You'll need a powerful steam blast or a brush or scrubber for that. (Do not use on peeling or glued vinyl tile.) And keep in mind, most steam mops alone likely won't whiten dirty or stained grout lines. Steam mops are generally safe to use on sheet vinyl, ceramic and porcelain tile floors, but it is always a good idea to check with your flooring brand to be sure using steam won't void your floor's warranty. It may be, especially if you want to clean without chemicals. Then you either toss the cloth or wash the pad-so these mops are neater and easier to store than messy, drippy string or sponge mops. As the steam penetrates and softens grime, the pad picks it up and traps it. Steam mops have a reusable microfiber pad or disposable cloth attached to the head that helps disperse the steam. No cleaners to store or heavy buckets to fill and empty. Because the steam kills germs, you gain peace of mind.Ī steam mop is an all-in-one system. The powered mops can also provide a deeper clean in rooms where kids or pets play and lie on the floors. Just pass them slowly over areas to sanitize - for 20 seconds or 15 passes - so the steam has time to do its job. Unlike just about every other type of floor mop, steam mops reach temperatures high enough to kill germs and bacteria on hard surfaces. If you just want to cut down or eliminate some products in your home, switching to a steam mop is an easy fix. It can streamline your routine and save you from having to buy bottle after bottle of floor formulas. Any special features, like scrubbing brushes or handheld attachments, are also evaluated.Ī steam mop has more power than a regular mop and could be a dream helper in a busy household with lots of foot traffic, where you wash floors often. We launder the reusable pads multiple times to gauge durability and we check extra parts, like brushes or attachments. Instead of traditional chemical cleaners, steam mops turn plain water into hot steam to dissolve grime, remove tough, dried-on stains and zap everyday dust and dirt with the help of washable, reusable microfiber pads, so there's nothing to toss. We time how quickly the floors dry and how easy the mops are to fill, use, clean and store. For steam mops, we time how quickly they heat up, measure how much steam they produce and assess how thoroughly they remove dried-on sticky foods and beverages, like orange juice, cola and spaghetti sauce, and greasy messes like salad oil, along with regular dust and dirt, from ceramic tile and vinyl test floors. We base our tests on industry-standard protocols established by ASTM International, an industry group of appliance engineers and technical experts. In our last test of 17 steam mops, that added up to over 1,000 forward and backward mopping strokes! Since then, we’ve tested new and newly-introduced steam mops from four brands. When we test steam mops in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, we allow stubborn stains to set and dry for 14 hours, then pass the mops across them until clean or we reach a maximum of 30 strokes, whichever comes first. Many also convert to handheld tools to tackle moldy grout, greasy grill grates, car interiors, dirty windows and even wrinkled fabrics, so we checked those features, too.Īt the end of this article, you'll find more information on our tests, which of these movers and shakers work best for which floor surfaces and whether you should invest in one. Steam mops can sanitize germy areas like bathrooms and pet spaces in a way that other floor cleaners like vacuum cleaners, regular mops, robot mops and hardwood floor cleaners just can’t, but we had to see for ourselves. We put these models through the paces, testing in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Care and Cleaning Lab. These electric mops make buckets, floor cleaning products, and hands-and-knees scrubbing obsolete, using gentle billows and targeted bursts of steam to dissolve grime, remove stuck-on deposits and even kill bacteria to sanitize with just water. They've moved from secret weapon for the hotel industry-so many bathroom and kitchenette floors to speedily sanitize between guests!-to top mop for avoiding chemicals but still getting sparkling clean results.
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