Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Shark Steam Mop review
So yesterday I bought a Shark Steam mop. I had seen the infomercial and I too wanted to clean my floors without toxic chemicals. Also, my current (non-steam) mop has been on the way out for about a month and I needed to replace it. Why not replace it with something that costs ten times as much? What a great a idea I thought. I dragged my children down to Sears and purchased the coveted item.
This morning I got to try the shark steam mop out. (I did read reviews found here before I bought it.) It was easy to assemble. I washed the microfiber pads as directed. Then I mopped my floor. Mopping with steam is fun. I wasn't sure if I would like the "steam as you push forward" feature, but I actually do like it. I just need to remember to pull back hard. In my usual mopping I do most of the cleaning pushing forward, but that doesn't work as well on this mop. I also need to buy some distilled water for it since the water here is very hard. I have a small kitchen, dining room, and two small bathrooms that I mopped. I used both pads and had to refill once. I saw some spots afterwards that I went at with my regular mop and it couldn't get them up either, so it did an OK job. As one of the reviews said, this will clean about as well as a regular mop, although I like it better since it picks up all the dirty water instead of the water staying on the floor like it did with my old mop.
The pads need to be washed separately from other laundry. I tried wrapping them in a pillow case and washing them with everything else, and they still came out covered in weird little things the microfibers picked up from the other laundry.
Pro:
Floor is dry almost instantly because the steam evaporates quickly.
Relaxing hissing sound from the steam
Arm workout since I am pushing forward and back more than I usually do. (This is good since most of my mopping consists of "the floor is wet, that must mean it is clean".)
Cord is long.
You can refill the reservoir without waiting for the mop to cool.
Works well on my wood floors.
Got a big glob of dried yogurt up off the floor. (I had to go over it a few times, but at least I didn't have to get out my putty knife like I usually do.)
Mop stays more sanitary since I will clean the microfiber pads every week.
cons:
Does not work well on my upstairs bathroom vinyl flooring. I'm not exactly sure what the deal is since the shark mop works fine in the kitchen and other bathroom, both of which have vinyl flooring. I think the texture might be giving it problems. My regular mop doesn't like that bathroom much either.
It can sanitize, but I'd have to mop very slowly.
It would be nice if the handle could turn, then I could store it against a wall.
I'll add more later after I've used it a few more times.
Update (11-17-07): So I have mopped with it a few more times. A few more things I've noticed. One of the pads seems to mop better than the other one. I'm not sure what the difference is. Also, I think my mop is slightly broken, but I think the problem is easily fixable (my best guess is a little part at the base popped out). I just need my husband to look at it to confirm my suspicions and help me pop it back in. I'm waiting for the mop to cool down. Also, if there is water in the mop and you lay it down or turn it upside down, it will leak water.
Update (12-04-07): I don't think the mop is broken. Still mopping away with it.
Update (12-17-07): Still mopping away. My final verdict is I'm not sure it is better than a regular mop, but mopping with steam is cool. I'd feel bad if I had spent budget money on it, but since I used my own spending money I like it just fine. I've also found a way around the upstairs vinyl problem...I just mop that with a rag under the steam mop instead of one of its mircofiber pads. Seems to work just fine. I'm wondering if my pads have shrunk (I did run them through the dryer once.) I'll have to remember to check my mom's and see if hers are slightly larger.
posted by rcstanley at 11:24 AM
33 Comments:
lori said...
hi, your blog was most helpful...have you used it again, do you think its a good buy? thanks!
11:31 AM
rcstanley said...
I've been mopping my floor with it for the past few weeks. I tried to mop up a major apple juice spill with it (don't). It can absorb the spill, but don't mop with it afterwards because it will make your whole floor sticky.
Currently my mop is acting up. I think a piece at the base might have popped out. I can still mop with it, but the head wiggles a lot now. I don't think it's broken broken, but I'm going to have my husband look at it
As far as a good buy, it's fun to mop with steam, and I think my floors are cleaner since the microfibers pick up all the dirt, but I don't know if they are $95 worth of clean.
9:08 PM
bdsrealtor said...
I didn't know you could buy them at Sears. I really wanted one, because I thought it would clean better than regular mop and sanitize. Thanks for the post, so now I will think about it twice.
Thank you
6:08 PM
Vickie said...
