Steam Mop
The downstairs floor of our house is either tiled or hardwood throughout. Mopping this left us waiting for everything to dry and not actually getting things really clean I had been looking at options for sometime and the steam mop seemed to fit the bill.
Researching them they all seemed to be basically the same, other than different styles of head. I couldn’t see any major advantage to some of the more expensive models so we took the plunge and ordered a basic model.
The Vileda Steam Mop
Unpacking
Packaging wasn’t anything remarkable, just functional and protected the unit well.
In the package is the mop, 2 microfiber mop pads, water measuring cup, plastic glider for carpets and instructions.
Initial setup & use
Before starting you have to brush up any loose dirt of the floor. Attach a fabric pad to the head of the mop and fill the water reservoir with the provided measuring jug. Ours only has a steam level setting (turned to max) and a power switch.
It only takes about 15 seconds for the mop to start steaming, you can hear the pump in the unit delivering the steam to the mop head and a small amount of steam around the mop head.
What became evident very quickly (and slightly worrying) was our normal mopping whilst seeming to clean still left a residue On the tiles, especially under the tables and behind the doors. In these areas the steam mop seemed to stick to the floor as the steam pulled the layer up.
As you push the mop around the head twists freely, allowing you to get into all the corners. The water reservoir has more than enough capacity for completing our kitchen, hallway and downstairs toilet without needing a refill.
After the first use there was a clear difference in the feel of the floor and this is evident on the mop head after each use, clearly is going to be a win.
The picture is the mop head after a normal weeks mopping, no our house isn’t that dirty and its definitely cleaner now we were pretty shocked at the results!
The mop pad peels off the head and can be washed in the washing machine ready for the next time, this ones been used 3 times now.
Overview
When using a normal mop I would have to wait for the floor to dry, no matter how hard I squeezed the mop out. With the steam mop theres hardly any need for this, the floor just has a slight moisture to it that disappears almost immediately.
The mops easy to use and its ready to go really quickly, however I would have liked another meter or two on the cord length but this is a minor issue.
I do like that the microfiber pads as they are reusable and easily washed in the washing machine. The Velcro method of attachment being really simple and clean, however we will have to wait and see how robust the mop is over time and how long the microfiber heads last but you can easily buy spares. I will update in a years time.
Overall I am pleased we have bought one, I’m also glad we didn’t spend loads on one with lots of unnecessary features and attachments, it is after all a mop.
Because its so simple to use and there is no need to mess about with buckets of water and waiting for everything to dry, our floor is now getting cleaned even more than usual.
Just need to convince Jo we need a robotic mop and vacuum now.
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