Don't you think they are just stains? Almost any rag that is used to clean will eventually look grungy.

I'd like mine to be clean too and tried but it's just not gonna happen. They're stained, not dirty. After some counseling, I'm learning to get over it (g) Srsly, it's ok. It would be nice if they could look pristine but I don't think it's possible but if you find a way, let us know!

Why do they need to be white? They will get stained, but the dirt is washed out. No one else will see them :)

As long as they still work, it's okay.

I wondered about this too, and since they are microfiber ( at least mine are for the shark steam mop I have) I am hesitant to use anything too strong even bleach. They are pretty discolored. I wash them with whites and don't machine dry them. I figure if I ever think I need them to be white white.... I will buy another pair of them but I know now that after using them just a few times on a relatively clean floor, they will just discolor..

I know this message is a few months after the initial question - but thought it might help!

I soaked my shark mop pads in my sink, about 2 inches deep with hot water and 3 scoops of OxyClean. I also rubbed some OxyClean directly on the worst stains before soaking them for a few hours.

After about 2 hours of soaking, I grabbed an old toothbrush and got to scrubbing. So much dirt came out! It worked best when I kept the mop pad submerged in water and scrubbed. They're not completely white, but so much better than before!

Hope this helps.

I've had a similar obsession with my microfiber towels which, over time, do get stained from dirt. My former routine was to let them soak in Oxy for 24 hours and then launder and rinse twice.

After reading the Laundry Form on GardenWeb, I did try using some laundry soap called RockinGreen (no, I don't work for the company). They recommend 3 TBS in a soak for 20-60 minutes then finish washing and rinse twice. While the first round was definitely better, I have noticed that after several regular washings with the soap, my microfiber feels thicker and plusher and is a bit cleaner. Yes, there are still a few of those stains there but overall the soap seemed to help with absorbency of the towels.

The detergent does come in several fragrances but by the time the load is done, I can't smell anything at all. I think they have a free and clear version as well.

Just thought I'd pass it along...

I just got a notification about this thread, and came to see it. For what it's worth, I ended up ordering replacements on Amazon because the old ones after many years of service really looked like a deep gray. I decided to splurge and get new ones. I can't remember what I spent, maybe 15 or so and got like 6 new ones. This was last year so they still look pretty decent.:)

I too have the same problem from Day one when I purchase this mop from a tradeshow. It absolutely never gets clean...what is it that they make them out of that soap will not remove the dirt...very strange indeed. I was told not use a water softener when washing them so wondering if the OxyClean is ok.

I have only had my Bissel for three weeks. I have already ordered new pads because I could not get the first batch clean. i Finally broke down and soaked them in bleach even though it says not to but it didn’t work either. Several washings they still look grimmy. I don’t want to scrub mine with a tooth brush or have to do anything special other than throw them in the laundry. I really think they are a bad design. Would return it if I hadn’t thrown away the box.

I don't expect my steamer cloths to look clean. Try this: submerge the pad in a clean bucket of water, pull it out, and wring out the water. If the water is reasonably clean, then the pad is clean.

Yes it is impossible to get the pads to look clean! But like a lot of the reviews stated they are clean!

So glad to see this post. I had borrowed my friends steamer and a pad to see if I wanted to buy one. Well, I certainly did want to buy one, but my friends pad looked terrible after I cleaned my kitchen floor! So I ordered my steamer and some pads so I could replace hers. Yep, my pads look terrible, but I know they are clean, just don't leave them out for everyone to see!

I have a shark steam mop, and the only thing that works for me is to soak them in the sink with a 4 in 1 tide pod. I literally leave them soaking for a few hours. I tried doing that in the washer, doesn’t work. I guess because the concentration is higher in less water. Then I run them through the washer with a new pod and hang to dry. Double rinse if you like. They smell great too!

