Best Steam Mops For Hardwood

Review by Kevbo D "2Chron15_2" : Way better than any other steam mop including Shark

I don't know what users expect but you first need to understand the premise of a "Steam Mop." It creates steam and the pad picks up the dirt that the steam breaks down. The steam is the cleaning agent and the pad is ONLY designed to pick up the grime. If you are looking for a Steam Floor Cleaner, this works much better than the Shark since you can do a concentrated grout cleaning first and then mop the floor. I have used both and in my opinion, this is worth the extra $100 dollars. It IS that much better. As far as the comments about being unable to push it or the pad falling off-I have not had either issue. I like a lot of steam which leaves the floor slightly wet however with the ceiling fan on, the floor dries in under 1 minute. A higher steam setting makes it easier to push too. What this is NOT: 1. It is not a vacuum so the floors need to be free of loose dirt therefore you need to vacuum first 2. It is not a standard mop or spray cleaner mop. This does not use soap/chemical based cleaners which make them easier to push. What makes this better than other steam mops: 1. ADJUSTABLE STEAM KNOB: You can control the amount of steam. The steam control knob really adjust the steam from a little to a LOT. When mopping the floor, if you put it low, you will almost see no moisture but put it high and you will see wetness on the floor when done (but it dries very fast in my opinion-faster than traditional mopping). 2. VERSATILITY: You can hold it upside down and steam clean your grout in the bath tub or shower--this is a BIG PLUS to me. 3. GROUT CLEANING: The grout attachment REALLY works. Using the Oreck Tile/Grout concentrated spray, I cleaned my floor tile grout first and then switched to the mop attachment and my floor looks EXCELLENT. 4. You can clean counters, etc... but it is NOT light when filled. You need to be strong enough to use it for those applications. It is not "ideal" for counters but it will work. A cannister type steam cleaner would be better for that. If you are on the fence, buy it and use it. If you don't like it, Oreck will take it back and give you 100% refund so what do you have to lose. That was the reason I tried it but now I am definitely keeping mine. I love it!!!

Review by kaci : With reasonable expectations, this is a good product

I've had this product a few days and used it on the kitchen floor, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sinks, the shower stall, the toilet, and a plastic step stool in the kitchen. So far, so good. I read all the negative comments and was sort of afraid to try this product. However, with a 30-day return policy, I figured I might as well give it a try.The Steam-It holds a good amount of water, produces the appropriate amount of steam, and is not too heavy when lifting the item above your head.It could use a longer and lighter cord. (This heavy cord makes me wonder how much electricity this mop really uses--must be a lot!) This item needs more pads included. When cleaning dirty surfaces, or expecting to do more than one item or room a day, two pads will not last any amount of time. I bought some microfiber cloths at another retailer to have enough for my cleaning projects. They worked okay, but I'd rather have more pads. The pads also shrink significantly, even when washed according to the directions. This makes the pads hard to clip onto the mop head.When I cleaned the shower track in the bathroom, (as did a previous poster), I found the Steam-It effectively loosened the grime and all I had to do was wipe it away. I think the other poster was disappointed that the dirt didn't disappear without wiping. That is not what a steam mop will do. The same applies with a kitchen floor. I am not sure what "line of dirt" people are getting. Do they sweep or vacuum the floor prior to steam mopping? That should take care of most dirt particles and "fuzzies" on the floor. Steam mopping should occur after that.Cleaning the interior of the shower stall doors was a challenge. This is a small space so getting the angle of the steam mop inside the shower took some time. I still wasn't happy with the angles I ended up getting, but I will give it another try.Oreck should make a smaller, hand-held complementary product that is more portable for countertop use and use where the steam mop won't fit.Like I said, I'm only a few days and a few projects in so far...but, so far, so good. Yes, there are improvements that need to be made, but it's an okay product for now.

Review by C. Boyich : Fantastic Product

I purchased this product in November of 09' when I was in the Oreck store purchasing bags for my vacuum. I had not seen or heard about it. I asked for a demonstration and was sold. I developed "buyers remorse" on the ride home and it went away the minute I used it. It is a fantastic product! I use it on wood - tile - Pergo - mattresses - windows - counters - carpet - mirrors - cabinets, etc......This is a product that was carefully developed. It is excellent and has made my housework much easier and more effective.In my opinion; the retail price is less than what it is worth!

Review by Kat : Better than Shark

When my original Shark steam mop died after about 2 years, I purchased the Oreck. (I already had both one of their vacuums and the orbiter - both of which I love). The Steam-It definitely does a better job on my floors than the shark did. I have a lot of ceramic tile. In the kitchen if there were any dried spills, I would need to go over them several times with the Shark and pump the handle for more steam. The Oreck does it in one pass. The steam appears to be much hotter. I also like the fact that I can use my own microfiber cloths. I have a big bag of them from Sam's so I'll never run out. It also holds a lot of water - I only fill it halfway now - which is still enough to do all my floors. I have also tried it on the granite countertops - and though I won't say it's not awkward, it did do a nice job. As far as hard to push, I have not had any problems and I'm neither young nor particularly strong

Review by Brogs "Dan" : Oreck Steam it

I really like Oreck products and recently learned about steam cleaners from my roomate and we borrowed his parents steam cleaner for about a month, when I decided to just purchase one on our own. I chose this one because I really like to quality of Oreck products (but I decided to purchase it from Oreck and paid more than the prices here). The other basic model seemed to move around the floor a little easier than the Oreck and the Oreck it heavier than the other steam cleaner. On the other side this cleaner seems to do a better job cleaning and seems to be better quality. The pads that come with it take forever to attach because they are to small. On the other side you can go and purchase your own pads since they are universal clips. I understand where people are complaining about the weight, so if you do not want a little bit of a workout (not that it's terrible, but it takes a little extra work) I also read some of the other reviews about a line of dirt on the floor etc. In my case even with the other steamer, I alway sweep or vacuum the floor first, then I use the steam it. I also did the same procedure when I used the old mop so the pre-cleaning procedure doesn't change. Along with the deeper clean, I really like the continious steam that comes from this product. The other model had to be placed onto a pad and warm up then be used then stop. With the Oreck it is continious steam (or at-least for the amount of area I use it for). The wood floor is dry in about 10 minutes which is nice too. Previously with a mop, my floor always seemed to streak unless I dried the floor on my hands an knees.

