Steam mop?

[MamaJules]

I used my mom's steam mop and it worked really well. I've been debating getting a Swiffer or something like that, but I'm trying to get away from using so many chemicals. The steam mop only uses plain water. I'm assuming that it would be a pretty green way of cleaning my floors. Is there anything I'm missing? Is there something about it that makes it not as great as I'm thinking it is?

[SylvieP]

I loved mine....but it broke before a year was up so I was pretty bummed. They aren't cheap!

[Greenebean214]

I have a Haan SI-35R, and I love it. I did a lot of research and I am so happy with this decision. No chemicals, washable pads, hottest sanitizing steam. Totally worth the money!

[BabyD'sMommy]

Stalk dailysteals. That is where I got my shark vac & steam (normally around $200) for $50. It came with one heavy duty pad and I LOVE it <3 No chemicals, washable pads, kills 99% of germs!

[MyKzooFamily]

I have the Shark Steam Mop (the original one that just has the pad on the bottom - the new ones you can flip and use both sides). I LOVE it! After buying the mop and extra generic pads (they were cheap on ebay), I haven't bought anything for it since! I just fill it with water, mop, and then wash the pad. I really love it. It gets the floors really clean, and the heat helps get stuff off the floor I wouldn't have originally been able to get off with just a mop and water. Highly recommend it! :D

[dogpaws]

we have a shark steam pocket mop. i love it!!! it doesn't clean as magically as in the infomercial (LOL), but it does a great job!! it dries very fast and it came with 4 double sided pads! it also has a decent sized water tank and long cord which is helpful if you are doing multiple or large rooms. i think we paid $100 for it.

[WooKid]

LOVE, LOVE my steam mop! Gets up all the stuck-on food messes that my youngest (a toddler) creates. Keeps our hardwoods gleaming!

I consider it to be a very environmentally-friendly purchase... NO chemicals, NO disposable mop covers, and has lasted for over three years now.

One word of caution: Just be careful using it around young kids--they don't understand how hot it gets, and I could see a child REALLY getting burned. And never let it set hot in one spot on your floor for more than about 7-8 seconds, or it could warp wood floors/moldings. My hubby didn't realize that when he first used it, and it warped a spot of molding in the hallway. Fortunately it's not anywhere obvious, but just wanted to share, so you could learn from our mistake!

[foodie.yarnie.mommie.]

Our's works great for the super flat bathroom tile and the laminate floors we have but it barely puts a dent in our heavily textured kitchen tile, nothing does besides hands and knees scrubbing :( So if you don't have heavily textured tile then I say go for it!

[ecocentric]

I think steam is a brilliant way to clean and sanitize without chemicals. In a larger scope, how "green" it is depends on where the electricity comes from to power it.

[katiejack]

We have a steam mop from Aldi. We've had it a little over a year now and it does a wonderful job. It was a lot cheaper than the others that I had priced out there (I can't remember how much I paid for it at the moment though).

[wyldcat]

We have a steam mop from Aldi. We've had it a little over a year now and it does a wonderful job. It was a lot cheaper than the others that I had priced out there (I can't remember how much I paid for it at the moment though).

I have that one too. It cost $39.99. I only use it on the tile floor in the foyer and the living room floor. I do not use it on the kitchen or bedroom floors because we have vinyl tile in those rooms and it did cause one of the kitchen tiles to come "unglued"(thankfully we had left over tiles to replace it) so I do not take a chace using it on those floors. Other than that I LOVE it

[CappyNnon]

I love my steam mop.

Instead of swiffer I suggest The Rubbermaid Reveal (http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-2856049-Reveal-Microfiber-Spray/dp/B003YHF4AC/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1305039427&sr=8-14) - it's the same concept except you use your own cleaner and a reusable pad and it has great reviews. I admit I haven't tried it yet but I plan to get it for quick clean-ups when I don't want/need to steam the house.

[ctopinka]

i've had my shark steam mop for a few years and love it. just be cautious as it gets real hot and if you are in bare feet on a tile floor 'ouch'. I also make sure to not let DD anywhere near it as it's a pretty enticing purple color. the pads are super easy to clean and the unit only requires water.

[badmisterkitty]

I have a Bissell steam mop. I found it at a garage sale for $15.

I love that it cleans without chemicals. It pulls up dirt and grime pretty well, although I do have to sweep pretty well beforehand. It doesn't manuever particularly well, but I have no experience pushing any others around. It's not exactly a drawback, I guess maybe I expected it to glide effortlessly or something. LOL

It's recommended to use distilled water in it. The holding tank is TINY....I feel like I rush through the last bit of flooring so I don't run out of water. The cord isn't terribly long either, but I suppose since the tank is small you aren't going to do the whole house with it anyhow.

I do like it, though. I would never have spent $80 on it, but for $15 it works perfectly for my needs. :)

[karlitacat]

I have the Bissell "Green Tea" Steam Mop (http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Steam-Hard-Floor-Cleaner-1867-7/dp/B000RPVHZU), which I like, for the most part. I got it at Kohl's, and someone had given me a gift card, so I justified it that way. :)

I've read that it doesn't sanitize unless you keep the steam over a certain area for, like, 10 seconds or something - and who's going to take that much time to wash her floor? Just something to note. And as someone else pointed out, don't leave it sitting on a hardwood floor because it ruins the finish (if I'm setting it down somewhere I put it on my tile floor).

It works wonderfully on my hardwoods, and I imagine it works great on laminate, but it doesn't do the best job on my kitchen floor (getting into some of the grooves). All in all, though, I like it. I also like to add Simple Green to the water, or spray it directly onto the floor.

Mine broke while it was still under warranty, and I was able to get it replaced for free, so that was sweet. So far, the replacement has worked fine, but I do notice that the container that holds the water tends to leak at times (I make sure I empty the water each time so it doesn't progressively leak when not in use).

[3sweetboys]

My MIL bought me a Shark steam mop for my birthday. I love it!!! I actually mop more often now (almost daily) because I can just grab it and go. It only takes me a few minutes to do a room and one side is dry before I finish the other so I'm not having to fight kids off my wet floor!:giggle: I highly recommend them to anyone with tile or hardwood like we have!

[suzieq413]

I have a Euro Enviro-Steam (I think that's what its called) and its great. It was around $70 on Amazon (free shipping!) and it only uses steam to clean. Fill the little reservoir with water, wait for a few minutes, start cleaning. The pad is always dirty after cleaning my floors and it works great on all hard floors.

[*lovestef*]

I have a Bissell steam mop and I love it :) Definitely a green option for sanitizing the floor (I have a crawler--clean floors are important!).

[comom]

I have the bissell has well. Love it!

[diana51]

I have a Shark steam mop (the one that cleans on both sides) and it recently broke after less than a year. I do think it cleaned easier than a traditional mop and bucket but I'm not sure about better. When I clean the floor with a mop I just use vinegar, a squirt of dish soap and water so it's about the same chemical-wise.