It isn't about obsession...looking perfectly brand new...it is about the "pad" never looks clean and in my experience, that means it is still dirty. Imagine you get a white t-shirt dirty...digging in your garden or such and you wash it and the dirt doesn't come out and still looks dirty. Don't know how this is possible that the pads still look disgusting even after multiple washings. .

I suggest you get some Rit dye and dye the pad a forest green....then you will never know if they are discolored.
Do you never use anything reusable for cleaning?
And equating a floor scrubber with a white tee shirt is like comparing a scrub brush to a hair brush.
Wash it in hot water with a good detergent and perhaps some oxyclean or maybe a bit of vinegar......then use it to scrub your dirty floor again!....but I don't suggest you use it as a face wipe.

there's a difference between stained and dirty. my cutting board is stained even after I scrub it with soap and water. I feel 100% fine chopping food on it.

if you washed your mop it in hot water and a good solvent, it's clean enough to mop a floor. if there's something sticky on it that won't come off, then it probably needs to be replaced. otherwise, honestly, store it away when you're not using it and move on.

and why am I even digging in? because cleaning solvents get rinsed down the drain and eventually small amounts wind up in oceans and our water supply. cleaning a normal amount is important, but as more and more people start to change their habits, it adds up and becomes a real problem.

omg...all this about a simple question. I honestly never expected so much dialogue, some even beyond belief. I think I will respectfully decline making any more comments...started off with what I thought was a reasonable question with many others wondering the same thing and, then, weirdly twisting my words...of course it isn't the same thing tshirt and cleaning cloth...duh. happy trolling

Yes I do have that same problem!

only used steam pads once , I just bought new steam mop !

I have tried everything I don’t know to do

PLEASE HELP! They look dirty an only used one !

Hi Teresa...Thanks for agreeing...it is a weird problem...not earth shattering but strange nonetheless. As far as I can see, there isn't really a solution and I feel that if the water

that I rinse out the pad with is dirty, then the job was successful. Must be some kind of

scientific composition in the fabric...who knows! :-)

I understand about the pad being clean, but looking dirty. I mostly am ok with it but I have had the steam mop for years ( I love it) and from time to time I splurge and order new mop pads from amazo . After washing and washing and using and using, I have actually had a few rip. I use the steam mop a LOT. So for like $15 you can get 6 sparkly white ones.

That way I don't get embarrassed by how filthy looking they are. :)

I must have a problem too ;) I just used my new pads and now I want to return them back to that pristine clean looking state. Maybe they should make them in a different color? Gray? I think even with my clean floor they will always pick up residual "dirt"..... Now how do I get all this grout clean without scrubbing with a toothbrush? Does steam cleaning really do the trick?

They should make the Shark large steam pads in BLACK with GREY Stripes, instead of White with Grey stripes!! Maybe we all would not be as bothered as we are!!. Mind you, if they WERE black, we'd never know how dirty they actually were - and we more than likely would not wash them as often as needed.

The Shark "flip" steam mop pads are double-sided. I clean the floor once, then flip it over and do a quick second swipe over the floor with the "clean side" of the mop head. Wash the mop head FREQUENTLY....don't leave it on for many uses.....it will get more difficult to clean (besides being gross to Use)!! I wash my mop heads after ONE use, unless the floor is particularly clean, then after a couple of uses. This way, the mop pads don't get TOO grubby.

I have SIX pads, of which I rotate their use. I soak them in a bucket of shallow, VERY HOT water, with 2 scoops of dissolved Vanish Gold and one measure of Ariel washng liquid. I then rinse them thoroughly and put them through a normal wash cycle with my small indoor floor mats. I certainly do not put the washer on for only 2 pads!! I soak the pad IMMEDIATELY after use. Don't leave them to "dry out" on the mop after use. I then rinse the pad and set it aside, to wait to wash FOUR PADS at one time in my machine, along with my small indoor mats. The pads need something to "bang against" when in the washer, to knock any remaining dirt out. My washer does 4 rinses. NO Fabric Conditioner.....just Ariel Washing liquid in the washer drum. They'll NEVER be white again. They are stains, not dirt. Why do they also make nearly all microfibre FACE wash cloths in WHITE? My freshly washed face cloths NEVER come back up white, although I do keep them scrupulously clean!!

