I still do mine on all fours. I think any sort of mop would hurt my back.

Yes, we use a Shark steam mop.

Love my Bissel steam mop!

We (or the cleaning crew) do it the old fashioned damp mop way for tile, and something drier for wood.

The steam cleaners have always struck me as being like so many of the countertop kitchen gizmos. I can hear the manufacturers saying amongst themselves "we build them because we can and people buy them, no promises as to whether they're useful or if consumers need them or not."

I have a stream mop and use it, but the other day I did my bathroom floor on all fours with hot soapy water, a scrubby, a toothbrush, rinse, and hand dry, and the difference was amazing.

Steam mops may or may not sanitize the grout but they certainly don't clean it.

I'll keep my steam mop but yesterday I glanced at the floor cleaners at Target. We have a Hoover we got for the carpets and it does a good job on floors, but it's a bother and LOUD.

When I do floors on all fours, I use kneepads or a kneeler.

I guess my subject line didn’t reflect my actual question too well. I’m wondering what happens to the dirt if you’re not constantly rinsing the pads, as you would with a squeeze mop.

The first paragraph of bpath’s response may have answered the question.

Thanks all!

We have terrazzo floors. I have a steam mop as well - and a bunch of extra pads for it, so I don't need to stop and clean the pad. When I'm done I throw them all in the washer.

I used to use a sponge mop with a double bucket - 1 side for the cleaning mixture, and the other for rinsing, but it's definitely heavier work, and messier too. Steam mopping is faster and lighter work for sure.

I vacuum or dust mop first, then steam mop.

We have a Haan steam mop in Cathedral City and an iWoly steam mop in L.A. We do not have carpet in either house, except for my bedroom in L.A., and I want to replace that as soon as I am able - possibly with bamboo.

We have all tile floors in Cathedral City, and I find that the steam mop does a very good job of loosening dirt - especially in the kitchen. To do this, I let the mop stand in place over the hard-to-remove dirt spot, and after about a minute or so, the dirt comes off very easily onto the mop pad. We have lots of mop pads, and they can be washed and dried. We generally dry them outdoors in the sun - when don't clean on the very few rainy days that we have.

In CC I also have a mop that has a detachable sponge head that has to be replaced very often, and so I attached a microfiber cloth over it with diaper pins (I don't like to use regular safety pins), and this works better than the sponge head, plus I can very easily replace the cloth and wash it in the washing machine when needed.

I almost never get on my hands and knees to do floors - I'm not Cinderella - and when I do, it is only to clean the edges of the floors where they meet walls.

I keep a very large sponge in the corner of the kitchen in L.A. (also tile floor) under the toe kick, and I move this around with a foot when I have spills. I would rather use my foot than be on my hands and knees.

I have a bunch of steam mop pads and change them as they get dirty. of course, you have to let it cool a bit between changes if you dont want to steam off the tips of your fingers. i agree that a sponge mop and a bucket of frequently changed water does a better job. Better yet, get a cleaning lady or hire someone to clean the tile thoroughly once in awhile. I just did that and wowza, what a difference.

I just bought a squeeze mop also, but I do have a Bissel steam mop, I like it. Moping just wears me out.

I have a steam machine that I use on my counters, and I find it gets things cleaner than anything else does! Unfortunately, I bought it as a steam mop, and I didn't check it before I threw away the receipt. I would gladly use it on my floors if it worked that way.

If I'm worried about germs, I spray it down with Lysol when I'm done. If it's good enough for the CDC to hose down their persons at the end of the day, it's good enough for me.

I can't tell you how beautiful it makes my counters, cabinets, floors, stove.... Whatever I use it on. Nothing gets it as clean.

It's a Shark. A thousand years old, and I'm sure I could have done better (rather than settling for machine that was broken, though I did not know it..., but if I had it probably would clean my floors just like I want. And to be clear, I blame my provider, not Shark.).

What I currently want is a Bissell Crosswave. But that's because I've experienced the clean of a steam cleaning. Steam cleaners get stuff off that nothing else gets off. I love it!

P.S. never mind, I've fiddled with it and fiddle with it, and it now works! Thank you FOAS! for getting me to slow down and take a second (more like the billionth. I have no idea what worked this time!) look.

I cannot calm down! This is the thing that I saw on TV when I was so poor I couldn't have anything I wanted at all, and I really wished I had. And now I have it and I can do whatever I want it with it, just like I wanted to then... All those years ago. Now that I'm no longer so poor I can't have anything I want. I used to be so jealous of car commercials in the morning on the news, and now I've had two cars since then. One that has been paid off, and is now gone, and one that will be paid off by the next year. I've come so far.

Getting it to work, puts me back to where I wish I had been many years ago. Makes me realize I'm there. I'm back!

I also use and love my Shark steam mop. I have 4 pads which means there are 8 pad surfaces (top and bottom) which can be used in one cleaning. I use it only on tile and linoleum. You can use it on hard wood too but only on the 'dust' setting.

Me too me too. I use and love my Shark Steam Mop. I only use it on the tile floor in the kitchen. and upstairs bathrooms. Previously had tile in the foyer and powder room as well and used it there.

I do agree that the pads get pretty dirty. I ordered more so I do change them often and wash them (but honestly they don't get really clean looking). I love how quickly the floor dries compared to a sponge mop and I do feel like it cleans really well with the steam.

I have LVP flooring now in the powder room/family room, and foyer so I can't use the steam mop on it and I do miss the ease of use. ( I use a sponge mop, wrapped in a tshirt or other rag and change the rag often).

Just as there are upright and canister vacuums, there are two types of steamers, and the canister ones are better for larger jobs than the steam mops. Canister steamers generally heat the water to a higher temperature and don't force you to use proprietary pads. The best ones are made in Italy.

I love my canister steamer! I have a stack of microfiber cloths that attach easily to the end of the wand with alligator clips. You switch them out as they get dirty. I believe cleaning your tile with a steamer keeps the grout cleaner because you are not leaving any soap/detergent in the grout crevices when you clean. But you can also specifically clean the grout using the attachments that come with the steamer.

How often do you all use your steam mop? Do you use it in place of damp mopping? And in place of cleaning products at all?

I'm the last person who should answer this, because my floors are the thing I don't clean well. Maybe because it's so freaking hard! I try to keep it swept up, and use the Swiffer/Bona once a week, but I'm lucky if I do that. I will tell you that the steam mop can get up things nothing else can get up. Not even being on my hands and knees and scrubbing. I'm lucky if I use it once a month. Boy does everything really shine when I'm done. Let's just say I don't want to look in the mirror, because it truly reflects what's in front of it after using the steamer