use a steam cleaner on laminate floors, is there any chance that they will eventually buckle and ruin? I want to use one cause my floors are never really clean just using a laminate floor cleaner and microcloth.

Our dishwasher hose busted last year and ruined our new laminate floor in the kitchen in our old house so I am really paranoid about messing up the floors in my new house.

We have the Shark and linoleum, the kind that looks like tile but is actually linoleum...that you just glue down (pre-glued)

and I think it HAS caused some of the tiles to stretch or shrink (not really sure but SOMETHING...) so I now use the steam mop sparingly and use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Mop for daily use (I have a toddler so it needs DAILY attention!) but the steam mop does a great job of getting that sticky feeling off the floor!! I don't need a super industrial one (we have mostly carpet in our house) so I got the cheaper Shark model and it works for us.

 

[edk35]

I have the Eureka Envirosteamer and LOVE it! I purchased it on this recommendation on Amazon alone. They did all this wonderful research:

I live in a neighborhood where EVERY home is "green built certified" this means that, to have that certification, the builder built no homes with carpet. All the main floors are polished concrete and the upper floors wood. The bathrooms all have tile and/or slate in every home.

Because of this, as you could imagine, steam mops are quite the neccessity...not only because they get the hard surfaces better than anything else, but because they are also "green" and clean chemical free. I'll be honest, for us...that's a bonus but we weren't cleaning chemical free before. We like chemical free for our pet's paws but I'll confess I was mopping with chemicals before I got my steamer and just kept the pets out of the room while doing it because, up until then, I couldn't get it clean any other way.

Okay, so that said...we decided to have a steamer show down to compare 7 different steamers because my friends and I knew as long as we are in these homes we are gonna have to have a steamer to get all these hard floors clean...we may as well figure out which one to buy next go round. Because my own home is graced with 2 cats, 3 dogs, and two gregarious cooks, my kitchen floor (which had not ever been cleaned by a steamer since my steamer had just arrived) was the testing spot.

Mind you, I vaccuum twice per week and do a mega mop twice a week. I THOUGHT I had pretty clean floors in spite of my pet capacity.

I thought wrong. These picked up dirt so well it's scary

So here's the results:

1. steam mops are the mac daddys of clean floors. What these things picked up was tremendous and no comparison to my vigorous prior constant major mopping.

2. So now I'll break down the elements of each mop we used and then go into more detail about each at the end.

We tried out:
"S": The shark by Europro
"E" The Envirosteamer by Eureka
"H" the haan steamer
"M" the Monster
"B" The Bissell Green Tea
"SF" The SteamFast SF-140 by SteamFast
"SB" The SteamBoy T1

CORD LENGTH: so you don't have to stop and unplug and replug in somewhere else:
Shark ( will be referred to as S):20 feet
Envirosteamer (will be referred to as E): 25 feet *Note* The Envirosteamer has a clip at the top of the handle to keep the cord out of the way. When it's plugged in and you need more cord length, a light tug undoes this cord on the clip so that you have the full 25' of cord. Otherwise it's only around 20 feet. It's made to do this.
Haan: (will be referred to as H)19'8"
Monster (will be referred to as M): 25 feet
Bissell (will be referred to as B) 17 feet
SteamFast (will be referred to as SF): 18.7 ft.
SteamBoy (will be referred to as SB): 16 ft.

STEAM TEMPERATURE: this is a primary element. The hotter the steam, the more dirt picked up and hot steam will also kill parasites, mold and mildew and loosen more dirt:
S 110 degrees. lame
E 220 degrees. very hot
H 212 degrees. very hot
M 266 degrees. hottest...although the envirosteamer and haan seemed plenty hot enough. The shark didn't clean nearly as well and this was one reason. 110 degrees just isn't going to melt off stuck on grime.
B 125 degrees. Note that, because of this low steam temperature the manual said that if I wanted to sanitize the floor or pick up caked on spills, I had to hold the steamer on the spot for 15 seconds but no more than 20 because that could damage some floors. Now I don't know about you, but if I can sanitize with one swipe of the other steamers because of their sanitizing temps my floor will be done WAY faster but I don't have a timer to worry about the extra 5 secons where my wood floors could get damaged. My sink water is hotter than this so it would take less time to use a regular mop if I have to hold the steamer on every spot of my floor for 15 seconds to santize. Just sayin
SF: 137 degrees. Not hot enough to clean well nor sanitize.
SB: 120 degrees. Not hot enough to clean well nor sanitize

