With all the new flooring we now have in our house I have been wanting to try an alternative way to clean it. I have tried plenty of things and just ended up with this…
It was a removable microfiber cloth mop. It worked fine. But I always ended up going around all the corners on my hands and knees because it never quite got the them clean.
At a New Year’s Eve party my friend Amy mentioned that she got a Bissell Steam Mop as a door buster the day after Thanksgiving and loved it. Amy and I have often traded gadgets to try out and I respect her opinion so I had to try it.
I was so intrigued. I guess my head had been in the sand but I had never heard of one before. However, I love anything gadgety and will try anything that has the remote possibility of making cleaning quicker and easier for me. So I asked her if I could borrow it. I tried it on my linoleum and loved it. I went over and did my mom’s hardwoods and tile and she loved it.
So when Bissell agreed to send me their Steam Mop Deluxe for free to try out on my new floors I about did a back flip!
So basically you add water (distilled is best) or the Eucalyptus Mint water that comes with the machine. Then plug it in and wait for the orange light to come on. Then you push a trigger and steam comes out. The thing I love most about the steam mop is that is USES NO CHEMICALS. With having small children this was a huge factor for me.
I was concerned that it would not clean the corners well since I have not found a mop product that does. But it worked wonders. Since it has a swivel head it gets in those corners well. No more touching up the corners on my hands and knees. Also where the seams are on the removable pad it bunches together and sticks out further than the mop itself so that helps gets in tight spaces.
Also the swivel head helped me to make sure I stayed with the grain of the laminate. You want to stay with the grain so that no streaking is shown. You just push it left to right instead of back and forth to continue cleaning with the grain.
I LOVES IT! Plus it has a neat attachment that you can run over your carpet and refresh it. I was a tad skeptical about the “carpet refreshing” idea but it really did help raise the fibers. Plus I used the Eucalyptus Mint water that it came with and gave the carpets a fresh scent.
Con: The cord is a little short. I do have a lot of flooring, but I wish it were like 10 feet longer so I didn’t have to unplug it and replug it in. Also there is a warning when using it on hardwood floors, it could dull the finish. My mom did notice this although she did not mind because it got her floors clean and she isn’t into the shine anyway. It retails for $119.99, which is a little steep. Had Bissell not sent me one I was planning on using Christmas money to purchase it because I liked it so well.
I have passed it on for the weekend for another friend to use. My mom is planning on buying one and I am pretty sure my other friend will buy one after trying it this weekend. She is using it on bamboo floors. So check it out and for you locals if you want to try mine let me know.
on stage right!
I have the Shark Steam Mop and I love, love, love it. Having babies crawling on floors that eight other people and two giant dogs on makes you want to throw up a little bit in your mouth. The steam mop makes it all ok.
HMMMMMM —– Does this work on laminate flooring? I would be afraid it would make it buckle.
Thank you so mcuh for this review! Now I need to run out and get on of these! And for you other followers….I just looked it up – Walmart has these for $78 with 97cents shipping! You can't beat that!
Have wondered if this works on laminate as well…bad, bad if I tried and it didn't…
Please let us know…
Well, now I know what to ask for for my birthday. 🙂 I would love to be able to clean my floors without using chemicals.
I've had this for awhile. I didn't know it had a carpet refresher attachment and Eucalyptus Mint water?!?! Where have I been?
Love it on my laminate and it worked well on my mom's tile (although if you didn't sweep thoroughly before using it on tile, you'd get dirt in the grout).
Got a good deal on mine at Amazon (applied for their credit card and got and extra $30 off).
I'm wondering about the laminate hard wood also- mine is the lock-in kind and I'm TERRIFIED of it buckling! Right now I WINDEX MY ENTIRE HOUSE because of it. Needless to say I HATE cleaning!
I use the Shark one on my hardwood, the tile in the bath and have used it on the carpet too. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Can't say enough, it barely makes it wet! But you can feel with your feet that it is hot and so clean!
I was toying with the idea of getting one of these, but from my little internet research, they aren't really recommended for laminate floors =/
I have the Shark Steam Mop that I got for Christmas and LOVE IT. I really feel the floors get cleaned good.
I want one!! Unfortunately I made the mistake of asking the hardwood guy about these while he was finishing up our hardwoods last spring and he about had a heart attack over the thought of me using a steam mop on the hardwoods–and my husband was there to witness the guy's reaction. 🙁 I still think the guy didn't understand what a good steam mop is…but he was *strongly* opposed to steam mops. 🙁 Boo, hiss!
~ Sarah
I've had this mop for the past 2 years – and I love it. I have one upstairs for the bathrooms, and one for the kitchen. I also have larger steamers by Bisell which are fabulous. I am asthmatic, and so is my son so I have been cleaning sans chemicals for years, thanks to these steam cleaners.
Thanks for the review. I've been curious about these.
I'm hosting my first giveaway on my blog and wanted to invite you to stop by for a chance to win fine art print(s):
http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/introducing-prairie-storms-prints-and.html
For all of you asking about laminates and hardwood be very very careful. The Steam Mop is relatively new and will void most manufacture warranties if used. I sell hardwood for a living and have not been able to get good feedback because companies simply don't know what the machine will do long term. Also, for your friend that wants to try it on her bamboo, make sure to suggest she tries it in a closet or something first, bamboo is a laminated product put together with glue, it DOES NOT respond well to moisture of any type. I think the Steam Mop is a great idea and would absolutely consider it for my own home. Just be extra cautious when using it on wood or laminates. Good luck!!
Do NOT NOT NOT use these on wood floors at all. Review your warranty on the floor I am certain there is a section that clearly states that using a steam mop will void your warranty. Dust mop only on laminates, never mop a laminate with water, ever! If you get a stain on laminate, use just a dab of finger nail polish remover to clean it up. Laminate floors are just that, laminated layers of material. That means they are glued and steam will cause the glue to 'de-laminate' the layers, bad, bad news for your brand new floor. Although, for vinyl floors, these things rock and vinyl floor, being non-porous will not absorb the water/steam.
I have seen this at the store and wondered how well it would work! Thanks so much for the great review! 🙂
What about using an extension cord when you are using it. Then you won't have to keep moving the plug.
You lucky duckie!!!! 🙂 I would love one!!!
I've seen this steam mop in the stores – but never had the chance to actually compare it to our regular swiffer mop. Thanks for the informative post!