Are you asleep yet? Lol. Just can't believe I've just sat and typed a "War and Peace" article about cleaning Steam Mop Pads!!....this lockdown has a lot to answer for!!

What? Lol. It'll be all right.

I spray my shark pads with full strength Krud Kutter original formula - non toxic. Rub it in good and let it sit for a few minutes. Then soak in a oxi-clean solution For several hours. Then wash. Works great for me and no harsh chemicals!

Stain is stain and dirt is dirt. Big difference. Also, instructions pretty clearly state to not use bleach to clean. Get rid of the dirt and live with the stain. It's a floor for crying out loud.

Thanks for the tips everyone. The washing machine left the pad looking the same, despite those being the instructions to clean it.

The only way to get these things (reasonably) clean is in the sink with some dish soap. I used a little bleach spray to, didn't seem to damage the pads, they're just cloth after all.

I've had the same problem for years. The original poster is correct. It's gross to take those grey dingy pads and pretend they're clean, because they're NOT. I followed every instruction on mulitple sites and they all basically say the same thing. Baking soda, mild dtergent, soak for a half hour, rinse. This doens't do much. I just finished an experiement right now on 8 pads (I kept buying more) I used 8 different meathods to pretreat them, then a repeat of soaking in baking soda and detergent. After a hour I emptied the bucket and rinsed each one, agititated the scrub part and rung them out. Only ONE was noticibly cleaner. So i took the one that worked least and sprayed on the winner. After soaking and rinsing and rigning out, What all of you brow beating shamers to the poster thought was "Clean Enough". I Sprayed on the solution and 5 mins later all kinds of dirt and grossness came off. Keep steam mopping with dirty pads if you want, but if you want them to be clean, use Spray and Wash. You're welcome.

For the person who said "It's a floor for crying out loud" . I shudder to think that pets and babies look like when they leave your home.

@Red Red Ellie are you saying that spraying Spray and Wash got them white again? Pretty sure I have that ( or maybe I have Shout). Will give it a try.. It's truly incredible the dirt that is on the floor even when it's washed very frequently and regularly.

I agree, it's all about scrubbing it with the coarse side of the sponge or even a scrub brush. I used warm water and kept going over it. It's not WHITE like brand new, but it's WAY cleaner than before. I also used a brush set that you attatch to a drill that I got from amazon for $10. That might seem extreme, but it cut the scrub time down to 5 mins or less. There is a HUGE difference in a little dingey and flat out dirty. If you only soak for 30 mins in baking soda and detergent, it's still dirty.

This is long, but important, so please read all the way through.

My personal theory as to WHY the dirt in these pads do not like to come clean in the first place is because they are all made out of synthetic microfiber blends. This is NOT a rant about doing everything in your life all-natural so please stay with me.

In the beginning of my Cosmetology education, I learned that synthetic fibers (such as those used on wigs and cosmetology tools and brushes, do Not like hot water. Only cold or at least tepid water could be used unless you enjoy having your brushes, cloths and wig hairs get all tangled and matted up in an instant, melted in some cases, or hairs/fibers fused together. It’s synthetic. It can’t take the heat.

With that said, I suspect these companies insisting on using microfiber steam mop pads are setting us all up for failure from the beginning. Steam is insanely hot and WILL melt and fuse the little fibers together during use (this is why they say not to put them in the dryer). Steam blows open the fibers in an intense way which is something else I learned in Cosmo school. Steam always works better than hot water in opening up skin pores for instance. Material fibers are no different… unless that material blows up but then breaks down with said heat. Polyester and Nylon just can’t take the heat. You might ask why the heck these companies would make their pads with microfiber if that were true. I’m glad you asked - I suspect the mop companies use these materials anyway, because it’s much cheaper than cotton and will slide nicely across the floor. They know if their customers feel they have to push too hard, they won’t want to use it and will go with the other company that does use microfiber. Let’s be honest, “microfiber” is like some positive buzz word in the retail industry when actually many of us avoid it like Covid. It only has a few good qualities, none of which are involved with mop heads.

