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domesticah

Shark Steam Mop -- Not so great

domesticah
16 years ago

Okay, I'll admit it -- I'm a bit obsessive about cleaning (there are worse compulsions). I have polyurithaned (sp?) wood floors through out my house including the kitchen. I read all about the shark steam mop and couldn't wait to get one. I wondered if there could actually be a decent replacement for my string mop and bucket (or at least an acceptable shortcut). The answer is definitely NO -- not for my floors. I cook a lot and have two little boys who are constantly dropping liquids and crumbs on my floors -- so I vacuum daily (sometimes 2x) and mop every night. First of all, I am young, energetic and strong and thought this mop was kind of a hassel to push around -- not easy and it didn't really clean my floors to my liking (I ended up on my hands and knees afterwards cleaning the floor). I guess it could be good if you have dusty floors or have pet hair only -- but not if there is anything remotely sticky on them (from kids or cooking). So I am disappointed and have hung it up where it will probably remain with my unused wet jet swiffer. Bottom line: good for dust not for sticky stuff and a hassel to push. Not a time saver b/c it takes you 2x as long to get your floors clean.

Comments (24)

  • bestyears
    16 years ago

    Hi domesticah,
    I have the Bissell steam mop. I use it on my kitchen floor every few days and it easily picks up anything sticky on the floor. i.e. kids have been cooking and not cleaned up when stuff hit the floor, etc. I haven't used the Shark so don't know whether the Bissell is better in this regard or not. Anyway, just wanted to share that with you.
    Lynn

  • jcrowley99
    16 years ago

    Maybe it depends on the type of floor? I have linoleum and ceramic tile. The Shark steam mop works great on my floors. Gets off sticky residue, and does a great job removing oil without leaving the floor slick. It does not get off scuff marks or thick dried on messes, like if you drop tomato sauce and let it dry onto the floor - but it will soften the mess right up so you can just peel it off. It also removed some sort of nasty residue from one of my tile floors that had been there since we bought our house 12 years ago. I tried everything to get rid of the tacky feel on those tiles and this finally did the trick, it took five cleanings with the steam mop to get all the residue off. I think maybe the tried to wax the ceramic tiles? I'm just glad I can get rid of the throw rug and walk across that tile floor barefoot with being grossed out!

  • reeree_natural
    16 years ago

    domesticah
    I think the steam removes dirt pretty well.. I can honestly admit, I liked the "old" steam mop much better. Sometimes when they "improve" something, itÂs not always for the best. I donÂt use mine as much as I use to , I actually went over the floors every day, especially the kitchen which is pre finished hard wood. My complaints are, itÂs harder to push on some of my flooring, and I do not like the idea you have to keep the mop in motion to "pump" the steam out. The old model was continuous steam and the cloths were not micro fiber, so it glided over any surface with ease. If something was "caked" on, it came right off . It is difficult to get the grime off when you have to work so hard to get the steam to release. All in all it is a good concept and the old one worked wonderful Maybe call CS and see if you can return it and get a different brand you may like it better.

    My new venture is the Lotus wet mop. I learned about it on here.. I havenÂt received it yet, probably wonÂt be here until next week. .so I am waiting anxiously to get it. My fingers are crossed it works well and I love it.. I do use my hoover floormate about once, twice a week to give the floors a good scrub, then I was steam mopping regularly in-between to keep the floors clean .

    Ree

  • graywings123
    16 years ago

    I guess it could be good if you have dusty floors or have pet hair only -- but not if there is anything remotely sticky on them (from kids or cooking).

    Actually, it is the reverse: steam cleaning is very good at loosening sticky stuff, and not so good at picking up pet hair. That's why you should vacuum up the loose stuff first.

    There are other versions of steam cleaners that would probably be better for your situation, domesticah. There are cannister versions. And with most steamers, you just push a button and the steam comes out.

