Best Steam Mops Floors

Review by Scott J. Sedei : A great time saver

I purchased this item a couple months ago when I moved into a new residence. The floors throughout are Pergo wood grain. I was surprised at the dirt that came off of a floor that was supposed to have been cleaned when I moved in. I am able to get right to the base boards and the mop head rotates all the way around to get into tight spaces. I still have to wipe the corners by hand...but that's minor compared to the hands and knees scrubbing I'd be doing otherwise. I haven't had a problem with the floors getting too wet and they dry in minutes. A major plus - the steam mop uses no chemicals to clean so I don't have to worry about my pets ingesting anything harmful. The mop came with two pads that wash up easily enough, but I would recommend getting an extra set or two. I'd like to see the pads a bit thicker as the texture of the floor has worn holes in a couple of them, but I'm guessing they will last a lot longer on a smooth surface. P.S. - I've found that adding a little vinegar to the water once in a while also freshens the air as it cleans and helps eliminate streaking. *Update: After two years of almost weekly use the mop died. It stopped emitting steam. I performed all of the trouble shooting suggestions, but nothing worked. I contacted Bissell Customer Service, which was useless as the people I spoke with didn't understand and spoke very poor English. Overall I still think this is a great product and ordered a replacement unit. I was spending as much money on cleaning products over two years as this item costs on Amazon, so it evens out. The weekend hours alone that I've saved using this product make a second purchase worth it.

Review by Lee Lukaszewicz : Throw your old mop away!

The cleaning power of this mop can't be beat. The swivel head makes it easy to get around table legs and toilets, and it gives you the peace of mind that the floor is not just clean, it's sanitized with no chemicals. It's ready almost immediately once plugged in, and you have steam control at the touch of a finger. At first, I was surprised that there was no on/off switch, but the unit is essentially "off" until you call for steam. Pressing the steam button turns it "on." The easy to fill reservoir slides effortlessly into place, and the thick, absorbent mop heads are easy to attach. Just throw them in the wash, and they clean up like new. Also, you don't have to move in slow motion like with some steam mops, as the entire mop head stays firmly planted on the floor, even with some speed. This is the best steam mop I have found. I have had no problem with my sealed hardwood oak floors, and it did great on my tile. Highly recommended! [Update 4/20/08: The cord on this mop has turned out to be rather short. However, this is a minor annoyance as we are still more than satisfied with its cleaning power. Tip for keeping the mop heads coming out of the wash like new: order several extra mop heads, and don't let them get overly soiled before changing to a fresh one. Several would be needed to do an entire house.]

Review by HappyMommy : The last mop you ever have to buy...

Ok, I admit I'm a neat freak already...but honestly I was tired of spending so much money on refills dry and wet for Swiffers...and regular mops were so much work and just mopped the dirt back and forth, I couldn't win either way. Finally I tried this....no chemicals - great for you and the economy (and if you have kids!), it's done quick (after one mop thru), it drys quick (no waiting), and it's ULTRA-CLEAN afterwards! Squeaky clean. Seriously you could eat off your floor.Keep in mind however, this will not work as good if you hardly ever clean your floor and have dust and debris sitting all over it. You have to be somewhat clean and pick up normal stuff (don't expect it to suck up anything as that's not what it's meant to do). But this works great....you try it once, it almost becomes addicting to clean your floors. I definitely recommend to everyone!

