Best Steam Mops Floors

Review by Fire-flie : Works just fine

I played the ratio game based on these reviews and decided to purchase this item. There were bad reviews on it, but the majority seemed to like the product. So I took my 20% off coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond and got one. I am glad I did. It was so easy to assemble - you just have to connect the handle to the machine and make sure it's locked in place. I recently moved into a house and I have tile throughout - only the bedrooms and a portion of the living room are carpeted - and there are 3 cats in the house so I was always seeing those tumbleweeds of fur no matter how much I swept and swiffered. And regular vacuums just don't do the job on hard floors. While it is true that the Shark Vac then Steam is louder than my regular vacuum cleaner, I find that it had no problem picking up anything that I had on my floor with ease and the container was easy to empty and put back in. I'll take the loud volume as long as it works rather than have something quiet that doesn't work. It came with replacement filters that are eco-friendly as they can be washed and reused (the spare is so you can have a filter in the machine while the other set is being washed/dried). It also comes with 4 of the steam mop heads that are also a wash-and-reuse type. The water container could be a little bigger for my needs (lots of hard floors in my house!) but there is a window so you can see how much water is in there. I did not have any trouble getting it to steam up - the directions in the book and on the machine say to make sure the handle is tilted back to produce the steam so the more upright you keep the handle the less steam you're going to get.

Review by Christopher M. Deck : Great idea and almost a great product

I purchased this to keep my hardwood floors clean in a older house (floors >40 years old). I have animals and keep a pretty tidy place. I was going through quite a bit of conventional liquid based products (Murphy's, Bruce Hardwood Cleaner) and was trying to reduce costs (I'm an accountant, so there!). The device vacuums quite well despite the other review on here.... It is designed for hard surfaces only and if you had A LOT of debris on the floor, use a normal vacuum first (which throws around quite a bit of debris). As for the steam cleaning, it is a little lacking. It seems to work in fits and starts. During the times that it seems to build pressure and put out quite a bit of steam, it seems to work well and the cleaning pad gets quite hot. But you have to stop frequently in order for it to get to the high steam times (annoying and really slows things down). If the product maintained a high level of constant steam and included a larger water reservoir, I would rate this a 5 star. And considering I dropped 150 for this, I really want it to work! But with this oversight in the design, I have to give it a 3. I'm not for sure if I have a bad model or not, but it reduces it's usefulness. It does help for the quick sweep/cleaning that I do to pick up the dog hair. It would also be nice if you could add a couple of drops of scent (lemon, pine, etc.) to the reservoir.

Review by kimmyp23 : Worked great for me

I bought this product without reading any reviews first and I'm glad i didnt. I love it. It is not hard to push at all in either mode. I didnt have any trouble with the pick up. it sucked up everything on my floor without pushing it around or blowing it like my regular vac does. I really liked the mop, had to go over a few spots a couple times, but its was way better than scrubbing on my hands and knees like i used to do. plus its sanitary without having to spend money on all kinds of chemicals. my favorite part is when i'm done i can walk through my kitchen and dining room without having stuff stuck to the bottom of my feet(my biggest pet peeve).

Review by M. Showen : Great product

I love that I can use one tool to clean my floors. Prior to this purchase, I was sweeping my floor, then using a Swiffer Sweeper and then using an older Bissell steam mop. Now, I can just vacuum and mop. The floor in my bathroom is a super slick tile, so I really appreciate the steam cleaning and how quickly it dries. I love that this has a large mop pad with ample steam. I have lifted the steam mop while it is running and felt the steam coming out. It was hot enough for me to quickly pull my hand back (someone mentioned that the steam just comes out the sides, so I had to test it). The vacuum has plenty of suction for my usage. With some vacuums I feel like I am chasing around the dust balls, this just sucks them up. The long cord is priceless. Here are a few suggestions. But, no deal breakers for me: -I wish the little tray that the steam mop sits on could attach somehow, so I wouldn't have to carry them separately. -I wish that I could see the water tank level from the back, since I am filling from the back and don't want to overfill. -The vacuum is a little loud, but if that's what it takes to get decent suction I can deal with it. -The steam will occasionally slow down and then take off again; I would like more constant steam. This mop is easy to maneuver over hardwood and tile. I let it heat up for a minute or so and allow the mop head to get damp from the steam before I really begin. My floors are squeaky clean and this helps make a normally unpleasant task pretty easy.

