Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

"RonB" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

My wife uses a steam "mop"/"scrubber" on our hardwood floors. Works great.
No problem with the floors. She says that the floors stay cleaner longer.
I suppose that means if it gets clean enough, it takes a little longer to
appear dirty. Autumn leaves changes that perception though. The other
consideration is that you can clean with just water. Which has to be better
on the finish than the various soaps, detergents, etc that is often put into
the mop bucket. She swears by it. HTH

On 12/21/2011 10:18 AM, RonB wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Before investing in something like that take a look at Bona Mop Products.

http://bonafloorcleaner.com/bonamops_004.htm


We have been using this product for years. Simple and quick and
inexpensive.

RonB wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Why in the world do you need to steam clean hardwood floors? Or scrub them
either. Sweeping and an occasional damp mop should be sufficient. I'm
assuming the wood is clear coated, yes?



--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

RonB wrote the following:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Leon mentions the Bonamop.
I haven't seen that product before.
There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.


--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

RonB wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

Hey Ron - you are right to hold a certain amount of suspicion, but don't go
too far with it. Some of us have worked either in retail, or in other sales
professions, and it's not safe to believe that their is a self serving
motive when you talk to vendors. There is a great deal of knowledge
available to consumers from retailers. The retailers invest a lot of money
in training their staff to know their jobs. From your research, it appears
you have stumbled across a consensus. Why question that? You know - when
the whole world around you are saying...


--

-Mike-

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:18:36 -0500, "dadiOH"
wrote:

RonB wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Why in the world do you need to steam clean hardwood floors? Or scrub them
either. Sweeping and an occasional damp mop should be sufficient. I'm
assuming the wood is clear coated, yes?
My floor is "composite", not hardwood, but the steam mop does a
fantastic job. I would not wet mop it.

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:52:40 -0500, willshak
wrote:

RonB wrote the following:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Leon mentions the Bonamop.
I haven't seen that product before.
There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.
Advantage of the steam mops is NO CHEMICALS,, NO RESIDUE, and it
removes oils (from skin etc) as well as sticky stuff (food residue)
and sterilizes at the same time.
Removing the oils and not leaving a residue means the floor stays
cleaner longer.

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:52:40 -0500, willshak
wrote:



There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.


I hat ours. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it streaks and
leaves a haze on the floor. I've tried it on finished wood, laminate,
and linoleum and they all look like crap when done.

Maybe it is me, but while the idea is good, the execution sucks.

On 12/21/2011 12:52 PM, willshak wrote:
RonB wrote the following:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Leon mentions the Bonamop.
I haven't seen that product before.
There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.



Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft.
The vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

On 12/21/2011 08:14 PM, Leon wrote:
On 12/21/2011 12:52 PM, willshak wrote:
RonB wrote the following:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Leon mentions the Bonamop.
I haven't seen that product before.
There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.



Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft. The
vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

What? Does he lick the floor?

- Doug



--
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, and the
gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery"
-Winston Churchill

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:36:46 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:52:40 -0500, willshak
wrote:



There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.


I hat ours. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it streaks and
leaves a haze on the floor. I've tried it on finished wood, laminate,
and linoleum and they all look like crap when done.

Maybe it is me, but while the idea is good, the execution sucks.

We use distilled water ONLY in the steam mop.
We use it on the solid vinyl flooring of the kitchen and bathrooms, on
the composite/laminate flooring, and even occaisionally on the
"berber" carpet in the laundry/wife's office.
There was some blue staining from fabric softener near the washer, and
the steam mop took care of it very easily. (saved getting the carpet
extractor out)

On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:14:33 -0600, Leon lcb11211@swbelldotnet
wrote:

Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona,

Isn't the Bona's head larger than the Swiffer's?


About 1 pint does 800 sqft.
The vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth.

And he died of...natural causes?


Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great results.

Sounds like a winner.

--
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight
very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands.
It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.
-- John Wayne

"Doug Winterburn" wrote
Leon wrote:

Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft. The
vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

What? Does he lick the floor?

Reminds me of that old farmers - salesman joke.

A salesman is demoing a vacuum cleaner to this old farmer. He dumps a bunch
of dirt on the floor and announces that he will eat anything the vacuum
cleaner leaves behind. He then pulls out the electrical cord and asks where
the nearest outlet is. And the farmer says...

"You better start eating son, because we don't have any electricity".

Leon wrote:


Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft.
The vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

Isn't it a little cumbersome though, having the vac shop guy running around
spitting on the floor when ever you want to clean? My wife bought a mop at
Home Depot that has a liquid dispenser built right on the handle. No need
for the extra guy running around with a mouthful of cleaner.

--

-Mike-

On Dec 21, 10:18*am, RonB wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? *We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. *From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. *Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? *There are many finish experts here. *Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. They "steer customers away" from steam mops. It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

On 12/21/2011 9:19 PM, Doug Winterburn wrote:
On 12/21/2011 08:14 PM, Leon wrote:
On 12/21/2011 12:52 PM, willshak wrote:
RonB wrote the following:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Leon mentions the Bonamop.
I haven't seen that product before.
There is always the Swiffer Wetjet. Looks similar to the Bona.
Cheap, and replacement mop cloths and liquid available almost anywhere.



Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft. The
vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

What? Does he lick the floor?


He's a salesman, what can I say? LOL

On 12/22/2011 6:36 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Leon wrote:


Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft.
The vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

Isn't it a little cumbersome though, having the vac shop guy running around
spitting on the floor when ever you want to clean? My wife bought a mop at
Home Depot that has a liquid dispenser built right on the handle. No need
for the extra guy running around with a mouthful of cleaner.




All you need is a mouthful. ;~)

On 12/22/2011 9:10 AM, RonB wrote:
On Dec 21, 10:18 am, wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. They "steer customers away" from steam mops. It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

I was waiting for the answer to this question. While the wife has not
decided she needs a steam mop, logically it seemed that applying steam
to a composite was not a good idea as it would penetrate the material
and break down the glues.

I was amused by a previous post to this thread who said he had no
trouble using the steam mop but would not use hot water on composite.

Question: Do steam mops actually use steam or a spray of hot water.

I have seen some "steam" items that use a spray of hot water and not
true steam.

On 12/22/2011 6:36 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Leon wrote:


Had the Swiffer, I am sold on the Bona, About 1 pint does 800 sqft.
The vac shop sold me the first Bona kit, he sprayed the cleaner in his
mouth. Pair that with a microfiber towel on the mop and you get great
results.

Isn't it a little cumbersome though, having the vac shop guy running around
spitting on the floor when ever you want to clean? My wife bought a mop at
Home Depot that has a liquid dispenser built right on the handle. No need
for the extra guy running around with a mouthful of cleaner.

Bona indeed has a mop with a built-in dispenser on the handle, with
containers of Bona that match ... in a house with nothing but hardwood
floors (except the baths) we've had one for years:

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113554...91073880758930

--
www.eWoodShop.com
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)
http://gplus.to/eWoodShop

Steam works really well for our TigerWood hardwood, with glossy finish,
floors. It tends to disperse greasy stains and blotches giving a good
shine and it's quick. Every few years you will need to hit them with a
detergent based cleaner to dissolve the greasy stuff you have just
spread around though.

If you wear glasses you will understand this process. It works well
most of the time but eventually you have to actually remove the greasy
film.


-------------
"RonB" wrote in message
...

Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

We have dark hardwood floors and steam does NOT remove the grease! It
disperses it into a film that is hard to see. It has no other place to
go.

The residue left behind is minor and will only need detergent and
wetness every year or two though. A little water doesn't bother
hardwood if it dries in a few hours.
-----------

wrote in message ...
Advantage of the steam mops is NO CHEMICALS,, NO RESIDUE, and it
removes oils (from skin etc) as well as sticky stuff (food residue)
and sterilizes at the same time.
Removing the oils and not leaving a residue means the floor stays
cleaner longer.

Ours disperses steam and the wood is warm after swiping with it. It is
dry in a few seconds as opposed to any spray cleaner that keeps it wet
and can soak in deeper. This avoids any chemicals or wetness for year
to pick up any residue greasiness. The floor always looks like brand
new each time.

If you get a ding or dent in your hardwood extended steam application
can pop the dent back out to the undetectable level again. I don't buy
the steam in scratches over water in scratches. Somebody is pulling
your chain.

-------
"knuttle" wrote in message ...

On 12/22/2011 9:10 AM, RonB wrote:
On Dec 21, 10:18 am, wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam
mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via
Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront
dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are
great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are
from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW -
Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. They "steer customers away" from steam mops. It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

I was waiting for the answer to this question. While the wife has not
decided she needs a steam mop, logically it seemed that applying steam
to a composite was not a good idea as it would penetrate the material
and break down the glues.

I was amused by a previous post to this thread who said he had no
trouble using the steam mop but would not use hot water on composite.

Question: Do steam mops actually use steam or a spray of hot water.

I have seen some "steam" items that use a spray of hot water and not
true steam.

On Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:15:21 -0500, knuttle
wrote:

On 12/22/2011 9:10 AM, RonB wrote:
On Dec 21, 10:18 am, wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. They "steer customers away" from steam mops. It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

I was waiting for the answer to this question. While the wife has not
decided she needs a steam mop, logically it seemed that applying steam
to a composite was not a good idea as it would penetrate the material
and break down the glues.

I was amused by a previous post to this thread who said he had no
trouble using the steam mop but would not use hot water on composite.

Question: Do steam mops actually use steam or a spray of hot water.

I have seen some "steam" items that use a spray of hot water and not
true steam.




The steam mop we have is DEFINITELY steam.
The carpet "steam cleaner" on the other hand uses liquid H20.

On 12/22/2011 8:37 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:15:21 -0500, knuttle
wrote:

On 12/22/2011 9:10 AM, RonB wrote:
On Dec 21, 10:18 am, wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? We have researched via Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are great
and safe for hardwood. From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. Problem is, most of the opinions are from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? There are many finish experts here. Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW - Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. They "steer customers away" from steam mops. It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

I was waiting for the answer to this question. While the wife has not
decided she needs a steam mop, logically it seemed that applying steam
to a composite was not a good idea as it would penetrate the material
and break down the glues.

