trixie
most of us have the shark.. one or two have the Bissell..everyone is happy in what they have..there is one who was dissatisfied with the shark and sent it back..there is a posting on it on here, she is the only one (so far) out of..maybe 30 (or more possibly) ..I lost count.
Ree

I am ordering the Shark Steam Mop - it has an optional 3 Pad + 3 year replacement warranty for a total of $43.75 - is it worth the money to have this? How long does the Shark Mop last in the first place - I read the other forum and no one talked about it breaking or needing a new one yet, so I'm just wondering how long the pads last + the mop itself. Thanks! Jenny

jennyleafishes
I am not sure how long they last..my first shark mop only lasted a little over a year..they made major changes in this new one, so I am sure it will last longer. It is worth getting the extra pads for sure..I didn't get the warranty , can't hurt! .. hope you enjoy your mop as we all have! Ree

Ree, thank you I am going to order the Shark!

trixietx
You will really enjoy it! Let us know when you get it!
Some on here got theirs at sears..(if you wanted to check out your local store so you don't have to wait for it) Ree

Bissell came out with a new Steam Mop.... I took back my Shark and bought the Bissell... The Bissell wins hands down...

{{gwi:1433681}}

I had this Bissell and it was horriable. My floor had horriable steaks and it was never clean looking. Also with this model you HAVE to use distilled water or you will get a fishy smell in the fliter, whicin in turn makes the floor hadve an oder.

Hello, I'm new to this forum but I have been reading the reviews for a few days. I'm looking to buy a steam cleaner and after reading everything posted here I don't know whether to buy the shark or not. I have laminate flooring and ceramic. I have read that some people love the shark but like the old one better, and now trying the lotus system. So are you giving up on the steam machines altogether? Has anyone tried the bissell and the shark, which one is better?

I have a steamer unit and never use it. It emits a loud hiss that scares my dog. I use it in the summer when she can go outside.
That being said, I think the Lotus will do everything and more that a single tasker will do. I try to buy things that have multiple functions. The Lotus and a nice quality microfiber mop would be my choice. You could also use the mop to clean windows and fetch cobwebs.

I have the Shark.I love it. I also have a SteamFast (which I now use for other steaming jobs)

Pro's for me:
*Leaves floors dry (I have all hardwood..that was important)
*Lightest weight - it would seem that a unit that weighs about 5 pounds would not be all that much different to operate than one that weighs 3, but believe me, it makes a big difference.
*Pulsing steam: superior to continuous steam because it lets you use more or less in different areas, and you can also leave the mop to do something else for a minute without running out your water, and cooking your floor.
*Easy pad use: Having to tie on, clamp on, or pin on your cleaning pads doesn't seem like a big deal, but it gets old really fast. You can throw the Shark pads on the floor, put the mop on top of it and be ready to go. In fact, I sometimes don't even use a formed pad for quickie cleanups...I just throw a microfiber cloth on the floor, and the grippers on the bottom of the mophead grab right on to it.

Con's:
*Cord could be longer. It's longer than other models (21 feet) but it would be nice to have a little more range.
*They really ought to give you a dozen pads with the mop. If you don't want to be making a bunch of your own, by all means, buy the extras. You'll be glad you did.
*Stupid fill hole. You almost have to have a funnel to fill the chamber, the fill hole is so tiny. Seems dumb to me to have to have both a measuring cup AND a funnel everytime you need to refill.

As you can see, the cons are easily remedied or not really important. On the whole, it's a great product and performs well.

Hi - I thought steaming hardwood floors is not a good idea? Has anyone tried the Lotus system on hardwood floors?

Thanks

You can steam sealed hardwood floors with no damage. I believe some hardwood floor manufacturer's even recommend it.

fawad and troy if you are reading then i guess you should go for industrial style cleaners .... i know how messy you guys are

I read somewhere that you can't use the Sharp model on no-wax floors. Aren't most linoleum floors "no wax"? I wonder what would happen if you did use it on them?

My H20 leaves the floors clean but very wet. Takes quite a long time to dry. That's not how the informercial describes how it works. Any suggestions appreciated.

To @icucme2 the H20 says in the manual that if you have concrete flooring underneath , it could take a bit to dry . So if you happen to have concrete flooring then , there ' s your problem . Hope i helped . Here ' s a copy &&paste from a H20 vs. Shark Steamer :

While Ashley loves the H20 mop, she points out the manual says if you have concrete flooring underneath...like she does...it can take a bit for the dampness to dry.

Here is a link that might be useful: H20 Mop vs. Shark Steam Mop: Does it Work, Better?

I have the Bissell POwerfesh steam mop, it's perfect - you can set it to high medium or low amount of steam (for example for wood you can use low to keep them dry, and for tile or dirty textured vinyl, high) and no pumping to produce steam.

Previously I had the original Bissell steam mop it was also good but you had to hold the trigger to release steam, and only at one rate. I didn't mind that much because I would pulse the steam so the hardwood didn't get too wet, but some people didn't like it. Better than the pump action sharks though. But the new Bissell continuously produces steam when set on - you switch to standby when you want to pause the steam.

There is no fishy smell with either steam mop - that could happen with any steam mop if you use non-pure water, of course! Heat up water to the boiling point and if you have gross smelling water with algae or something, of course it will stink.

I use distilled water - and I would do that with any steam mop - because it will both make the appliance last longer and because it will leave no residue on the floors. If you have hard water, you may leave a mineral residue on your floor which could look hazy, and of course you'll get limescale inside the steam chamber. Distilled water is cheap - way cheaper than buying cleaning chemicals.

As for streaking or haze, that's not caused by steam mop brand - that's residue which can come from: 1. previous cleaning products that left buildup 2. minerals and contaminants in your water 3. residue of detergent or softener on your mop pad -always wash mop pads with a residue-free detergent and never use softener on them.

I think the brand/model of steam mop you prefer will depend on your exact floor and cleaning style, but in general steam mops are awesome!