Review by Old Timer : Oreck Steam-It

THIS UNIT WAS PURCHASED FOR MY WIFE. IT WAS SIMPLE TO ASSEMBLE, AND THE STEAM BUILT UP RAPIDLY. OUR KITCHEN ,DINING AREA, AND ENTRY WAY ARE PORCELAIN SCULPTURED TILE. ALAS, THE MACHINE PROVED TO BE TOO HEAVY FOR THE OLD GAL TO PUSH AND PULL. THE BATHROOMS HAVE SMOOTH TILE AND WERE EASIER TO WORK. BUT SHE WANTS SOMETHING TO CLEAN ALL AREAS MENTIONED. ORECK E MAILED ME A RETURN LABEL AND BACK IT WENT -ABSOLUTELY NO CHARGE TO ME. KUDOS TO ORECK.

Review by Lori K : Not sure what to think...

I just bought the Oreck Steam-It a week ago and used it for the first time today. Like others who have reviewed this cleaner, I am a huge Oreck fan and relied on my past experience with their vacuums to make my purchasing decision. After using it throughout my whole house today, I am unsure of keeping it. It provides plenty of constant steam but is very awkward to use. It did a great job on my wood floors, no excess water, dried quickly, and left them shining. However, it was hard to push and pull. The same on an area rug that I cleaned, even with the carpet attachment, it was terribly difficult to push back and forth. It cleaned but did not leave the rug very wet at all. Next, the bathroom. I cleaned all shower glass, the tile floor, the mirrors above the sinks, around the sink fixtures, and all the shower tile. It did a great job on the Shower Glass as long as I could position the cleaner correctly. It did leave enough water at the bottom from using the squegee but a quick wipe up with a cloth was all that was needed. It did an excellent job on the tile floors, in the shower and in the bathroom, and again did not overly wet the floors, and left them relatively dry and the finishing drying time was only about 5 minutes. It cleaned the tile on the shower walls well, but again, using the machine up off the floor proved awkward. It did a great job of loosening up the grime around the sink faucets and handles and with a quick wipe with a sponge afterwards, left the entire area very clean. It did a great job on my mirrors, but again, when you get to the bottom of the mirror, you are struggling with controlling the unit. So all of the good is that it did clean as promised. Now to the bad. As other reviewers have noted it is very heavy once it is filled and that extra weight contributes to the awkwardness of manipulating the machine when it is up off the floor. The tools to use with the floor do not work well as evidenced by the difficulty in pushing and pulling it back and forth. Other reviewers mentioned the clips to hold the cloths on as being useless. I have to agree, the design is poor. There was no way to get them clipped as tight as they needed to be, and the clips did not hold it tight as you mopped. My cloths never came undone totally, but they loosened up enough to create extra drag when trying to mop. So now I am left with trying to decide whether or not to keep the darn thing. I do love how it cleaned but it was such a chore to use that I am not sure I will want to put myself through all of that again. I just saw the ad on tv for the Shark Handhelp Pocket Steamer, and I have to say that looks as if it would be much easier to use. I have to say that I find it hard that whoever designed this, did not try using it in testing. I think it needs to go back to the drawing board. And yet, as much as I love Oreck, this just does not meet my expectations of an Oreck. I am sorry to say, I can not give my recommendation on this product..

Review by heyheyheywotisay : Cleans Great, Love It!

Though I appreciate the two previous reviewers giving so much detail, I truly believe they exaggerate the difficulties of using this product.Overall, this is a "great" product. You will pay a little more because it is an Oreck, but quality construction, reliability, and the fact Oreck stands behind their products make the extra few dollars worth it.My reason for purchasing a steam cleaner was to clean stone and tile floors, "especially" the grout. Frankly, this unit does such an amazing job with this, if it did nothing else well, I would still be happy. I will no longer have to waste time and money on "very" expensive grout cleaners and sealers that do not work. Trust me, the Oreck get's grout and tile as clean as the day you had them installed. I have used it on shower glass, the marble in the shower, and a stovetop with great success. My hardwood floors look great, and like my stone and tile, I will never have to buy expensive floor cleaners again.The two micro-fiber cloths provided could definitely be larger, not sure what Oreck was thinking there. However, the cleaner is designed to use any micro-fiber cloth, so you can replace them anytime you like without having to buy them from Oreck. The clip system with the smaller cloths can be a bit of a challenge, but not so bad once you get the hang of it. Again, you can buy larger cloths at the local Walmart if they bother you that much.When fully filled with water, the unit can be heavy for some if trying to do a job above the head, or at the shoulders, (yes you can put it above your head without it leaking). However, the easy solution is don't fill it all the way when doing these type of jobs.PROS:Great construction. Large tank, and comes to steam quick.No expensive cleaners. No chemicals.Cleans tile and grout making it look like new. Hardwood floors shine!CONS:Supplied cloths small, and don't work "great" with clips..