BUILD:
We found how it was made corresponded with issues with the steamer. The Shark, for example, was quite flimsy and they actually sell replacement handle kits because so many people have issues with the handle breaking! We know this because my neighbor's shark broke and the store had a replacement handle kit on the shelf because he said "it happens often". That's an extra cost.
Envirosteamer: Was 5.4 lbs which made it lightweight but strong enough that you didn't have to press down to clean. Very well made and strong parts
Haan: not made as well as the envirosteamer but it's more expensive so this was a surprise. A bit flimsy and you need to press down on it more to clean at 3.15 lbs.
Monster: hefty and well made at 9 lbs but a bit too heavy unless you want a good workout. (Note: They have changed the Monster handles on the mops now and they are all plastic and people are having breakage issues)
Bissell: It's 8.4 pounds but that includes a water filter that you have to get for this one (see notes below)
SteamFast: very flimsy plastic all over, but it's also more affordable than the other mops so it's a bit of a trade off. 7 lbs.
SteamBoy: They didn't even ship this preassembled like the other mops. We had to assemble it! Pretty flimsy plastic. 9 lbs but that includes the water filter you have to get with this one (see notes below)

WATER CAPACITY: Very important because having to stop and add more water just adds on to the time you have to spend cleaning, especially if you are cleaning a hallway or livingroom or some other area that has no sink:
S: only holds up to 10 oz of water. Lasted for 10 miinutes of cleaning
E: holds up to 20 oz. of water. Lasted for over 20 minutes of cleaning (we stopped at 20 and it was still going)
H: holds up to 11.83 oz of water. Lasted for 13 minutes of cleaning
M: holds up to 17 oz. of water. Lasted for 15 minutes of cleaning
B: holds up to 13 oz of water, lasted for 12.5 minutes of cleaning AND you have to undo and remove the tank from the machine every time you fill it up then hook it back on and the steam tank is on the handle rather than the base so the steam doesn't flow directly out after heating up which may explain why it's not as hot once it leaves the machine. The way this mop is made the water flows past heating elements which can, according to Bissell, develop calcium deposits on it so this is the only mop where, because of this, you also have to use a water filter with it and replace the water filter when there is build up which means and extra 12 bucks every few months. The better mops are made to heat the water in a metal tank so this is not an issue and you pour the water directly into the tank.
SF: Holds the least amount of water and I had to stop and fill up and get the water reheated often in trying to clean the floor. Only holds 8 oz of water and if you use 8 oz it gets your floor too wet so we wound up filling it with just up to 7.5 oz of water for best results and it only lasted 7 minutes when we did that before we had to refill again.
SB: up to 24 oz BUT it only lasted for 12 minutes of cleaning. I think because of the build. This one also is made so that the water has to flow past heating elements down the handle, rather than flowing directly from a hot tank to the floor at the base. Because of this it can develop calcium deposits inside the mop so you have to also buy a water filter for this mop and replace it every few months when there is build up which means extra cost and, quite possibly, more repairs. Because this does not flow directly out of a hot tank it cools on the way down and possibly with this one evaporates somehow because we tried it twice and the steam simply didn't last as long as it should.

STEAM HOLES: We found a difference although you'd think they'd all be the same. The shark only had one hole that the steam came out of so it wasn't cleaning things on the edges, just in one spot. All the others had steam coming from bottom and sides. Steamboy also didn't have holes near the edge

SIZE: The taller it is the less stooping, the wider the mop head, the more it covers
S: 40"Hx12"Wx7"D
E: 50"Hx13.25"Wx6.75"D (the fact that this depth was smaller made it reach under applicances better...it fit better under things)
H: 50.5x11.5x7.5
M: 48x12.7.5
B: 45.25H (this was uncomfortably short) x11 x8.4 (even though this didn't fit under cabinets because of the depth it did swivel the best)
SF:49x11.8x7
SB: 28.2x6.9x7.9

Conclusion of comparison: First it must be pointed out that, in order to use the shark and the Bissell and the SteamBoy, you had to keep pumping the water. This was the most annoying feature of anything...the others just steamed on their own and didn't wear out your fingers. Hated this feature of the shark and Bissell and SteamBoy. We liked that the Monster, the Shark, the Envirosteamer, the SteamFast and the Bissell came with 2 cleaning pads rather than one. The Haan only came with one at the time of the review (I double checked since when she bought hers it was also only one and as of today, that hasn't changed) so that ups the price even more because I can't imagine only wanting one to clean. All worked well on sanitizing mattresses and showers. too.