Thank you for your review of the Shark Steam Mop. I am thinking about ordering it, even at almost $100 (I will also check out Sears website). My only concern and maybe you can offer some insite. When I clean my regular vinyl floor, I like to perk up the shine by using an acrylic floor finish like Future. Do you know if the steam mop will "melt" this finish? I usually have to use an ammonia based product to strip the floors once the dirt and grim have been embedded into the acrylic finish to get them really clean and then start all over. It is hard for me to believe that water (even super hot water can break down the acrylic. So I'm afraid the embedded dirt won't be cleaned by the steam mop. My "Dream Mop", if there is a such thing, would allow me to get my floors really clean and dry, allow me to apply the acrylic finish (with a regular sponge mop) and then to be able to use the steam mop to keep the floors clean without having to strip and reapply the acrylic. I understand that when using an acrylic product that the floors needs to be striped about twice a year and redone. I just wish I could find a product that could clean the dirt and leave the shine (my old floors have no original shine left). Thank you for any info you can provide.
9:27 AM
rcstanley said...
To be honest, I know very little about acrylic. I mop my floors and ignore them the rest of the time
Best guess, I doubt it would take off the shine since the steam is on any particular spot for only a short time, and if you used distilled water there should be no residue. I don't know if it would be able to get the dirt off like you want though.
3:52 PM
rcstanley said...
I thought of a way to test if the mop would take the shine off without actually buying a mop. Find a friend that has a scuncci steamer or one of those little steam makers that were so popular a while ago. Lay a rag down on the floor in an unobtrusive area, squirt steam at it for a second or two and see how the shine is. There is no guarantee that the mop would behave exactly the same way,but it would at least give you an idea.
2:20 PM
TMart said...
You can now get one at Bed Bath and Beyond for $79.99 and with their 20% coupon it's only $64.
9:02 AM
Anonymous said...
HAS ANYONE USED IT ON TILE? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT CLEANS THE GROUT? THANKS, ROBERTA
2:27 PM
rcstanley said...
I'm pretty sure it won't do grout. I think I've seen that mentioned in other reviews. Also, it doesn't get the cracks in my vinyl flooring, so I doubt it would get the grout in tile.
8:57 PM
Anonymous said...
Thanks for your blog. I am very intersted in buying this steam mop. I wanted to wait and see how other people liked using it first. I see more positive comments here than negative, so that makes me feel better about buying it. I am glad bed bath & beyond now has it. Thanks!
12:33 PM
Ashley said...
Thanks so much for your blog and these comments. It's very helpful to me. I too am considering buying this mop. I would love to steam clean my floors. I DREaD mopping so much and hate that my floors are wet forever afterwards. Not to mention the cleaners! Expensive and stinky. I'm going to see what kind of deal I can find to buy it. Thanks again!
11:11 AM
Shannon said...
Based on this, I'm going to see about getting one tonight. BB&B doesn't send me coupons, so they were going to make me sign up in the store and wait 6 to 8 weeks for the coupon. I said, "So you're going to make me wait 6 to 8 weeks to purchase the mop?" He generously offered to give me the 20% off without the coupon this *one time only*. I'll post how it does on laminate...
10:10 AM
dolphinboy said...
Hello, I hope that you don't mind if I ask a question(s). I have a very light tan, porcelain tile and I've gone through 3 different kinds of mops and end up always on my hands and knees going over almost 800 square feet over again with a wet rag and paper towel. No matter what I do, the mop tends to just move the dirt around on this tile leaving horrible ugly blotches that are worse than if I didn't mop. I've tried just doing small portions of the tile at a time with clean water and thus going through several buckets of water to make sure that clean water is going on and not dirty water. It never makes a difference. Sponge mops leave ugly streaks on this kind of tile and the mops with string are the ones that just seems to move even the slightest dirt around leaving me with the ugly dirt blotch marks. The box for this steam mop especially states that a plus to owning this mop is that it won't just move dirt around. If I get extra pads, do you think this finally might be the answer to my year long fruitless battle to find the right mop for my "difficult" tile. I think you mentioned it takes more work, but I'm going over my floors so much with the mops and then ending up on my knees going over the mess that's left behind, so I can't imagine the physical part being a problem. I can also always wipe up small messes on the floor myself. I'm just looking for something that I can use that won't make my floors look worse, much worse, than before I mopped and keep me from having to redo door the floor on my hands and knees. Thank you so much for your blog and any info that you might be willing to provide about whether this or something else might be best for me would be greatly appreciated.
8:18 AM
Bob Gelinas said...
You can see an independent video review of this product at asotv.info, free of charge. This is one of many As Seen On TV video product reviews available as a free consumer resource.