    I just want to add, I understand why you want to keep your floors clean, but daily cleaning a polyurethaned hardwood floor has got to wear on the poly. You might want to look at the BonaKemi hardwood care products. There is one that puts down a light layer of poly.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Bona Kemi products

  • domesticah
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Hi all thanks for responding. Btw, the shark is great on my ceramic bathroom floor, just not great on my wood floors -- imho. I would have preferred not to have made the purchase, but the box is gone now, so there is no going back. Oh well. Happy cleaning! :-)

  • mboston_gw
    16 years ago

    I have been using my Shark for a few weeks on my tile floors. My floors must not have been that dirty to begin with cause I didn't get alot of dirt up the first time. I did however on a floor that doesn't get mopped weekly so I thought good, it does work well. Then this last week, I decided to use my regular mop on my floors that I had been using the Shark on. Wow, I was amazed at how dirty my water was when I finished. So either it doesn't work as good as I thought or we must have drug in alot of dirt from the yard this week. I have been gardening but I also sweep or vaccuum daily. I do like the Shark when its very humid as the steam dries quickly. I think I will mop with my Liberman this week and see how dirty the floor is this time.

  • research1st
    16 years ago

    I don't think this mop works as well as it's being advertised. If you have built in dirt in your grout on ceremic tiles, you may as well put this mop down and get on your hands and knees and scrub...just as I had to do. I thought it would at least loosen the dirt to make it easier to clean...but no such luck. I also have linoleum on my kitchen floors and still had to pull out the trusty mop to clean behind it. So if you're thinking about dishing out the 79.99 hoping for a miracle keep your money. If you have it to spend and just want to try it for yourself consider yourself warned.

  • jannie
    16 years ago

    I had a hoover Floormate, highly recommended, but I didn't like it. It worked at first but after about a month it stopped spraying the detergent solution. It cost me $125. I ended up throwing it out. I do my floors on my hands and knees with Bona Kemi products. Those I CAN recommend.

  • research1st
    16 years ago

    if the shark mop is soooo great then why is one poster trying all these different mops...seems that one wouldn't need to try all these different kinds

  • reeree_natural
    16 years ago

    research1st
    I am guessing you are referring to me in your last post??

    The method of steam cleaning is an effective way to clean, it sanitizes and removes dirt efficiently. There is nothing wrong with the Shark mop. I had their old model, which I loved and used it every day. When they changed it to "improve" it, I wasn't crazy for it, as I was so use to the old one. This is a personal preference in how they redesigned it, never said it didn't work. On the flip side, we can have many different things to clean with, who is to say we can't like and use different "tools" or we have to stick with only one method of cleaning?

    I see you are very new here..you are jumping in with out reading all the past posts on this topic...
    Ree

  • earthie
    15 years ago

    I started with a steam mop that put out continuous steam (SteamFast 4in1) but ended up getting a Shark because the SteamFast left my floors too wet. I have all sealed hardwood throughout the whole house except for ceramic in one bathroom with very close grouting. For my purposes, the Shark is great. It cleans the hardwood wonderfully and it is hardly even damp when I am done. I attribute that to the control you have over how much steam is generated as you push the mop over the floor. I have had no trouble mopping up sticky or oily stuff. I do agree that the microfiber cloth is harder to push than a cotton terry one.

    I have to say that since cleaning my floors with the Shark, they are are smooth as silk to walk on in bare feet now. (It took about 4-5 moppings before all the old cleaner residue was removed.) I could never achieve that with regular mopping or scrubbing.

  • trudi
    15 years ago

    There are several of these discussions on the steam mop and it it sounds great that I will definitely have to try. I am just alittle cautious about the hardwood floors. My floors are prefinished and it sounds like this mop will work great - I've always been apprehensive about hot water/steam and hardwood . I have read on a rare instance about someone having buckled floors ...on other reviews - but noone that anyone knows has had problems right?

  • luvstocraft
    15 years ago

    Trudi, I use the Shark steam mop on my hardwood floors. The microfiber pad is barely damp when I finish the whole floor--much less wet than if I used a damp mop on it. Also, the floor dries in seconds, so it is not putting much wetness on the floor at all.

    I once decided to go over my floor again to be sure it was really really clean--discovered that the microfiber pad does not slide over a clean floor as easily as it does a dirty one! LOL

    I love using the steam mop with one exception--if I do about three foot sections, I see the "line" between the two. Not sure what to do to prevent that. Also, I used Reeree's idea of filling it with hot water instead of cold and it seems to be steaming even better.

  • trudi
    15 years ago

    Ok- I guess I'll give it a try. It sounds fabulous...can't wait! Thanks for the info.