Review by Skaneply : Great product for pet owners

I have 2 dogs and a long haired cat and two floors of hard surfaces to clean so I feel well qualified to rate this product. I've had mine for about 3 months now and I can't live without it! So much better than sweeping and moping. I was a little worried that such a small machine would lose suction but it totally doesn't. It is very easy to switch from vac to steam. I love that I don't have to bother with any cleaning products. I think it is a real time saver and does a great job of cleaning. It's especially good for getting pet hair "tumble weeds" off of hard floors which usually just blow around the room if you try to use a traditional broom. Down sides: Sometimes I wish the waste canister held a bit more. Also I would like to be able to reach further under furniture with it. This product is very light weight and is a breeze to move from one floor to the other. I also appreciate the long cord. It has held up well in the few months I've had it although I have managed to scratch up the plastic quite a bit but I'm really not concerned with how it looks.

Review by Or Mrs Spruiell : Shark Vac Then Steam...Take it back? Over my dead body!

I bought this to replace a hoover floor mate, that I hated. The Vac then Steam is a miracle for me! LOVE IT. I have horrible tile floors with wide grout lines that are a true pain to clean. They were also deadly when wet, and my entire family has fallen on these floors with the tiniest amount of water on them. I was sold in ten minutes on this machine. It cleaned the floors quick, easy, and they were dry before I finished the room. I couldn't be more pleased!

Review by Denaelen : What a timesaver!!!

We have a great room (kitchen, dining, living area) that has slate flooring. After LOADS of research about floor cleaners, I decided to buy a shark steam mop from Costco. I chose this mainly for the cheaper price tag and the great return service at Costco. (I kept the box.) After using it twice I was happy enough but then I saw the 2 in 1 advertise. Reading the reviews online I was torn. I decided to take a chance and ordered the mop through KOHL's using a 30% off coupon. I got the 2 in 1 for the same price as the regular steam mop and I am VERY happy! I have children, no pets and live in the country. We get a LOT of sand tracked in and the vac sucks it right up! My large area rug sheds a lot of wool fuzz and there again... the vac gets it right up. The "snack" crumbs left by the kiddies are also no match for the vac. I am not sure why the other reviewers say the vac suction doesn't work??? If you know slate, then you know it is uneven and has a natural variation in height, other cleaners I have tried didn't work (such as the Hoover Floor Mate). This Shark Vac then Steam mop worked!! It got every bit of debris off of the floor, even in the low spots and grout lines. Due to the uneven nature of slate at times I had to push it a little harder to get over the "bumps" but by no means was this "exhausting" as another person put it. I would even recommend it to my family members who have arthritis, it is easy to use. Switching to steam took the 30 seconds to heat up and then gave a solid steam for the endurance of the cleaning, I had about half of the water left in the container after cleaning. (It didn't run out and I don't feel it needs to be larger.) I like the clean feel it leaves on the floor and would not want to add anything to the water, I shy away from chemicals and extra smells due to allergies. Using the Shark is SO much better then hands and knees cleaning! I highly recommend!

Review by S. Thompson "Sky" : surprised and happy

I bought the Steam then Vac with a little hesitation because of the mixed reviews. However, I went ahead because I was desperate to find a quick and easy way to clean my 2000 sq. feet of dark hard wood floors. Because they are dark, they show everything. Plus having a dog who tracks in every piece of loose grass, leaves and sticks from outside, makes it very challenging to keep our house looking something other than a wilderness cabin. We spend SO much time on these blasted floors. So I broke down and bought the Steam then Vac in a moment of desperation. Well, I'm a very discerning consumer and I was thrilled with its performance! It vacuumed with great suction and quickly, efficiently sucked up the 1/4 of a backyard that my dog brought in. I could feel the tension in my body ease out with each disappearing piece of grass dropping. And then I tried the steam part. Oh my....what fun! I cleaned at least 1500 sq. feet before needing to add water and it was such a breeze! The floors look fantastic. Even my husband, who was less than enthusiastic about my purchasing a $149 appliance on impulse, was impressed and was soon behind the Steam and Vac, happily assisting with cleaning the floors! So, if you have read the reviews and are on the fence...GET IT!! You'll be happy with it. On a side note, those folks that complain of the steam being intermittent: apparently the steam production is related to the angle of the handle. If the handle approaches 90 degrees or the upright position, then the steam shuts off. I'm assuming this is to prevent the steam continuing on in one spot should you park it and leave for a minute or two. The handle needs to be about 45 degrees to keep the steam going. I had a steady flow of steam without interruption..

Review by layalmom : This thing is AMAZING!

