Heya:
I'm thinking of buying a steam mop. I'm leaning toward this one:
http://tinyurl.com/dmf3db
because the reviews are better than the Shark steam mop.
I'm looking for something that is perfect for tile flooring, since our house will eventually have all tile flooring. Right now we have around 400 sq ft of tile.
If anyone has one like this and has cheers or jeers post here.
Thanks!
Do not buy that thang girlfriend.
A swiffer or wetjet works fine.
I have 3 homes I am in charge of cleaning...
1 has saltillo tile; we use swiffer wet jet. 1 has slap down laminate other house has ceramic tile...
If u are frugal, use washcloth as cloth and 1/2 vinager mixed with water.
The stuff advertised is all gimmick!
JMHO
I have a dry swiffer but it's still a huge pain. I sweep, then vacuum, then use a dry swiffer, then spray the tile and wipe up any sticky spots with the swiffer or paper towels or whatever.
Mopping seems to be the only thing that gets the tiles really clean though, and this is supposed to help that.
We have a Bissell steam mop. It works well, but the pads are expensive and don't wash up well. We are lucky if we get three uses out of a pad.
Do you think it's better, worse, or the same as a mop and bucket?
I really hate the mop & bucket system, and when our entire house is tile it's going to be an even bigger PITA.
I know I'll still have to vacuum or sweep the floors, and I'm fine with that, I just want to eliminate dragging a mop and bucket through each room of the house when I clean.
Swiffering works okay, but doesn't get the floors as clean as I'd like.
Yes, I think it's better than the bucket system because the water is consistently hot. We have no carpet at all, just tile, vinyl, and wood laminate, and it pulls a lot more gunk off the floor and makes the room smell better.
I second the motion for the Swiffer wet jet. This is NOT the dry one with the wet pads -- it's the one with the bottle of solution, and the little button you push to spray solution on the floor. I love it because I avoid the whole mop/bucket thing, and because I can use more solution on a troublesome spot, less for cleaner spots. The pads are cheap enough, and there's even a scrubbing option for really tough areas.
The only reason I would avoid the steam mop is because of the grout/sealant. I'm no expert, but it seems to me that putting hot steam regularly on sealant would destroy the sealant, or change its chemical properties to where it doesn't do its job right.
PrairieGirl Wrote:I second the motion for the Swiffer wet jet. This is NOT the dry one with the wet pads -- it's the one with the bottle of solution, and the little button you push to spray solution on the floor.
Yep. That's the one I use and it's great. I've had it for years. The pads and solution are not that expensive and have yet to replace the batteries.
I have the Swiffer wet jet PG and NKB describe. I also love it and yes, the batteries last forever. I get the pads and solution on sale and often there are coupons, too. I use the thick wet pads, although I'm not even sure those are the right ones for use with that model, but they work great.
I've found that the Swiffer Wet Jet leaves a bit of a film on the floor. What you really want is the
Hoover FloorMate. It works WONDERFULLY, and it's super easy to use. My floors have never felt cleaner.
Thanks guys!
PG- the grout is sealed. We do have a problem with the grout in a couple of rooms though, but it's because we've used a lot of other chemicals on the grout. The builder put the totally wrong color of grout down (we have two colors of tile, grey and brown and they put the dark grey grout down on the brown tiled floors and vice versa) and had to go back and redo it. They didn't take out the grout that was there, but dyed it. In the bathroom (aka Kami's room) where we've had a lot of problems because of her peeing and barfing, some of the surface grout has come up and left the dark grout underneath.
I think it'd be safer overall to use steam/water rather than more chemicals on the grout, even if it is sealed regularly.
I'm probably going to have to re-dye the grout in the rooms with the tan tile because they put lighter grout on dark grout. The rooms with the grey tile (kitchen/dining/entry way) have been fine.
Okay I saw the infomercial and lost my everlovin' mind with how badly I wanted one. HAHA
I just bought it yesterday (the H2O mop) but I haven't used it yet. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm an infomercial sucker. LOL
Okay, I've used the H20 a few times, and what it's good for, it's amazing for, but for daily use, I'm not so sure.
It cleans stains and ground in grossness (like under the fridge, cough cough) AMAZINGLY. One thing I've always hated about living in an old house with old tiles and baseboards is just how grotty it looks sometimes. This thing kinda blew me away with how fast and awesomely it cleaned the disgusting parts. I also did a stained part of the hardwood where the cat had thrown up ages ago, let it steam for a minute or so, and it came right out. VERY impressive.
It's a little unwieldy -- once the mophead steams up, it gets wet and dirty pretty quickly. You can't wring it out like you can a mop, so you end up pushing a wet, heavy, dirty thing around, and it's a bit 'sticky' -- like hard to push. you have to use elbow grease, only because it doesn't slide easily.
I am VERY glad I bought it for the things I'll be using it for, but I don't know that you would like it more than a regular mop or wetjet.
Steam really does clean well, though. I'm impressed.
I agree with your assessment. We use ours only a few times a year for hard-core cleaning because it's just not practical for everyday use.
Not related to tile, but I learned today that a mix of water and vinegar is by far the best thing to use for cleaning hard-wood.
(04-18-2009 09:08 PM)kirby Wrote: [ -> ]Heya:
I'm thinking of buying a steam mop. I'm leaning toward this one:
http://tinyurl.com/dmf3db
because the reviews are better than the Shark steam mop.
I'm looking for something that is perfect for tile flooring, since our house will eventually have all tile flooring. Right now we have around 400 sq ft of tile.
If anyone has one like this and has cheers or jeers post here.
Thanks!
i have bissell steam mop and i like it real well...it will even loosen up gum.
(dam relatives kids anyways)
we have all hardwood and laminte floors and it works real well.
id recommend the bissel but its the only one ive used.
Well I am glad I came here to read all the comments on them H2O Mops and The Shark steam mops too. Cause I was so temped to buy one. But I too was just as confused as to which one to get?
I already own a Swiffer wet jet.
I bought one when they first came out. I never liked it. Mine never really worked right. The Liquid is stuck in the bottle and won't come out of the spray gizmo. So, I chucked the whole thing upstairs and I just use the wet swiffer pads and bend over and wipe the floor down with good old fashioned muscle power. Of course, I don't get my floor as clean as I would like it to get. Which was why I wanted to try one of those steam mops.
I have a basic vinyl floor. So I was wondering if it would really clean it well? Or should I just stick with what I do with the old fashioned swiffer stick and wet pads. Or me getting on my hands and knees and scrubbing with the pads alone.
GAWD I hate cleaning floors.
I know a mop & pale idea is the norm. But lugging a bucket of water around is too heavy for me to lift.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a steam cleaner for carpets?
I really, really need one....to clean up cat barf.
I am currently using Resolve spray and trying to get the stains up by hand, but I am still having a tough time on the carpet stains.
I don't want to rent a steam cleaner because between the two cats, one seems to barf every week or so. I'd like a steam cleaner of my own.
Oh, to add, the more compact, the better. I have a Royal vacuum cleaner which is amazing, but it takes up so much space and I don't want another huge, honkin' upright to store.
Thanks!!