Steam mops
I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it
The most important feature to look for in a steam cleaner
Is TEMPERATURE
If your machine fails to heat the steam to very high temperatures it will just not do an efficient job.
Steam mops that work at temperatures of little over 100 degrees will be harder to use.
They will not dissolve grease without hard rubbing and they will only kill bacteria if you pass the mop over the same area several times.
Here are my top picks for mops that work at high temperatures
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 240 Reviews List Price: $149.99 Sale Price: $112.36
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 34 Reviews List Price: $169.99 Sale Price: $113.54
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 200 Reviews List Price: $89.99 Sale Price: $89.99
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| Availability | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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| Free Shipping | Eligible | | |
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| Product Summary | Durable construction ensures years of use. Chemical free cleans and sanitizes without the fumes and residue of harsh chemicals. Fast start-up time ready to use in 30 seconds. Super lightweight just over 5 pounds with a full tank of water. Removable water tank can be filled right at the tap. | The Hoover Enhanced Clean Disinfecting Steam Mop combines with Hoover Multi-Purpose Disinfectant solution to deliver a one two punch on germs and harmful bacteria around the home. The two tank system gives you the ability to clean with steam alone or to add Hoover Multi-Purpose disinfectant solution with the turn of a dial. Steam alone can not eliminate harmful bacteria dwelling on the floors in your home without a substantial exposure time. When used with Hoover Multi-Purpose Disinfectant solution, the Hoover Enhanced Clean Disinfecting Steam Mop kills or removes 99.9% of harmful bacteria including: Influenza A, Swine Flu (H1N1), Staph, Salmonella, MRSA, E.Coli, and more. Clean every area of your home with the included accessories: carpet glide to refresh carpets, triangle swivel nozzle to get into corners and to maneuver around furniture. The steam ready indicator lets you know when the unit is ready to use. | Bissell Steam Mop Bare Floor Steam Cleaner - the most environmentally safe and thorough way to clean your bare floors |
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So lets look at these steam mops and why I think they are the best
The Haan Steam Mop
This hits my number one spot simply because of the very high temperature it works at. Haan are so condident of their machines ability to kill bacteria they even call it a floor sanitizer.
The numbers speaks for itself. This machine heats steam to 212 degrees. That is nearly 100 degrees hotter than the Shark steam mop that is so heavily promoted on infommercials.
In simple terms at 212 degrees the Haan steam mop will kill bacteria on contact. Moving your steam mop ast a steady pace across the floor will clean and sanitize in one sweep.
You will notice on less powerful machines the instructions will state that you will need to make several passes in order to kill germs.
In practical terms this means you cover each part of your floor around 5 times. That basically means the cleaning takes 5 times as long. I don’t know about you but when I am using as steam mop I just want to get the job done so I can move on to other stuff.
Aside from the enhanced germ killing power of the Haan steam mop the high temperatures also mean that dirt is dealt with easily. Grease just dissolves and general grime just wiped away.
This machine has a very fast heat up time and is extremely well designed for easy cleaning.
Hoover Enhanced Clean Steam Mop
Hoover have been fairly clever with their steam mop in that they have designed it with two on board tanks that allow you to clean with a disinfectant.
Although this in some ways loses the point of a steam mop it is a fairly smart way of making cleaning effective and simple without hitting those very high temperatures.
Of course this does mean that you are going to need to buy disinfectants for your steam mop. One of the things I like about cleaning with steam is that you can do an effective job with just water, which cuts down on costs and is much kinder to the environment.
Users report very good results from the Hoover enhanced clean steam mop, and this does give the flexibility of cleaning with or without detergents.
I would say that this machine is well worth considering, particularly if you like to leave your home with the smell that is produced by using disinfectant solutions.
The machine is very practical with a fast heat up time and long cord so you can clean continuously without the need to move the cord.
The head of this steam mop has been designed to swivel and the triangular shape makes it easy to get into corners.
You can even sanitize carpets with the steam mop.
Bissell Steam Mop
I hesitated for a while about whether to include the Bissell Steam Mop. Search as I did I was not able to find details of its operating temperature.
However it is here because of the very high customer ratings and reviews. If the customer likes the steam mop then Bissell must be doing something right.
This is also a well designed steam mop that is easy to move about and will get into every corner.
I have noticed the customer recommendation to move the mop very slowly which suggests to me that the temperature may not be as high as it could, but a customer reviewer suggests that by moving slowly one pass is enough to get her floor really clean. This is better than having to effectively mop the whole floor several times, but I think I still favour the Haan steam mop as teh high temperatures mean I can move at a steady pace and still feel confident that my floor is clean.
Which Steam Mop?
Overall I will stick with my Haan steam mop, but all three of these machines seem capable of doing a fair job. As I said at the start temperature is the key factor for me. I like to know that bacteria is given a really hard time and 212 degrees is really going to kick them into touch.
The main benefits of very high tempertature steam mops are
- Virtually instant killing of bacteria
- Melting away grease
- deeper penetration into crack and crevices
- Easier steam mopping
At the end of the day the choice is yours. If you are going to buy a steam mop you will be fine with any of these models. Make sure you avoid those steam mops that need hard scrubbing and several passes to clean.
Here are my picks once more
| |
 240 Reviews List Price: $149.99 Sale Price: $112.36
>"> |
 34 Reviews List Price: $169.99 Sale Price: $113.54
>"> |
 200 Reviews List Price: $89.99 Sale Price: $89.99
>"> |
|---|
| Availability | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
|---|
| Free Shipping | Eligible | | |
|---|
| Product Summary | Durable construction ensures years of use. Chemical free cleans and sanitizes without the fumes and residue of harsh chemicals. Fast start-up time ready to use in 30 seconds. Super lightweight just over 5 pounds with a full tank of water. Removable water tank can be filled right at the tap. | The Hoover Enhanced Clean Disinfecting Steam Mop combines with Hoover Multi-Purpose Disinfectant solution to deliver a one two punch on germs and harmful bacteria around the home. The two tank system gives you the ability to clean with steam alone or to add Hoover Multi-Purpose disinfectant solution with the turn of a dial. Steam alone can not eliminate harmful bacteria dwelling on the floors in your home without a substantial exposure time. When used with Hoover Multi-Purpose Disinfectant solution, the Hoover Enhanced Clean Disinfecting Steam Mop kills or removes 99.9% of harmful bacteria including: Influenza A, Swine Flu (H1N1), Staph, Salmonella, MRSA, E.Coli, and more. Clean every area of your home with the included accessories: carpet glide to refresh carpets, triangle swivel nozzle to get into corners and to maneuver around furniture. The steam ready indicator lets you know when the unit is ready to use. | Bissell Steam Mop Bare Floor Steam Cleaner - the most environmentally safe and thorough way to clean your bare floors |
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