11:30 AM
rcstanley said...
One thing I have noticed with the steam mop is that it really is good about not leaving puddles of dirty water around. The microfiber pads are great at picking up the "dirty water dirt."
If your tile is textured, I'm not sure how well it would do, since it won't get dirt out of grooves. Another thing is if your tile is dusty dirty (for lack of a better term), the steam mop will not do as well. It has problems in my bathroom with the towel lint that gets on the floor. It tends to push it into a little pile. Just sweep well first.
8:49 PM
Anonymous said...
June 2008
I jsut purchased a shark steam mop. i have been reading reviews on them for about 9 months and finally took the plunge. The ice breaker for me is that our local Costco started carrying them AND they come with 5 cleaning pads! So I figured with their fabulous return policy I could try it out. I have polyurathaned hardwood and tile in the house. My kitchen takes a huge beating as i have a 3 year old and 18 month old twins + 2 cats (although they are the least messy!) I have not done the tile yet. But I am happy to say I have no streaking or "haze" on the floors. I used tap water as our water is softened - but I think I am going to grab distilled next time I am at the store anyways. I can tell a difference between the halls and foyer from the kitchen/dinette area. I am guessing that I have some signifigant build up. My pads are not "filthy" so eitherit's not lifting the dirt, or my floors are pretty darn clean. I can feel a big difference in the drag from the kitchen to the other area. of course my kitchen gets washed three time more often than the other places. My old mop is the Shh-mop with a terry cloth head and I have used water/vinegar (streaking), melaleuca tough and tender (haze), and Murphey's oil Soap wood floor cleaner (haze over time and seems to build up). I was able to clean ALL the floors (And we have about 1000 SQ of wood ont he first floor) on 1 tank of water. That was great and it's easy to fill. I didn't have any puddling, streaking, or dripping. I think i do need to mop slower to get more effect. I don't understand how to "mop on the drag" better vs on the push. that seems awkward. i wish the head swiveled b/c It's hard to get into small spaces and you still have to do the sides around the toilet and my pedestal sink by hand (or old mop).
Over all pleased - need to tinker more! I think I am going to do a test patch experiment.
12:25 PM
Ben the daddy said...
I love that comment that went 'my 3 year old and 18 month old twins + 2 cats..." and said her floor took a beating. My kitchen vinyl has six kids under 13 and two large hounds to survive under. I'm interested in this Shark mop because I've had to refinish the paneling in my kitchen island due to the water that the old mop sloshes around when the troops clean the kitchen. The water ruins the last two inches of the wood and I'm ready for this low moisture mop. Thanks for the reviews, I'll post the results soon in my kitchen.
11:26 PM
Anonymous said...
I just purchased this product this weekend and used it on my hardwood floors for the 1st. It seems to leave streaks even after washing the pads first and using distilled water. Any help hints or insights? I really, really want this to work as I have over 1,000 square feet of hardwood flooring to clean.
3:10 PM
rcstanley said...
I don't know why it is streaking, I don't have that problem. I had two ideas 1) the finish on your hardwood doesn't like the steam. I'd suspect wax wouldn't like it much. 2) There is residue on your wood from the cleaners you used previously that the mop is stirring up. I don't really have a good solution to either problem, if it's 2 you could pick a small area of floor, scrub it really well normally, then try mopping over it a bunch of times, changing pads in the middle. This would let you know if a streak free shine is possible on your floors. (Needless to say, pick somewhere not obvious in case the finish doesn't like steam.)
10:08 AM
Mimi said...
I am trying to choose between the Shark and the H20 mop. I saw in some reviews that the latter leaves a lot of pooled water and no one has said that of the Shark. My concern is that I have "bumpy" ceramic tile that looks great but is a nightmare to clean. Has anyone had luck with the Shark on textured tile?
10:23 AM
rcstanley said...
I haven't had a problem with pooled water. I think it would have problems with the bumpy tile. If a normal mop has trouble with it, the steam mop will have trouble with it. Depending on how dirty your floor gets, you could use the steam mop for general mopping, then "power clean" every once in a while.
9:25 PM
Anonymous said...
I too have been looking into the differences between the Shark and the H2O mop, and have noticed more negatives with the H2O one. I think I might go ahead and purchase the Shark. I have seen it carried in Target for those looking for a cheaper price, you may want to check there.
5:32 AM
Anonymous said...
