Advice on Steam Mop

My mom bought one of those Shark steam mops off the TV and she actually likes it quite a bit. I've used it many times and think it works fantastically. It really does get sticky and horrible things off the floor very well and doesn't use any chemicals either. It's even easy enough for a kid to use (my 2-year-old will be ecstatic when we finally let him try it out).

When I'm finally in the market for a mop of my own (I just borrow my mom's, since we live in her basement apt), I would definitely consider getting one of those.

I think the Shark is extremely limited. I found it gets pretty bad ratings on Amazon. The Shark may get rave reviews here but I think that's because this technology is so new that most people are just amazed by how well steam cleans. Unfortunately, my aunt had a Shark but it didn’t produce the amount of pressure, hold enough water or provide continual steam like I've found real steamers do.

I actually live in Salt Lake City so I found out about the machine Sargent Steam offers. I can back up what Joyce says since I love my machine! My steamer will clean up to 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I have to refill. It came with a cart to store everything and it has really nice, durable attachments. They even have towels that go over the attachments so I can wipe the dirt, which the Shark doesn't provide. I also live in an area with hard water so it's great that the boiler distills the minerals. I did my homework and found this machine really is the best bang for your buck! Happy steamer shopping!

P.S. Don't get an auto-refill machine. I read horrible reviews about those!

Looks like I'm the only one here who hated mine! We have a very dark hardwood floor and our Shark steam mop says it's good for hardwood. But it left our floor very dull and was very hard to use. The cloth seemed to "stick" on the floor making the pushing and pulling very difficult. We gave it away after the first use. Hope you have better luck.

I bought the Shark steam cleaner but not just the mop. It is the kind that has the other attachments for it. It is a pull behind canister. It is wonderful for soooo much. I believe they are about the same in price but you get a mop and so much more. You can clean tile grout without having to use a toothbrush. You can clean very hard to get places with it. It does great on spots on carpet and on furniture. You can use it to clean the rims on your vehicle too. Also it has an attachment to clean mirrors and a wonderful plus I use in the spring, it has a wire brush attachment to clean the grill. With the hot steam, it makes it wonderful to cut through the grease! I bought mine at Linens and Things about a year ago and it was $89. But they closed down. So I believe you can get it at Wal-mart now( I know they have it online). I would totally recomend this one over just the mop. Oh, and yes, it also has a great mop attachment. The official name for the one I have is the "Shark Ultra Steam Blaster".
In fact for a little while I was without it, and I was complaining how I needed it to clean, and my 8 year old daughter told me "well, I guess you will just have to clean the old fashion way". I thought that was cute. I guess I got spoiled with it.
Hope this helps. Happy steaming!

Hi, J.
My name is J. Mathie. from Salt Lake City Ut. Exactly 15 yeas ago a friend introduced me to a professional steam cleaner that he found in Switzerland. He asked me to try the machine in my home. That was one of the most eventful days in my life. My cleaning life changed forever. Never had my home been so clean and the cleaning process was so much easier and faster. I never have to get down on my hands and knees and I never have to use cleaning chemicals. It's an extremely versatile tool. I clean everything with it from silk or live plants to degreasing an oven. It cleans toilets and washes windows. I absolutely LOVE this machine. In fact I loved it so much I began sharing it with others which resulted eventually in becoming a fun business for me.
By the way, my original fifteen year old steamer is still in service today.
There is a wealth of information about this machine on the website www.sargentsteam.com.
The brands to stay away from are the cheaper ones found in department stores and catalogues. They don't perform as well nor provide the quality that makes them last for years. There is typically no repair service and definitely no education provided with the purchase of these machines.
I hope this helps.
J.

J.,

Bissell's basic steam cleaner can be found at Lowes, Home Depot, Target, etc for about $100. I used it to do my carpets and it's great! Easy to use & carpets dry quick. Hope this helps - C.

I have the Shark Steam Mop and I love it. It works great and no chemicals!!!!!

Hi J.,

I've heard good things about steam mops in general, and I too, like to stay away from the chemicals and such.
Check out the Basic H2 from Shaklee that is cheap, because it's concentrated and it's organic. It works wonderful AND it leaves no streaking on hardwood floors.
http://www.shaklee.net/sowing4health/getclean/index

God bless,
L.

I like our steam mop. Sometimes it will streak laminate floors, but...what ever =) It's worth having a no-chemical way to clean!!!
The ONE thing thats a bummer is that somethimes when you push forward, then pull back it will leave a line of dirt/hair/whatever where you stopped pushing (is that clear?) But again, worth it. Nothing is perfect =)
good luck!