Review by navyblue : The best solution I've tried

I've owned the older white model for over a year now - the old terry pads didn't bother me as far as shrinking went, but I sure wore holes in them. The new microfiber pads are a nice improvement, easier to get on and off, and appear to be more durable.I'm a big fan of this product and was very disappointed when Bissell appeared to discontinue it - I've wanted to purchase one for my mother and mother in law.So, for the review:Nothing cleans your floor better than good old fashioned Cinderella-style scrubbing. But given that I have around 1800 square feet of hard flooring, three kids, and four dogs - my knees just can't take that kind of torture cleaning something that is just going to be spilled on, puked on, or smeared with banana in a matter of minutes.I have tried all the other leading brands of hard floor cleaners, and this one is by far the simplest to use and does a decent enough job that it's a regular in my household cleaning routine.Pros:- Uses nothing but water. No chemicals, no expensive solutions. I do purchase distilled since we have hard well water and the filter on my old model hasn't needed replacing.- Cleans my ceramic tile and bamboo floor quickly and effectively. The water dries very quickly. My tile never looks streaky, but the bamboo flooring does a bit.- Piece of cake clean up. Toss the mop head pad into the laundry, wrap the cord up and you're done. Small and compact, easy to store.- It's very quiet. I can clean after my kids are in bed and the soft steaming noise wouldn't bother even the lightest sleeper.Cons:- The cord really is too darn short, but I've remedied that with an extension cord.- It's a little short for me. This gripe isn't very fair because EVERY mop, broom, and vacuum are too short for me (except for the Dyson) - I'm tall. But I will mention here that short women aren't the only people who clean! My 5'10" self and my 6'4" husband both have to hunch over to mop the floor with this. It'd be lovely if the handle could extend.- Doesn't do a great job on grout - but nothing does. I've decided I just hate tile and grout period.- It does take some effort to push, but cleans overall more quickly than the Powered Floormate.- Like any machine it can't get right up close to the walls and though its mophead fits under the cabinets, it simply cannot clean right in the crack where the floor meets. So every so often I have to get down and hand scrub those areas.----Highly, highly recommend for regular use. Does a great job at steaming the dried on grime and gunk my kids regularly paste the house with.----Update 10/11/2010 - the microfiber pads have worn out, but they lasted much longer than the old terry pads, have had to order replacement pads, but no biggie. If you sew, they'd be easy to patch with some microfiber towels.Still love this thing, it gets used a couple times a week on our very messy floors! We now have hard flooring in the basement too (more bamboo) so it gets used more than ever.

Review by quiver of 8 : overall wonderful but a few short comings

worst being that the power cord is too short! This is the green, IMPROVED model with microfiber pads. Watch out for the older, white model with the terry pads, they have a bad reputation for shrinking! also more pads should be included (comes with 2). You need at least 1 pad per room.I looked at a few others before buying this one. I like bissells reputation, replacement parts including pads are easy to get and reasonably priced as well. You can use TAP water, this has a filter so you do not have to buy distilled water. The filter has a gauge that tells you when to replace it so hard water won't damage it! think of what happes to your electric coffe maker after a while.....other companies only tell you in the fine print to use distilled water which can get pricey. this one is much cheaper then the infomercial ones and I think better madeif it had a longer cord I would have rated it 5 stars.

Review by Shannon : A viable solution

Well, it's a newbie review since the product was just released. Time will tell if I actually use this long term or not... But so far.... I actually do like it! There are only 8 gazillion options on how to best clean your floor, none which truly compare with getting down on your hands and knees. But, for the TYPICAL user who needs an easier solution to a pretty clean floor a couple times a week and particularly prefers not to use chemicals this actually works quite well. I am not disappointed. I will make a couple notes though: I guess I wrongly assumed that since it's using "steam" water it is going to be sanitizing as it goes along. After reading the manual though it states to actually disinfect an area you have to let it steam in that spot for 15 seconds. Obviously to do a whole floor would take the afternoon. But, okay, if you drop a piece of chicken it's a nice option I suppose. Also, I was really hoping it would leave a streak free clean but the floor does end up with a bit of standing water and does leave some streaks. Maybe if you don't hold down the lever quite so much it would just release less water. Of course, though, then it's not steaming as much either. Additionally, the lever is a bit tough to hold down for extended periods of time so not for those users with weak pointer fingers. No biggie though. The cord is pretty short, so I could see that bothering some people. Although I like short cords. Less opportunities to fall and break my neck. So, in the product's favor, it does a decent job which is what I was most concerned about. If I let it steam for 3 seconds or so right over something stuck on the kitchen floor it takes it right off. Also goes under the ledges and stuff nicely. The pads are easy to take on and off and it's quiet.. Also heats up very quickly (a few seconds) and the water lasts long enough for me to do the whole kitchen and dining room. And it's heavy enough you don't feel like you have to bear down on it like you do the Swiffer. One last thing though. It isn't a super quick clean, in my opinion. I almost think a mop is a little faster because with this thing you kind of want it to go slower so that it can really steam. So, it isn't necessarily saving me much time. But it is saving hassle, chemicals, and my back! For someone who understands that that there are no quick fixes in life and they will never find anything that can replace true blood, sweat and tears of doing the job by hand - it would be a good find. It is a nice thing to have and a decent close 2nd..

