Are steam cleaners really better than a regular mop?

I have an old Vax cylinder steam cleaner and it’s very good and reliable. However, I don’t use it very much now as it’s quite bulky and tends to get buried behind other items in the cupboard making it difficult to reach. I also found it particularly frustrating because of the 11 minute heat up time and if I was doing a particularly long job e.g. cleaning the floor grout (all the downstairs is tiled) then I would need to allow cool down time and re-heating time when re-filling the tank.

I like steam cleaning and my good but somewhat frustrating experiences with my Vax have persuaded me to try a slightly different route to steam cleaning. I’m awaiting the arrival of a Best Buy steam mop for general floor cleaning (the Holme detergent, dual tank 4001 steam mop) because of it’s lightness, easy stowability and rapid heat up time. But I will also be buying a hand held steam cleaner with accessories for all those other jobs around the house. Because of the query over durability I shan’t be disposing of my old Vax cylinder steamer but keeping it as a standby as it’s still in good working order and, as previously stated, it does a very good job at cleaning.

Steam Cleaners are great, From the real satisfaction of scrubbing floors with a huge brush, and floor cloths which had to be boiled to get clean every week, this is the next best thing. With little effort you can feel that surfaces are really clean, and a fresh smell in your surroundings, why would you want to mask smells with sprays?!!!.

We have had quite a few Steam Cleaners since the late 70’s, our first one was an orange pod on wheels. it brought floor cleaning time to a minimum and upholstery cleaning easily done, and also brought down the cost of cleaning products down enormously.( I was spending loads on cleaning products) This leaves a smooth feel to your bare feet, and carpet nice and fresh smell, It was going still going strong after 10 years, when I aquired a professional Polti, this was much easier to regulate and do more things with including stripping wallpaper, but proved bulky as I was getting older and weaker. Steam cleaning ovens I did not enjoy, as you cant see where you are aiming. and electrically wise felt uneasy. I find its much better to take out the shelves and sides of the oven and soak them in biological washing powder. (also great cleaner for teapots)

I then opted for a stick floor steam mop as this was easy to plug in and wizz round the kitchen and bathroom floors. but you couldnt do any other cleaning it did freshen up the carpet as well though, so worth having. It lasted 5 years and the element went. I then watched the shopping channels and brought a Little Yello. this did more, like tiles windows floors and surfaces, but became less able to get it out and put the various parts together, so its still in the cupboard, I have lost one vital part unfortunately.

I tried out one of those hand held steamers, which was brilliant in the bathroom, and also the kitchen surfaces, even windows, but finally opted for a Shark Pro Steam Pocket from Lakeland, as they have a policy that if you dont get on with a product you can change it. This Shark is both a hand held and stick cleaner, still quite heavy and bulky to change accessories, they are all in a big bag so hopefully I wont lose any this time. and it does everything I want it to with three settings. Like getting rid of Moth eggs in the carpet to cleaning the skirting boards, spring cleaning was never easier.
Dont put anything other that water in the tank, you do have to make sure it is cleaned as we have a chalk problem.

I have a Kardean floor in my kitchen. I asked Kardean for comment on the use of stream mops. This is their advice:
“Unfortunately we would not recommend that you use a steam mop or cleaner as the heat and steam can emulsify the adhesive, and in turn this can cause the tiles to lift. As with many other types of flooring, repeated use of steam mops can ruin the original aesthetic of your floor and can also mark it.”

I bought a very cheap steam cleaner at least 6 years ago. It is still working and I use it by choice on the kitchen floor, where it removes all but the most stubborn marks. I am still trying to persuade my husband to use it – he prefers a mop and bucket.

I do have a steam mop but actually prefer the e-cloth mop which is just brilliant. Using barely any water (so all those comments about mops and buckets don’t apply) the floor is dry almost immediately. I find I get so much dirt on the mophead – much more than the steam cleaner, which begs the question which is more effective. Also, the e-cloth mop doesn’t use chemicals either and is no harder than wiping down a worksurface, and so encourages me to use it frequently. My steam mop is sitting in the cupboard gathering dust…….

I have had a Thane H20 steam cleaner with accessories, for a few years. The body is detachable for hand held steaming, curtains, bathroom, windows, the oven, steaming clothes etc. The newer model is smaller and even easier to handle. I find it great for all around the house, and it only uses water, so, no chemicals. I just put a little water in the container switch it on and in 5 minutes the floors are clean, just pop the dirty cover into the washing machine. The floors take about 5-10 miutes to dry. There is a thicker cover that can be used for a quick run over the floors after washing for a quicker dry. There is also a cover on which to place the steamer and the carpets can be refreshed, without making them soaking wet.
There is no way I would go back to dirty water mop wringing and bucket emptying again.,

I am a professional cleaner, I had used kentucky mops for professional work.I had used both, the simple cheap flat mop which cost about £10-£15 and will last for a decade and one steam cleaner which ,I paid about £ 50 and lasted only one month. I had to point out that during this time ,I had never seen any steam coming out but the 10 square centimeters mop was only warm and the small mop is soon very dirty. It’s quicker to clean my kitchen floor, which is about 10 sqares foot, with a flat mop and he does clean under the fridge and cooker. I can use bleach to disinfect as I got a cat. or any other chemicals as I wish.
I have another 3 bar steam cleaner ,which I only use as a subtitute. I now only use my steam cleaner for a deeper cleaning and dusting around the house.