  • newtoremodeling
    15 years ago

    After reading all the posts, I bought the Shark Steam Mop a few months ago. The first one broke and I returned it and got a new one. I like the way it works but like anything else, it's not perfect. We have hardwood floors, tile, and vinyl. It's good at picking up dust and dirt and the water dries quickly. The things I don't like about it is that it is pretty flimsy (made of plastic) so you have to be very careful with it. You also have to get extra pads (1-2 per room depending on room size) to avoid spreading the dirt. I have 4 and want to buy 2 more. So if you want to clean your floors often, then it's a nice alternative to the hands-and-knees or mop and bucket cleaning. However, for a thorough cleaning, I would go ahead and scrub on all fours once in a while anyway. Conclusion: doesn't hurt to try especially if you can find it at a local store. So if you decide to return it, it's easy. Hope this helps.

  • paultran
    15 years ago

    heres a video of why they dont work well

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

    Here is a link that might be useful: vid of why it doesnt work

  • domesticah
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Okay, I have been through two Shark Steam Mops--each time the handle snapped. I'm a diminutive gal, but I guess I don't know my own strength...I don't have the receipt and while the company said they were going to send me a replacement (four months ago and three emails) they never did.

    I need to try something new for my wood floors...Maybe the bissell?

  • n2cookin
    15 years ago

    I bought the Shark, after reading all the rave reviews here. What a cheap piece of junk! It lasted 3 days until it broke in half too, the plastic body split right in half at the seam. It was so hard to push, no wonder it broke in half. I love the concept of steam cleaning, so I decided to give Shark another try and had it replaced. The second one would not steam.

    No more Shark for me. DH said he couldn't believe I spent $80 on such a cheap piece of plastic. I went with the Haan, am still waiting for it to arrive, but I doubt it will be as cheap and flimsy as the Shark was.

  • scoutfinch72
    15 years ago

    I have the Haan and have now used it on vinyl, ceramic tile and hardwood. It definitely worked well on the really old vinyl in our old house. It never looked clean, but it definitely felt much cleaner when I was done mopping with it. Our new house has ceramic tile in the kitchen and bathroom and recently refinished 50 year old red oak floors throughout the rest. I do think that I can do a more thorough job on my hands and knees with a bucket and microfiber towels, but the Haan does a pretty good job of cleaning the floors well enough to put my crawling baby on them and not cringe. The aforementioned crawling baby doesn't often give me enough time to get down on my knees with the bucket anyway, so the Haan is a good compromise for us. I really need a bunch of extra pads for it, though, as it only comes with 2. My only other complaint about it is that the head is rather tall which makes it hard to slide under furniture or cabinets.

  • bookert
    15 years ago

    I, too, decided to take the plunge and get a Shark Steam Mop.
    It leaves streaks on my laminate.
    The size of the mop head is smaller than I would have liked and I think it's best used in small areas.
    Pushing is difficult for me too, as it doesn't glide over the flooring as I had hoped.
    Oh well......

  • cindiw2
    15 years ago

    I'm glad this subject came up now because I was just watching one of the shopping channels and this mop was advertised and I was hoping to look it up. Many of the opinions are pretty good about it so that encourages me to purchase it. HSN(?) has a 30 day money back guarantee, maybe I'll try it. They did say that it would loosen latex paint. I wonder how true that is. I might try it and if that doesn't do the job return it.

  • billcubbage_cox_net
    13 years ago

    I BOUGHT THE SHARK STEAM MOP FOR MY WIFE FOR CHRISTMAS 2010,as my wife has used it 3 times on our linoleum floors,it still leaves a white residue on the floor,she has done everything that the shark company told her to due,and still it leaves a residue,any thoughts or ideas

  • soxxxx
    13 years ago

    Why doesn't the last poster have a my page?

  • bugwit_neo_rr_com
    12 years ago

    As the one poster stated... that she decided to use an actual mop on her floors after she had been using the steam mop and found that her water was extremely dirty..... I could never even understand the concept of the wet jet either. You are using the same pad to push the dirt around on the floor. You are not wringing out your mop and dipping it in cleaner water. As time has gone by society has just gotten lazier. Back when my grandmother cleaned her floors, she would actually rinse the floor after using some kind of detergent to get rid of residue and the rest of the dirt. That being a CLEAN floor. This is just pure laziness. Will not work.

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