How A Steam Mop Can Make Cleaning Floors Quicker And Easier
Keeping your floors sparkly clean all the time can seem like a never-ending process. This is especially true if you have a busy household with children and pets. And no matter how many times you mop, grime, debris, and dirt, seem to find their way inside your home and settle onto your gleaming floors.
Fortunately, a steam mop can make the daunting task of mopping your floors quicker and easier. However, how you use the innovative, germ-killing tool can make a massive difference in cleaning efficiency. Although it requires some prepping up, it can still save you plenty of time and may just be what your busy home needs. Also, once you get the hang of it, the entire process will be a breeze.
How Does A Steam Mop Works?
Unlike your good old mop, a steam mop works by heating the water you pour on its built-in reservoir. When the water reaches the right temperature, it will produce a pressured steam which is emitted on the mop head. Keep in mind that the temperature of steam mops may vary from model to model, but generally, it is around 250F.
The hot water vapor soaking the pad is what will aid its capability to quickly loosen grime and dirt off of your floors. As the mop head absorbs dirt, the heat from the steam eradicates the majority of dust mites and bacteria on your floor. On top of that, it can also get rid of mold and stains. Hence, steam mopping is a sanitary and faster way of cleaning surfaces.
In comparison to a mop and bucket combo, steam mops make it super convenient to do quick touch-ups. Furthermore, it offers chemical-free cleaning, making it an outstanding option if you have kids and pets at home. Likewise, it works great in households with allergy sufferers or if a family member is susceptible to fragrances.
What Types Of Surfaces Can I Steam Mop?
Steam mops are an innovative floor mop suitable for various types of surfaces. You can use it to clean vinyl floors, ceramic tiles, windows, gas hobs, carpets, and linoleum.
When it comes to floorings, the important thing here is to ensure that they are sealed. This can help prevent vulnerable materials from getting damaged due to all those excess moisture. If you have unsealed hardwood, it is advisable to avoid steam mopping it. That’s because the steam can potentially warp your beautiful floor and lead to swelling and discoloration.
To see whether your floors are sealed or not, try doing a water test. Simply drop small amounts of water on a contained area. You’ll know that your flooring is sealed and safe for steam mopping when it does not absorb the water after a few minutes.
Helpful User Tips
Steam mops are available in a wide range of sizes, styles, and steam generated or amount of power. Also, the methods on how to attach their mop head differ. Additionally, these cleaning tools are not created equally. So expect that some models come with better and more advanced features than others. Nevertheless, you need to follow specific practices regardless of the model you purchase.
- Prep your floor first before steam mopping. Steam mops are more efficient when you get rid of all loose grit and dirt. It is advisable to vacuum or sweep your floors prior to steam mopping.
- Steam mops are best for maintenance cleaning. It is not recommended to steam mop heavily soiled floors since the hot steam will just smear the filth all over. Therefore, it is necessary to deep clean using traditional methods for this.
- Utilize several mop pads. Make sure you have multiple mop pads stocked up. Also, once it gets filthy, change it as soon as possible.
- Only steam clean sealed floors. Again, make sure the material of your floors is right for steam mopping. The last thing you want is to damage your floors instead of making them sparkly clean.
How Often Should I Steam Mop My Floors?
The need to steam clean can vary from one household to the next. Likewise, it will depend on the amount of dirt your floors usually acquire. But on average, you can do it once a week or more if your family is active and busy.
For instance, you may need to amp up your cleaning sessions if your kids went hiking over the weekend, they’re likely to bring in tons of filth. The same goes if it’s the rainy season where your shoes often bring in more dirt than usual. Knowing the best cleaning tips around, you’ll be able to identify which areas of your home need daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning.
Simple Steps On How To Steam Mop Your Floors More Efficiently
Step 1: Clear your floors of any loose objects and obstacles
Moving things out of the way that can hinder your steam cleaning enables you to do the chore much quickly. For instance, you may consider putting your dining chairs on the table. These devices typically come with rotating mop heads to help them work around pieces of furniture. Nevertheless, moving the furniture may help you to see the areas you need to clean a lot easier.
Step 2: Sweep and vacuum your floors
One of the first things you need to do before steam mopping is to prepare your floors properly by sweeping and vacuuming them. It is also best to apply the suctioning of your vacuum to suck up all those excess stubborn dirt or debris.
This precaution can go a long way for your steam mop to be entirely effective. Additionally, this can help ensure your mop pad stays cleaner and lasts longer. Overall, it provides a more reliable steam cleaning.
Step 3: Get your pads ready
You want to avoid dirt from smearing around or trailing on your floors as you steam. Therefore, have multiple steam mop pads ready so you’ll be able to change them when necessary.
The price of mop pads is reasonable. You can also wash them up in your washer and leave them to air dry. Replacing the pads once they become filthy will ensure reliable steam cleaning sessions.
Make sure to read the owner’s manual of the product to know the required care instructions of your unit and its accessories.
Step 4: Assess the surface of your floor
Steam mops are excellent. Nonetheless, if they are not compatible with your floor they can ruin it. So it is vital that you have sealed floors to avoid the excess moisture from hurting its surface. Along with that, a steam mop should never be left attended. Doing so can result in water pooling in its pad, which can also corrupt your floors.
Generally, steam mops are dependable to use with linoleum or vinyl flooring, as well as porcelain and ceramic tiles. They may also work with a few types of laminate and hardwood floors. But to be on the safe side, you may want to discuss any information about steam cleaning with your flooring manufacturer.
A steam mop may force steam into the joints within laminate planks. This typically results in degrading their core layer. There are water-resistant laminated floorings that are often produced with waterproof resins in their core layer. This type may be able to handle steam mopping just fine.
Keep in mind that some steam mop companies claim that their products are safe on wood floors. However, this is questionable at best. Although you may steam clean a sealed floor lightly, a lot of flooring manufacturers advise avoiding methods of cleaning that employ steam or water since they can warp or discolor wood.
Step 5: Steam clean your floor
After verifying that the surface of your floor is safe, you can now wash it with your steam mop.
Go ahead and attach the mop pad to your unit’s foot. Then, fill its water tank and follow the instructions of the manufacturer at powering it up. Make sure to constantly move your steam cleaner and never allow it to stay idle on any spot.
When you notice the pad getting dirty, change it so that you will not spread dirt across the floor. Make lite, multiple passes throughout the entire floor for a more thorough cleaning.
Step 6: Wash the mop pads
Steam mops often come with instructions on how to wash the pads. But usually, it’s fine to launder them in your washing machine together with other whites and hang them to air dry afterward. This works even better if you’re using microfiber pads. Stocking up on clean mop pads is always a good idea so that you will always be ready for your next steam cleaning session.