I have a cleaning business and one of my clients has a steam mop. Coincidently, I mentioned today how energy companies must be rubbing their hands in glee as people keep buying gadgets such as steam mops.

Personally I still prefer a traditional mop and bucket. You can get into nooks and crannies, cheap to buy, only a tiny amount of washing up liquid is necessary, no electricity used, no cloths to fix on and take off to wash, no cable to keep unplugging and finding another socket or fixing on to an extension lead to stretch far enough etc etc.

Our first steam cleaner from Aldi 3 months ago blew up,casing sides and bottom expanded cracking all around OK it was only £30 pounds and Aldi gave me a refund our second one is from Asda it works fine and has lasted longer than the Aldi one cannot afford a more expensive one and find using a mop and bucket difficult have heart failure,diabetes etc,also 67 years of age do all that wringing out is out for me

Steam does not stay hot enough for long enough to really deep clean a floor. I use boiling water with washing soda and bleach in a mop and bucket. Nothing escapes that!

My steamer gives constant hot steam during the job of cleaning and steriling. When I have used the drying pad after cleaning, I found no dirt surplus, so it does do the job. The newer model has a dial for varying heats of steam. I have no trouble getting into all the corners with the shaped front of my machine.

IT IS, I think, just a matter of personnal preference. Whether one wants to have all the hassel of buckets, water, cleaning liquids and bleach etc, or, a quick machine job, small amounts of water and no other cleaning stuff, which is my preference.

I purchased a Hoover steam mop – the one with the centre removable red scrubbing brush – just great!!! I can throw the pads into the washing machine (along with my dog towels – so I get a full load) and they come out perfect. The scrubbing segment soon gets to grips with mud and all manner of dirt and the floors dry quickly – as opposed to mop and bucket power which resulted in smelly dirty mop heads and merely rolling the dirt around the floors. My floors have never looked so good. The additional/replacement microfiber cloths were easy to source and I have a couple of “spare sets”. I am able to manage the flow of steam via the trigger which prevents my tiles from becoming too wet but equally can manage dirty areas. This is the best bit of kit I have purchased.

I have had several steam cleaners, essential with 8 dogs…meaning I use one daily at least once. They eventually become blocked and I have never been able to remedy this on any model, resulting in having to replace the cleaner every 12 months on average. The best one was a Vax hard floor master which seems to have lasted the longest but still only a year. All mine have included the handheld unit but I hardly ever use these, I find them quite ineffective and they take ages to actually impact on dirt or grease, it’s quicker to use elbow grease. I’m considering whether it is worth it buying one every 12 months, and am hoping a manufacturer will make one that doesn’t block. The filters are still clean and I have loads of extra bits which I’ve never used.

Why have none of the expensive models, such as the Karcher SC5.800 been tested? Surely they would produce better results. I’ve not seen a bad review of this machine anywhere – does anyone have it?

Hands, knees and boomps-a-daisy are not entirely eliminated in our exprerience. We didn’t think much of a push-around steam mop we had bought without much prior research so we recently bought a Polti steam cleaner to do our kitchen and utility room floors which are ceramic tiled. These rooms have doors to the garden and the garage so some dirt gets brought into the house and there are also the usual small spillages found in any such areas. The machine produces copious amounts of steam and the pressure can be varied. It is quite easy to use and does an effective job in liberating any dirt or stains that have stuck to the floor. Spill spots [like tea and coffee] get diluted by the steam and just evaporate away. Dirt particles, like crumbs, powder, soil, mud, hairs and so on, still have to be rounded up and removed which is why there is no substitute for getting on your hands and knees [although a traditional mop can be quite good at that]. We did consider buying a Vax appliance that steams, dries and vacuums in three successive operations but the reviews were not sufficiently favourable. After using the Polti, the floor dries very quickly and leaves it looking very clean. One side-effect of a steam cleaner, which might be an advantage in some circumstances, is that it does remove any polish or artificial surface shine, so if you have matt or semi-matt tiles and want them to gleam and sparkle you’ll need to reapply the polish after steam-cleaning.

Can I use a steam mop on vinyl Kandean floors? My friend says the floor tarted to come off after using the steam a couple of times.