But the winner picked by all of us unanimously as the mop we want to have for our next steam mop order?
The Eureka Envirosteamer. It picked up the most dirt, was made as well as the Monster but was less expensive, held the most water, emitted the most very hot steam so it sanitized as well, lasted 3 times as long with one water resevor fillup as the others, and had a cord as long as the monster. BUT if you have carpets than I would recommend the Monster because it has a carpet attachment that allows you to steam clean your carpets and it picked up pretty close to the same amount of dirt as the Eureka Envirosteamer, and had close to the same features...a bit heavier though but that may make it last even longer. It is costlier, but to clean 2 surfaces I would think that might make it worth it.

UPDATE: The Haan just started including 2 pads with the mop according to the product description page. Not that this changes our opinion since it didn't work as well and the parts were flimsier, but it should be noted that this issue of not having enough cleaning pads has now been resolved and is equal to the other mops.

ANOTHER UPDATE: 1. The Shark came out with a new machine that holds more water and has a longer cord BUT it still only heats the water to 110 degrees so it won't sanitize or get rid of trapped grime at this "bathwater" temperature.

Another update: Since this review, we tried out canister mops. They work great for tight areas, but not on floor cleaning because the steam has to travel from the canister, down a long tube, then out the base so the steam is even cooler than the shark by the time it reaches the floor, even on the most expensive models. However, if you are looking at something just to steam tight areas like grout, and don't need it for your floor, the Vapamore performed the best out of the canister mops we played with when using the short cords for cleaning so the steam left the tank hot.

Also: Don't spend money buying extra pads for the Eureka. I was in a pinch and used a kitchen dish towel...the rectangular kind...just clip on both ends. It worked just as good or better...because they are thinner so the steam penetrates faster and therefore reaches the floor hotter. However, I would recommend still only using the thick pads that come with it for your wood floors just to be safe. But the super hot steam penetrating the dish towel worked excellent on tile and hard floors. Also, you can flip both the towel and the pads that come with it on the Eureka to double the usage...when it gets dirty, just flip it over and use the other side. I use several old dish towels with this but I like best the kind that just have a bit of texture but no squares sewn on them...but they all work great. So do the pads.

Also we noticed that a reviewer above us on the page flattered us by adding all of our information you read in our review about cord length, all the mops, steam temperatures we measured etc into her older review that is first on the page that originally contained none of this information. However, now that she edited her review to include our 6 hrs of research we apologize that it makes reading these two reviews very redundant. We promise when we first posted this review that no other review on this page contained any of the information on temperatures etc in our review until we posted our findings and they were copied into an older review higher on the page via editing. It's pretty boring now for the reader to read the same thing twice. But we are flattered someone felt it good enough research to want to copy into their review so we hold no grudge...I just didn't want anyone to think we were being redundant. )


WHY YOU WANT THE TANK ON THE BOTTOM/MOP HEAD: All steam starts out at 212 degrees. Some mops increase the heat from there. Some mops heat the water up, then it has to travel down tubes and get to the base, and then leave the holes, which results in a cooling process. This can also result in calcium deposits along that piping which eventually clogs the waterflow or makes you buy and store filtered water to use in the mop. On mops like the Envirosteamer, the water is heated in a stainless steel tank at the base of the mop and flows directly out onto the floor instantly with no traveling through the mop so it leaves the mop steaming hot. Put your hand over a cup of coffee directly at the top of the coffee. That's hot steam. Now move your hand waaaay up above the coffee cup where there is still steam but it is further from the heat source due to traveling. It's cooler steam. The mops are no different. Plus putting the weight at the head of the mop puts the preasure on the pad, not the handle you have to push.

CLOTHS: I like 100 percent cotton better than microfiber. Microfiber streaks. Although some complain about the Envirosteamer's pads shrinking they are meant to. I wash em in hot water. They'll fit perfect after they shrink so don't even be concerned. (they are cotton and quite absorbant.)