I have over 1200 square feet of dark bamboo flooring with a carbonized finish. The finish makes every smudge and spot show easily. It also scratches like crazy. Because it scratches so easily, I could not use a regular vacuum on the floors. We have two dogs and a long haired cat and it has been a constant battle and long process to clean the floors with a micro fiber mop to sweep then use products like Bona to actually clean them. I never felt like they were really clean and it took over an hour and a half to complete. I just bought the Vac then Steam yesterday and I am amazed with how fast and easy it is to use. I am so happy that something on TV actually works like it says it does. Don't worry about the steam not being steady (as seen in some other reviews) it is pretty much constant and makes no difference in the quality of the cleaning. It takes 30 seconds to warm up and then off you go. The floors dry almost immediatly - so no worries about too much water on your hardwood floors. I had to fill it with water 4 times but I have a very large amount of flooring and it was no big deal. Talk about clean - I had some tough spots on the floors and a couple of passes later - gone! The vacuum part of the machine is great - it works better than my dyson. It picked up everything - lots of pet hair,everyday dirt and some cat litter! The floors are clean and they shine like new. It has tiny RUBBER wheels on the bottom of the vac part and they did not scratch the floors at all - My dyson's stupid plastic wheels put gouges in my floors!...I have no complaints about this vac/steamer. Perfect for my pain in the neck floors!.

Review by smartshopper : Not perfect, but best available

I'll give it to you straight: No hype, no hating. This product is far from perfect. However, it works for me and is clearly the best option out there. This will not replace every other type of floor cleaning. It will not perfectly and completely deep clean your floor. It is great for quick, convenient everyday cleanup. The dirtier your floor, the harder it is to push. It can also be harder to push on linoleum. It was by no means so difficult as to be a deal breaker. I'm not gifted in the upper body strength area, and though it didn't glide effortlessly across the linoleum, I was not in any way winded, tired or sore from the job, even after cleaning the whole house. The steam does come and go in spurts. From the various reviews it seems like this may depend on the unit you happen to get. Mine will provide impressively strong steam for awhile, then need a "break" to "recharge". It happened enough to be annoying and affect how quickly I could clean the floor, but for me the overall convenience of the machine is worth this inconvenience. (It also helps if you make sure to keep the handle lowered as much as possible as opposed to upright, since this is what activates the steam). It is nice that you do not have to hold any type of trigger to activate the steam. The vacuum nozzle is in fact just inches long and located near the back of the machine. Not ideal, but makes sense with the way it is designed. This does not affect the suction, which I found to be quite good. It sucked up everything in its path. (It will not, however, pick up large/heavy debris. Like small rocks.) What it does affect, is the machine's ability to pick up things along the edges and in the corners. This is why it is not ideal for deep cleaning and will not replace all other floor cleaners. You have to go back and do the edges with something else. The floors dry quicker with this mop than with any other I've tried, and that would be a lot. Especially if you use the heavy duty pad. Fabulous. My Bissell always leave my floors so wet. It does not vac and steam simultaneously. This does not bother me, because I'm not willing to sacrifice the power of the steam or the power of the suction just to have them happen simultaneously. If you don't mind inferior steam and suction (hence, inferior cleaning) in order to have the process go faster, the Bissell Steam & Sweep would be a better choice for you. The vac is quite loud. Again, I'd rather it be loud and good and picking things up than soft with weak suction. Would I use it right outside the room of a sleeping baby? No. Does it wake up my children who are sleeping down the hall? No. Steam does not generally work miracles, like getting old paint off of wood floors. It does leave a squeaky, residue-free clean that I love, and acts much more quickly than plain old elbow grease at cutting through dirt and grime. The water reservoir is a bit small. If you go over spots again and again, it will run out after one room. If your floor is already relatively clean and you're just doing maintenance, it will last decently long. You have to use a cup and funnel to fill it. I actually like this better than filling the tank up in the sink, it's always a pain to have to get the water in the small opening in the tank from the stream of water from my tap. I prefer filling up an open cup and having the funnel so I don't have to be so careful, goes faster for me. But you may not agree. The mop head is wide, and therefore does not fit into small spots, like behind the toilet. It didn't streak my laminate, wood, linoleum or tile floors. It should only do this if your floor is very dirty, or grimey. In which case you'd need to go over it again with a clean pad. The head is a bit high, so it may not get under some furniture. I had no problem getting under the cabinets, however it would not get under the stove. I know this is long, but I wanted to address some of the issues listed in other reviews. Again, I still have to pick up larger debris by hand, and use something else to do the edges, but for everyday cleaning it is very convenient. I only have to carry one machine up and down the stairs instead of dragging around both a vacuum and steam mop. I really don't think you can beat the squeaky and chemical free clean of steam. And this one has very strong steam (except when recharging) and will leave you with a pretty dry floor. No need to go back and dry it. If you keep up your floors regularly, you shouldn't have trouble with the power of the vac. If you have built up dirt (or bought/are renting a place previously lived in by not so clean people) this alone probably won't cut it. A little about me: Two kids, one dog and regular cleaner (no built up grime to speak of). While not perfect, for me, this is the best hard floor cleaning solution out there..