I purchased one of these to clean the tile in my kitchen. My tile has a shiny finish to it and I was always having to go back over after I mopped to get rid of the streaks. The shark cleans the floor and gets rid of the streak problem at the same time. It doesn't clean the grout, but neither did my regular method of mopping. Hope this helps.
2:27 PM
Anonymous said...
I purchased the mop when I saw the infomercial. With the regular sponge mop, my kitchen tile floor never really got clean, it seemed to leave a sticky residue. THe steam mop is much better. The cons are: 1.There isn't an on/off switch - so you have to plug it in and hold the mop up because the instructions say not to leave the pad on the floor in one spot - it will cause damage.The reverse is also true - when you finished, lift the mop and carry it to the outlet to unplug to stop it. 2. If you use the mop close to the baseboards, walls or furniture - they get wet and have to be wiped down afterwards. It's better than a sponge mop but not at all that it is cracked up to be or worth the money.
9:50 AM
Janie A. said...
Costo has them for 68.79 in my neck of the woods (Ventura, CA). And it came w/ 5 pads. I tried it on my wood floors. I think it did much better than having to get out the mop/bucket.
I have used the wood floor cleaners and they are so hard to use w/ the swiffer style contraption and pads. Just seems like I'm working really hard with the back and forth motions. A CHORE actually.
This Shark Steam Mop was much easier as it seems the steam allows the mop to "float". I must say, though, that I will probably have to go over the wood floors several times because I think there are months of gunk on them (other cleaning products, etc). I don't mind though because like I said, the mop kind of floats along.
Also, I may have to put something down after to shine up the floors but at least they're getting clean (I think).
Oh and I used it on my kitchen floor which is vinyl. Seemed to work rather well. The vinyl is just a year old and is kept very clean so there wasn't much of a before and after. We'll see how it works on the tile around the toilets next (house full of boys). Ugh.
4:53 PM
Anonymous said...
Has anyone tried this with the attachment on carpet?
3:39 AM
rcstanley said...
I don't have the carpet attachment, but maybe someone else does and can comment.
8:48 AM
Anonymous said...
waiting for my shark mop to come in mail i did not know you could get it at different locations. will post after i use firt time i have 5 chihuhuaus and my floors get dirty
6:24 PM
Renee said...
I was initially very excited to use the Shark Mop in my small cleaning business. I liked that it advertised to clean all floor types without any cleaners ~ and that it was very light weight. I have used the Shark Mop for the past several weeks and I have to admit that I was determined to use this new tool and be successful with it. I have found that realistically, I need to change out the mop pads for every room which I use it (also based on the room size). I have also found that the mop pads simply push the dirty grime around. At the end of cleaning each space, I have to go back and use a paper towel to collect the left over residue. I must say that I'm quite disappointed in the product and will be returning it for a refund.
7:11 PM
Anonymous said...
I couldn't decide between the Shark, the H2O and the Bissell. I read reviews of everything and came down to those three. Reviews on amazon and sites like this help. Then I asked different friends for any experiences. No one had tried the H2O and 2 had tried the Shark but didn't like it, so I ordered - with great trepidation - the Bissell from HSN when they happened to have one of their specials (I think it's still on flexpay online). What my friends didn't like about the shark was having to pump it, that it wasn't great around corners, and tended to leave streaks. They felt the steam part was good and good see the difference from a regular mop. So armed with research and advice, I awaited delivery which was amazingly fast. Assembled quickly and was anxious to try on my kitchen tile. WOW WOW. The tile is white and old and despite scrubbing it looked stained or dirty. This steam mop removed it all. So....while my friends did like part of the shark steam mop they are anxious to try mine.
11:33 PM
Anonymous said...
I borrowed my mom to see how the Shark did on my slate floors and Hardwood Floors. I thought it did great! I did have to wash the pads alot however, but I guess you would have to do that with a mop too! I think I may buy one soon...especially if i can get it at Costco with lots of extra pads.
12:34 PM
JOster said...
Thank you for your blog and everyone's comments. We just bought this "mop" from Costco tonight. With the return policy at Costco, we thought we would buy it and then see what people say about it before we use it. Seems like most people here like it. I am going to try it out this week, we have about 1500 SF of hardwood floors and a couple tiled bathrooms. The 3 extra pads sold us on it as well.
10:17 PM
lori3 said...
hi i just saw the infomercial about the shark and just read this blog. i seem to have the stuck cereal to the floor problem with my 3 kids.. will it "sweep" up stuff my broom can't get? also anyone try shark vac?
9:31 AM