Does this work on PERGO/Laminate floors??

 

[LAH LAH]

Does this work on PERGO/Laminate floors??

Yes! Our whole downstairs is Pergo.

 

[natenapril]

Anyone have any luck findinf the Eureka? We live in AK so not alot of stores so online is best. Amazon is backordered for 1-3 months

 

[Halbleib1]

I hate mopping!!! I'm interested in getting a steam cleaner. So how does it work just heat it up and clean with the pad. I seen a shark at Sam's or costco and it has wasable pad which i like since i hate ringing out the mop-yuck!. I have tile and I really need something to get the grout looking clean.

Which shark model should i avoid. Is the shark they sale at sam's or costco ok?

As I said I have the shark from Sams and have had no problems with it. And as far as I still know Sams as an open ended return policy meaning that if something goes wrong you can return it any time for a full money back quarantee. The only exceptions are computers and tvs as far as I know.

That being said the shark I have you have to pump for about 30 times before you start mopping to get the steam started and than as you mop you are automatically pumping it with the back and forth motion of mopping. Once you get it primed up in the begining it is good to go. It has gotten sticky messes up without a problem. Anything from dried on ice cream to soda. I have a 5 year old that is always spilling things and not telling us but it does the job without any problems even if we do not realize for a day or two.

If you get this or any other with microfiber pads be sure not to use fabric softner and hang them to dry. Do not put them in the dryer. I wash mine and than just lay them on top of my dryer over night.

 

[Halbleib1]

If you have hard wood floors it should work fine and is actually probably better for your floors because it is not saturating them with water which is bad for wood.

As for linolium/laminate flooring you do not want to let the mop stay on any one spot for too long as I think it would damage/warp the floor. This is the reason that I do not use mine on a daily basis. I use mine about once every week or two or if something overly sticky gets spilled.

 

[sydney dog]

Lah Lah

Which model of the Envirosteamer did you review?

 

[lizziepooh]

I was also wondering which Eureka Envirosteamer model you tested. I saw three different models on Eay (300, 310 and 313A models.) Thanks.

 

[Friendly Frog]

Fantastic information LAH LAH, thank you.

I am considering purchasing a steam mop for my mother, but do you think it is safe to use on those "peal and stick" type tile floors? I am concerned that the steam will lift the tiles.

 

[lizziepooh]

Bump

 

[dreamin_disney]

I've been telling dh about these. I might just get one. Sounds like the
Eureka Envirosteamer sounds like a good one. What retailers carry this and how much does it go for?

 

[LuLuO]

I had a Shark and it was okay. It just broke so I bought a Bissell for $69 on Amazon.com. I've only used it once, but I like it.

 

[alaskajamaica]

Anyone have any luck findinf the Eureka? We live in AK so not alot of stores so online is best. Amazon is backordered for 1-3 months

I ordered mine from http://www.abcvacuumwarehouse.com/ and I checked for you and they ship to Alaska. I am not living in Alaska although my user name is such..... They ship FAST!!! I ordered the Eureka Steam Mop that was posted on Amazon for a shipping date of 1-3 months and I was like- NONO... I need it sooner, so I hope it helps you out.

 

[Octoberbride03]

I ordered mine from http://www.abcvacuumwarehouse.com/ and I checked for you and they ship to Alaska. I am not living in Alaska although my user name is such..... They ship FAST!!! I ordered the Eureka Steam Mop that was posted on Amazon for a shipping date of 1-3 months and I was like- NONO... I need it sooner, so I hope it helps you out.

Its backordered now I just went to check the price on the site. So much for that. Maybe if i ask my parents to order now for Christmas I might get it by then. I sooo seriously want 1

 

[natenapril]

Its backordered now I just went to check the price on the site. So much for that. Maybe if i ask my parents to order now for Christmas I might get it by then. I sooo seriously want 1

I just went and it said backordered!! I was all set to order too!!!

 

[Octoberbride03]

Lah Lah

Which model of the Envirosteamer did you review?

LAH LAH is not the original reviewer. She cut and pasted a review straight from Amazon and posted it here. If you do the search on Amazon it will come up with the review and the model its for. I know the review is at a minimum several months old, so its not the version. I read it awhile back