We have tile in our kitchen/dining area as well as the entry and bathroom. I've been scrubbing on my hands and knees and that has got to stop! I get it a lot cleaner than a traditional mop, but it takes way too much time. So...my question to all of you is this: do I buy a steam mop (possibly a Shark or Eureka) or a Hoover Floor Mate? I like the idea of not having to sweep (it's hard to get all the stuff out of the grout anyway) with the Hoover...supposedly it does it all: scrub, vacuum, dry. I've read that I can use vinegar rather than the cleaning solution so that it's safe for my kids. BUT then the steamers sound good because they sanitize with no chemicals. Will they get food, dirt, and junk out the the grout or do I have to have the floor crumbless beforehand? Does the Shark actually get hot enough to sterilize?
Which product should I purchase? I want something that:
I can use a couple times a week
is safe for my kids (nontoxic)
is fast and easy to use
will do a great job on tile and grout
I hate sweeping and then scrubbing multiple times a week, and yelling at my family in between, telling them to not make a mess on my clean floors because it took me so long to clean them. I want my family to be unafraid to live in the house because I can easily clean up their messes. Does that make sense or am I a crazy lady?!?!
Thanks in advance for your help!
I bought a Shark. I'm not impressed! Floors stay wet for a while, there's lots of streaking, and a sticky film remains on my floor after mopping (even if I mop the clean floor with a clean pad). Guess I'll start saving for a Hoover or something similar...
May, 2011.......Got the Hoover Floor Mate from Costco. It didn't work well, either. (If I went over the floor twice, super slow...like 1.5 hours for my relatively small kitchen/dining area...it did okay. That's longer than it takes me to do it by hand, though!) Returned it. Back to scrubbing on my hands and knees, but at least the floor is clean!
I have the shark vac and steam and like that. I have not liked the Bissell and we took back the shark steam mop because I did not think it was as good as my other shark. The one I had the best luck with was the shark canister I loved that model but have not seen it in awhile and went through two of them. Their customer service SUCKS at shark but their product is the best I have found on the market so far in a reasonable prices range.
I have the hoover floor mate and have used it religiously for 5 years. (We have 2700 square feet of hardwoods). I love it. I NEVER use it to vaccume though. If that is a selling point to you, I wouldn't use that as incentive to buy it. The floormate needs to be cleaned itself for optimal results - I use it to clean the floors and then I rinse everything dilligently. The house cleaner doesn't though, and that results in a thorough cleaning every few months because things get clogged up. It's still better than cleanign the floors yourself though for several reasons:
1. Faster
2. Less mess (no scrubbing then mopping up)
3. Less pain to your knees
4. WAY cleaner than a mop (not considering a steam mop)
5. The water only hits your floor once - no dirty water back on the floor again - it puts the water out, scrubs, and sucks up that water. There is no other device that does this to my knowledge.
My cousin uses a steam mop and she likes it but neither of us are fooled into believing that it actually disinfects your floor. I am not sure how the dirt gets picked up with a mop unless the head itself does it, then you wash that...
I like the Floormate and I recommend it to everyone.
I've had a Floor Mate, but didn't like it as it was B. and bulky and still such a production to vacuum and mop with it. You have to buy their special cleaner or dilute something like Mr. Clean in water. It needed to be refilled and emptied so often, I just gave up and went back to a vacuum and mop. Then I bought a Shark Steam Pocket Mop and LOVE it. It's light weight and quick and easy enough to use everyday. We have hardwood in our living room and upstairs and tile in our kitchen and in my home daycare and it cleans all beautifully. The pads are double sided, so you can just flip it and keep cleaning, the tank holds a lot of water so you don't have to refill and you wash the pads so it's like using a brand new mop everytime. I bought an extra package of pads, since we use 2 a day between the living areas and the daycare, so I only have to do one B. load once a week. My favorite part is that I can literally clean around my daughter while she's playing on the floor since it uses plain water and not chemical cleaners.
I have the Eureka Euro steemer and I love it. The steam is right there at the bottom, the steamer part is heavy enough to get stuck on dirt out. I have wood floors and, for now, cheap vinyl in my kitchen and bath. It works well on all. I am not sure how it would be if I had deep grout but i think it would do great. My kids are always dropping stuff and no one picks it up so things get stuck. I let the steamer sit for just a few seconds and it comes right off. I would caution though. Amazon has this and that is how I got mine. Mine came with 2 clothes that work great, but I have also used towels that are cut to fit-though they do tend to roll. On the Amazon site, they have these square cloths that are supposed to be for the steamer so you can order extras. The clothes for the Euro Steamer are a thick rectangular waffle weave material.
I have a shark, it bites, don't buy it.
My mom bought the shark steam cleaner a few years ago off an infomercial (before it was available in stores) and she still uses it all the time. In fact, I borrow it regularly too. It works great on wood floors and on linoleum.
Someone else mentioned that it dries so fast that you can let kids run around and not worry about them slipping. It's dry within seconds and super fast. The pads just throw into the washer. Super easy and fast.
If my mom's weren't so easily available to me, I would go out and buy a shark too. If we ever move far apart this is what I'll get instead of a mop. Mops gross me out. Sharks? Not in the slightest. They're great.
I have the Shark Steam Mop and I love it. I use a swivel sweeper to pick up the crumbs first, then I steam mop right after. I highly recommend the swivel sweeper as it picks up nearly anything (even whole kix) and keeps its charge for a long time. The kids even love to use it because it is effortless to use. As for the steam mop, I love it because it dries so quickly that I don't need to be worried about my little cuties running around and slipping while I am cleaning. I also love the fact that it uses only water and no chemicals. It is so easy to do that I do it more than once a week with ease.
