Have you used a Shark steam mop? (subfloor, heat, vacuum)

[onevthoki]

Thinking about getting one of the Shark steam mops and want to see if anyone else has them. I would like to use it on three different surfaces, but have some concerns with each...

1. Wood - We have pine tongue and groove flooring with deep grooves (think the kind you need a vacuum to get out of). My concern is that the moisture will get into the wood at the grooves.

2. Linoleum - From what I can tell it is original to the house (1988) and the floor has quite a few gouges and nicks in it. We are holding off on replacing it becasue I am trying to figure out if I want to do any remodeling. My concern here is that the moisture will get in through the nicks (to my knowledge it does not go all the way through to the subfloor).

3. Ceramic - Again, original to the house and some of the grout is chipping out. We are going to pull out the old grout and regrout. Again, not a big fan of the tiles, but until I know if I want to do anthing in there, I do not want to tackle any unnceccerary costs.

So, with all of that spelled out, what do you think???

[blossom4792]

There have been a few threads on this you may want to check. I have a Shark steam mop (I know it was the higher end of the 2 at the store) and it has been a miracle worker for me. For general use, there really isn't that much moisture that goes out with the steam ... but if I've overfilled the tank, etc., some additional water might spill (my fault, really). I've definitely never felt there was any excess moisture on my floors. It seems comparable to any other method of cleaning floors.

[onevthoki]

Thanks Blossom,that's good to know!

[Blondie621]

I checked out the reviews some time ago on amazon.com and they say it is terrible. Leaves alot of water on the floor and does not work.

[vastmoon]

The thing about all of the floor mops out there is that they're not really "steam" cleaners. They have a hot plate that hot water is shot into, which creates the steam. A real steam cleaner starts around $150 and goes up and up from there.

QVC has cheaper model, and a company called 1800govapor.com offers some expensive Italian-made ones.
Bottom line is a steam mop is a replacement for your mop. It’s no miracle machine, but it will clean your floors equally, if not better than a mop and bucket.

[donsabi]

Low cost steam cleaners are not worth the expenditure. I bought a low price one and it ended up in the trash. However, I did like the concept so I spent considerably more and bought a good one. What a difference! I used it very much in the house I was in at the time. Much depends on what type of surfaces you are cleaning. If you have mostly carpets you won't get much value per dollar out of a steam cleaner. I now have mostly carpets and never seldom use my steam cleaner. I suggest you try to rent a good steam cleaner before you invest in one.
Don

[onevthoki]

Thanks Don and Vastmoon. Normally I wouldn't consider, but saw a segment on Good Morning America a while back where they rated some "as seen on TV" items and they actually gave it an A-/B+. May try and research their site to see what it was.

Keep the info coming!

[icon7]

I have the deluxe version from Bed, Bath & Beyond...I read the standard one was no good. So far it does what I need it too clean floors...it seems like a steam iron. I was hoping for more heat and more force...but it was only $79 with the coupon.

[a3593]

Just average. If you spend $20 on a Swiffer WetJet you pretty much get the same result.

[TFW46]

I had one and, as someone else, said, it left water all over my floor and didnt work well. I then bought a top of the line steam cleaner and am very happy with it.