Microfiber, is good only for scrubbing, acting as a water repellent in some cases, and behaving somewhat like Velcro when used for dry sweeping. Have you ever tried to remove things that stuck to microfiber material after being in the wash or dryer? It’s not fun is it?
When microfiber is used in wet cleaning applications however, that synthetic material DOES NOT ABSORB. It just doesn’t. It’s synthetic. Synthetics don’t absorb like a natural fiber (e.g. Cotton) does. Try wiping dry your kitchen countertop with a microfiber wash cloth, and then try again with an all cotton and you will see what it is I’m saying.

All of this to share that I finally found a solution to not only keep my microfiber pads from getting too dirty (or worse than they already are), but to also pick up dirt far better than what the pads were originally doing (I have one of the Bissell Power Fresh Pet steam mops for reference).

SOLUTION: I take a damp, wrung out steam mop pad, flip it inside out (I also cut off the scent disk pocket), place it on my steam mop, then place the mop down on top of a 100% cotton shop towel and click down the flip scrubber piece in the back of my mop so that it grabs my towel. At this point, I use the mop as usual on the highest steam output setting. Why do I flip the mop pad inside out? Because I discovered that it allows the towel underneath to stay put a little better and glides across the floor better as well. I have also only ever done this with a damp, completely wrung out mop pad in place, but with a dry shop towel. After the towel gets dirty, I rinse out the mop pad and wring it out again as much as possible before placing back on my mop and grabbing another clean, dry shop towel.

The benefit here, is not only are my floors getting that much more clean, but I can buy cotton shop towels by the mass for much cheaper than those mop pads AND they clean up white so much easier! If you want to bleach, then bleach. If you want to use your usual make-em-white method, then do that instead. The world is your oyster.

Cheaper
Works better
Cleans up Whiter
Easy

It’s what has finally worked for me and my mop. I hope it helps some of you too.

Interesting. I can follow some of this about the microfiber.

I know that before I had a steam mop, I used to take cotton towels or tshirt rags, and tie them around the sponge of my spongemop. It would be damp (not soaking wet) and it would clean the ceramic tiles floors beautifully. It would also dry a bit quicker and totally clear.

I love the steam mop because of how quickly the floor dries ( no more waiting 20 minutes for it do dry to walk on). I may just give this a try but I don't have the Bissel- I have the basic Shark one so may try to fasten a tshirt with a rubber band or something and see how that works. I m still very pleased with the steam mop, and every year or so I don't mind buying new pads if I get grossed out looking at the gray instead of white.

I still don't have a problem with the gray , it just looks yucky. I don't believe it's dirty though.

Agreed dirt does not come out. Hate that about these

I realize this is an ancient topic, but it still seems to get some clicks. One product most people don't seem to use in this forum is called Super Clean. This stuff is sold as an automotive degreaser and seems to be only a step and a half away from Drano as far as cleaning chemicals go. It is much stronger than 409. In fact I use it to clean old paint brushes that were never cleaned properly. Soak in full strength Super Clean for 24 hours and the paint comes right off with a wire brush stroked across. So I don't know what the deal is with the OPs mop pads, but if you really want to get everything out of it, you might try Super Clean. It is only available in auto parts stores and in the auto department at Walmart. I get it in the gallon jug and dilute it off into quart sprayers for use in the house. You don't want to use bare hands with Super Clean as it removes the oils from your hands rather quickly. Your skin will recover in 3-4 days, but avoid the problem by wearing gloves.