I have had quarry tiles laid in an extension that was built in 1978. This week they suddenly started to explode off the floor. My kitchen is a mess. My insurance company are not interested and said it was wear and tear! I looked on you tube and saw an identical scenario but the people had not found a cause, there are no underfloor water courses or pipes and the floor is on solid concrete. I sat and puzzled what could have possibly caused it and eventually I thought of the Beldray steam cleaner I bought 6 months ago and use once a week. This appears to be the only possible answer and when I replace my floor I will be using Lino flooring.

Aldi steam mop

In my opinion, don’t bother with this item. I have used it twice and it has failed. I have had it four weeks.

I tried to contact the company that Aldi farmed out support to, TEMPO, first thing on Monday morning. The call rang for some time before an answering machine asked me to leave my name and number. I did but had got no response by Wednesday morning when I phoned them again. I got through after a few attempts and was told the machine needed replacing but they did not hold any stock or any spares. I find this amazing given that the supplied literature states that customers have a “3 year parts and labor (sic) warranty” and “dedicated helplines and WEB support.

Tempo do not expect to have any spares in the foreseeable future. This is a month after purchase on a product with a 3 year warranty!!

I contacted Aldi, they were to get a member of their team who is based at Tempo to call me. Apparently they had got a few issues with this supplier. I did get the call back, not from Aldi but the same guy at Tempo. He obviously didn’t remember the conversation on Tuesday as I had to tell him the details again. This, despite him never having had a machine fail like this before Still no spares.

Back to Aldi. They can offer me a replacement machine but not at my two local stores. I would need to travel to a store in another town – 25 minutes away. They cannot get the machine shipped either to me or to my local stores. It seems that when an Aldi supplied item fails the customer has to do the leg work to get it replaced. The machine is effectively junk. Its going back for a refund.

[Hi Compy, thanks for sharing your comments about your steam mop. We’ve had to edit your post so it aligns with our commenting guidelines. Thanks, mods]

Compy, you are protected legally by the Sale of Goods Act. This also says (to the retailer) “Any refund, repair or replacement you arrange with your customer relating to faulty goods must not cause them too much inconvenience and you will have to pay for other costs, for example, collection or delivery.

I find cleaning my kitchen floor is transformed by using a steam cleaner. The old way of filling a heavy bucket with hot water and then mopping is hard work. The skirtings get splashed, and one has to continually dunk and then squeeze out the water. Then you have to clean out the bucket and the mop head, and then store all that wet and bulky stuff. Simply washing out the steam pad is easy by comparison.

Although most steam cleaners will tackle carpets with some degree of adaptation, they don’t seem to be properly designed for the task and the steam does not penetrate the pile on heavier carpets. Steam cleaners do not remove any dirt – they just liberate it so that it can be removed more easily with a floor mop or brush [hard floors] or vacuum cleaner [carpet]. On hard floors some dirt [like spillages] will stick to the mop head and on carpet some fluff will also stick to the head. Thorough cleaning involves (1) sweeping or vacuuming the floor, (2) using the steam cleaner and allowing to dry, and (3) sweeping or vacuuming again.

I have no idea whether steam cleaning makes any impression on dog odour embedded in a carpet. It possibly depends on the origin of the odour and its intensity. It might neutralise concentrations of odour but a professional cleaning machine with a wet/vacuum action might be needed to expunge odour altogether.

Why bother about steam cleaners! To get rid of dog odour buy new carpets and get rid of the dogs.

I have a shark steam cleaner. Good results for smooth floors. Not so good on tiled floors with uneven indents as per the design of the flooring on my kitchen floor. Two dogs two cats and a rabbit frequently in and out of the garden in all weathers not to mention the adults.
Tried several floor mops but still didn’t get the dirt from the indents.
Bought a hard yard brush and dunk it in hot water with cleaning fluids – Washing powder and some bleach scrubbing it manually. It gets into all the crevices nicely and does the trick but a lot of water left. Then bought a spinning top mop and bucket to pick up the water. Best results ever floor gleaming.

I have been using a Shark Steam Pocket mop on my stone floors for several years now. It has been reliable and easy to use and I am very pleased with the way it leaves the floor dry. With an ordinary mop it can take hours for the uneven surface to dry out. The grout lines are not cleaned properly with either the steam mop or a flat microfibre mop, however, so I akso need to scrub and use a conventional mop when I have the time, but for a quick and easy clean of the floor the stem mop is the best optionI have found .

I tried a steam mop and, intially, thought that it was very good… but it created condensation and mold so I have gone back to mop and bucket (‘pedal spin’ bucket which spins the mop as dry as I want) and I much prefer this way of cleaning my laminate floors and tiled kitchen floor…

I have seen some youtube videos of spinning mops which looks very good because they seem to clean a large area fairly quickly. I need one to clean my tiled garage. Has anyone tried these and can recommend a good brand.