I was amused by a previous post to this thread who said he had no
trouble using the steam mop but would not use hot water on composite.

Question: Do steam mops actually use steam or a spray of hot water.

I have seen some "steam" items that use a spray of hot water and not
true steam.




The steam mop we have is DEFINITELY steam.
The carpet "steam cleaner" on the other hand uses liquid H20.

That gives me some talking points if she decides she wants one

"m II" wrote in :

Ours disperses steam and the wood is warm after swiping with it. It is
dry in a few seconds as opposed to any spray cleaner that keeps it wet
and can soak in deeper. This avoids any chemicals or wetness for year
to pick up any residue greasiness. The floor always looks like brand
new each time.

If you get a ding or dent in your hardwood extended steam application
can pop the dent back out to the undetectable level again. I don't buy
the steam in scratches over water in scratches. Somebody is pulling
your chain.

You seem pretty happy with yours. I've never looked at these things.
What brand is yours? Are there features one should look for and/or
avoid?

We have a Swiffer wet jet, and although it works, it tends to leave a
film & takes several passes to get things really clean. Some of that may
be because we don't clean as often as we should, but life is too crazy to
devote much time to a regular cleaning schedule.

Doug White

The name on it is "Steamfast" and I would be sure it is the cheapest
model you can buy. I have doubts you will ever see this model name
anywhere else.

Go for light and easy to store, with wrap place for a long cord. We
have a large room about 28' x 35' full of hardwood and no middle
receptacles.

-----------
"Doug White" wrote in message
. ..
You seem pretty happy with yours. I've never looked at these things.
What brand is yours? Are there features one should look for and/or
avoid?

We have a Swiffer wet jet, and although it works, it tends to leave a
film & takes several passes to get things really clean. Some of that
may
be because we don't clean as often as we should, but life is too crazy
to
devote much time to a regular cleaning schedule.

Doug White

On Dec 22, 7:02*pm, "m II" wrote:
Ours disperses steam and the wood is warm after swiping with it. It is
dry in a few seconds as opposed to any spray cleaner that keeps it wet
and can soak in deeper. This avoids any chemicals or wetness for year
to pick up any residue greasiness. The floor always looks like brand
new each time.

If you get a ding or dent in your hardwood extended steam application
can pop the dent back out to the undetectable level again. I don't buy
the steam in scratches over water in scratches. Somebody is pulling
your chain.

-------

"knuttle" *wrote in ...

On 12/22/2011 9:10 AM, RonB wrote:



On Dec 21, 10:18 am, *wrote:
Does anyone have experience with any of the consumer-grade steam
mops
or other cleaners on hardwood floors? *We have researched via
Google,
Amazon and various on line dealers. They and local storefront
dealers
for Shark, Gruene (mops) and Koblenz (scrubber) all say they are
great
and safe for hardwood. *From research, it appears that many consider
the mops to be better, on hardwood, than bucket scrubbing with a
hardwood cleaner because it does not put as much water on the floor;
and it removes it quickly. *Problem is, most of the opinions are
from
retail sellers or cleaners - a little biased.

How about you guys? *There are many finish experts here. *Are these
steam cleaners safe with factory finished hardwood flooring (BTW -
Our
floors are solid 3/4" Oak, tongue and groove, not engineered. The
installation is on top of standard roofing felt.).

Thanks
RonB

Well, I finally connected with our flooring manufacturer product
support. *They "steer customers away" from steam mops. *It stresses
the finish and injects moisture into scratches and imperfections that
occur during normal wear. *He steered us toward Bona and another
brand. *Bona products are readily available from Walmart so I think
that is where we are heading.

Thanks for the input.

Ron

I was waiting for the answer to this question. *While the wife has not
decided she needs a steam mop, logically it seemed that applying steam
to a composite was not a good idea as it would penetrate the material
and break down the glues.

I was amused by a previous post to this thread who said he had no
trouble using the steam mop but would not use hot water on composite.

Question: *Do steam mops actually use steam or a spray of hot water.

I have seen some "steam" items that use a spray of hot water and not
true steam.

The Gruene we were looking at uses steam. It has a water tank and an
internal flash heater. the advantage is supposed to be they put less
moisture on the floor and it drys quickly with the mop.

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:19:31 GMT, Doug White
wrote:

"m II" wrote in :

Ours disperses steam and the wood is warm after swiping with it. It is
dry in a few seconds as opposed to any spray cleaner that keeps it wet
and can soak in deeper. This avoids any chemicals or wetness for year
to pick up any residue greasiness. The floor always looks like brand
new each time.

If you get a ding or dent in your hardwood extended steam application
can pop the dent back out to the undetectable level again. I don't buy
the steam in scratches over water in scratches. Somebody is pulling
your chain.

You seem pretty happy with yours. I've never looked at these things.
What brand is yours? Are there features one should look for and/or
avoid?

We have a Swiffer wet jet, and although it works, it tends to leave a
film & takes several passes to get things really clean. Some of that may
be because we don't clean as often as we should, but life is too crazy to
devote much time to a regular cleaning schedule.

Doug White
Ours is a "shark"