Review by Randall M. Peltz : the best

I bought this after much online research and figured it had to be too good to be true. A product that would clean without chemicals, not be hard to use, and not need a million pieces! This mop is very light to move, the pad is easy to clean via wash or sink. I most like how it doesn't leave streaks. Everything else I've used on my sealed hardwood floors leaves streaks. No more on my hands and knees! The only things that are a little pain are that you have to take the pad off the bottom after use so that you don't leave a wet spot (no different than any other mop), the cord tends to be on the short side, there is no way to turn it off except by unplugging it, and that if you aren't careful with the amount of steam you will have to go over the flooring with a towel. This is only a problem on the wood, on ceramic it dries without problem. I've been on the lookout for a product that is easy and efficient. After having mine for a month I am still happy and would recommend it to anyone. Oh, this is Randall's wife writing the review..

Review by Seeker : Bissell compared to the Shark Steam Mop

This product is just OK. For some with lots of tile that not too dirty, it may be fine. It is a light cleaning tool. If I had lots of heavy regular filth due to heavy animal and kid traffic, I wouldn't buy either steam cleaner. I am returning the Bissell because I have a lot of wood laminate and it leaves the floors WAY too wet and streaked. But you ought to be aware of the pros and cons since some things may not matter to you. I also borrowed my sister's Shark Steam Mop so I will compare the two for you as the cost is identical. *The Bissell has a swivel head which is great around the toilet and the Shark does not swivel at all. *The Bissell is well made for a such a low profile appliance and feels sturdy with a nice thick cord. The Shark feels cheaply made with a flimsy cord. The lengths of the cord are similar. You'll need to use an extension cord with both. *The Bissell has a removeable water bottle (convenient!) and the shark does not. *The Bissell weighs more than the Shark (about 8 pounds), but is very easy to push. The Shark is harder to push, but weighs only 3 pounds. You'd get an aerobic workout if you cleaned a whole house of flooring with the Shark and was a lightweight like me! *The Bissell leaves you with a VERY wet floor even if you go easy on the steam trigger. I also had lots of streaks on my laminate wood flooring. I would not use it on laminate or wood w/o drying them off ASAP. The Shark does not leave streaks and did not leave a sopping trail behind. The floors dried on their own in under a minute. This is a HUGE plus! *The Bissell pads have a drawstring and are pretty thin and not absorbant which is a contributing factor to the soppiness the mop leaves behind. The Shark pads are velcro attached (easier!)and are thicker and more absorbant. They are also much more expensive to replace, however. So, my conclusion is that if I had tile floors, I might consider keeping it as the excess wetness wasn't as huge streaky issue (I went and cleaned my in-laws white tile with it) and it's a sturdier product that seems like it will last for years. I would just find some elastic pads that were ALOT better (I was considering the Tersano pads sold here Tersano lotus Wet Mop Cloths, 2-Pack #LMC28 as a possibliity since they will fit). But since the drier steam and the better pads are VERY important to me, I may actaully go with the Shark even though the machine is rather flimsy feeling and appears more cheaply made. I'd just use distilled water in it and hope it goes few years before falling apart. You'd think that by now some manufacturer would be able to provide the best of both products. What happened Bissell? You could have had a GREAT product if the pads were thick and absorbant and you provided us with the dry steam that the infomercials imply!.