In a nutshell a steam mop - is an electronic device that uses pure water (no chemicals) to clean and sanitize sealed hard floors. It uses a cloth attached to its nozzle for removing dust/dirt from the surfaces which is called the mop. Although there are few heavier ones, but usually they have a reputation of being easy to use since most of the time they come with light weights.
Although in comparison with steam cleaners, once used on a floor they dries the water out pretty quickly, again thanks to the cloth-nozzle/mop mainly. Since there are no chemicals being used, you can use them to clean your floors without having to fear about spilling any chemicals. Although the chemicals used in steam cleaners are non lethal to humans, but still steam mops in general are more safer than steam cleaners that use chemicals.
1. If you have really dirty floors and unless you're going to vacuum it first -
Well, let's say that you have several pets and a lot of kids around then I don't have to tell you how quickly the floors can get dirty. Especially with pets, they'll usually be filled with pet hair. Since a steam mop lack the vacuuming ability, if you use it on floors without vacuuming them first then the more larger dust/dirt particles get stick-ed to the mop the less efficient it will be and you'll have to replace the mops frequently as well. So make sure to do a vacuum job first (depending how dirty the floor of course).
2. Must use only water -
As said before this has both good and bad aspects. For instance, after cleaning, some floors have a tendency to give bad odors, and there are some fresheners that can be used with steam cleaners, but with a steam mop you cannot use them, only water. And they may not be the best for removing hard stains either.
3. Not for unsealed floors -
They can only be used on sealed floors only. If you have unsealed wood or laminate, etc... then DO NOT use them.
4. Mop has to be cleaned -
If you have larger floors to keep clean then it is advisable to keep an additional mop ready. Because if you keep using the old dirty mop over and over again, then you will see less efficient results + it'll "help" to spread the dirt as well.
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So if you have sealed floors and willing to accept those above mentioned "shortcomings", but want something to completely replace the painstaking, time consuming task of mopping your floors using a non-electric mop and a water bucket and want to get better results quicker and easier, then a steam mop is an excellent choice. So let's talk about some of the things that can come in handy while buying.
*. About the Mops -
There are mainly two types of mops. One sided or Two sided, so what should you choose. Easy, always try to go for two sided mops. When one side gets dirty, you can just flip it over and use the other side. Also make sure the mop has a the swivel feature, which makes it easy to rotate (pretty handy while cleaning edges and under beds, etc).
Make sure the mops can absorb reasonable amount of water, durable and most importantly, they should be easy to remove and insert. Unlike in the past, almost all the time the never mops can be machine washed. Make sure to check for that, just in case ;-).
You can choose mops in different characteristics such as - triangular or rectangular for instance, depending on your needs as well.
*. Weight -
Self propelled vacuum is easy to pull and push in comparison with a vac that does not have that feature. Similar to that, a steam mop is a mop, not a self-propelled vac. So some may find it a bit hard to pull and push, but in comparison with the conventional floor mopping, they are way easier!.
But most of the time steam mops are light in weight, for instance take this Bissell Deluxe 3 in 1. It is a great mop but still weights about 4kg. So unless you buy something really heavy, usually 4-5 kg is pretty much the safe margin for a steam mop in my opinion.
*. Tank capacity -
If you have to clean a lot of hard to reach places like under beds or somewhere similar, then it is advisable to go for something that has a slimmer looking design. Although this would reduce the tank capacity, but still, it'll make it easy for you to clean those types of places with ease nonetheless. The location of the tank can affect the maneuverability, so make sure to check for that.
*. Power Cord -
Anything that has a length of 25ft + is good in my opinion. But some of the light weight ones have shorter cord lengths, but still you can always use an extension cable in those situations.
*. Trigger or a pump driven -
This describes how the steam releases. The pump driven will start pouring steam to the pads as soon as you switch it on. And until you switch it off there is no way to stop the steam output. The trigger control is the opposite. Anyway, they are both good actually, and it is more likely a personal choice to me.
But be aware that, there are some triggers that need you to keep pressing the switch if you want a continuous steam onto your mop which can be a bit irritating while cleaning a larger area. And with the pump driven ones, never idle the steam mop once switched on, say you had to make a phone call after switching it on. When you come back after few minutes, the mop will be pretty damp and really hot which can be bad for your floors sometimes.
*. Power -
Well, in general the more watts that it uses the more power it delivers which results in a faster heating up times + powerful steam outputs. So don't go for weaker ones since they'll be less efficient and will take few minutes to produce the steam (make sure to ask the manufacture about how long it takes to generate the steam - 20-40 seconds is pretty normal).
*. Other accessories -
If you have rugs or low pile carpets, then there are especially made mops for steaming dust (warning - this is not steam cleaning carpets). And handle height adjustments + the ergonomic designs can come in handy when using as well.
Things to remember while using
*. Always attach the mop before plugging it into an electric outlet.
*. Never use them on unsealed floors.
*. Vacuum the floors first to get the best possible results.
*. Use only water to fill the tanks.
*. Make sure to clean the mop when needed (don't use a dirty mop).
*. You may use it to clean walls but depending on the walls and the paints... they can damage the surfaces sometimes. So be careful!.
*. Before storing, make sure to remove the mop.
As I said before, when properly used, a steam mop is an excellent replacement for your daily floor mopping "jobs" that used to take a lot of efforts from the user point of view. So if you can remember these few tips before purchasing one, then you know what you're buying which can help to avoid those "dissatisfaction/s" that usually occur after purchasing, good luck.
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