Steam Mops - Research these Specs to Make Sure You Get the Right One

Steam mop shopping can be complicated if you aren't sure what to look for.  Manufacturer's keep introducing new, improved models and more and more manufacturer's are entering the steam mop market, ensuring that your options are growing larger month by month. 

There is no need to fret though.  If you know what to look for in one, picking the best steam mop is not as complicated as you might have feared.  All you need to do is take a little time to learn some product specifications of the steam mops you are considering to make sure you end up with one that will actually perform as promised as well as meet your needs.  Here are some things you will want to look for:

Steam Temperature

How hot does it get?  I used to assume that all steam mops got hot enough to sanitize my floors as they promise to.  Wrong!  Steam mops need to reach a minimum temperature of 212F to be able to kill most germs and bacteria.  It seems about half the steam mops on the market these days just don't get that hot.  In fact, on some models I read many reviews from consumers complaining that their steam mop didn't seem to get the water much warmer than what comes out of their tap. 

So be sure to read carefully and find out how hot the mop you are considering gets.  If the manufacturer doesn't readily offer this information on their website, you might have to dig a little.   Here are a few models that get hot enough (or hotter) to actually sanitize your floors:

Monster Steam Mop

Haan FS20 Steam Mop

Eureka Enviro Steamer

Haan Slim and Light

Haan SI 60 Steam Mop

Water Tank Size

There is nothing more annoying than having to stop every 10 minutes to refill the water tank on your steam mop.  Be sure to consider the water tank size of the steam mop(s) you are considering for purchase.  They can vary by as much as 10 ounces in capacity.  

If you have a smaller house, a small water tank on a steam mop may not be an issue at all.  However, for larger homes it can become an issue quickly if you have to stop several times to refill each and every time you want to mop the house.  This can quickly eat up precious time and drag out the task to be much longer than needed.

A couple steam mops with smaller tanks include the Shark Steam Mop and Haan FS20.  If a bigger water tank is important to you, check out the Monster Steam Mop or Eureka Enviro Steamer.   My Haan Slim and Light Steam Mop has a moderate sized water tank but I can get about 20 minutes of steaming power out of it between refills.  That's usually enough to do my house (living room, dining room, and kitchen) without a refill.

Cord Length

Cord length is another stat you might want to look at when steam mop shopping.  Some cords can be as short as 17 or 18 feet long (the Bissell Steam Mop) while others like the Hoover Steam Mop (30 feet) and the Haan SI60 Steam Mop (25 feet) have more impressive cord lengths.

While cord length doesn't necessary make or break a good steam mop, it certainly is nice to have one with a longer cord if possible so it's just one more thing to consider when choosing the best steam mop for you.

Cleaning Path

The width of the steam mop head is the cleaning path of the steam mop.  Some are only 8 or 9 inches wide while others are 11 or 12 inches wide.  This is of course an important spec to look at because wider heads will complete cleaning a room in less swipes back and forth than the smaller heads.

So as you can see, some of the important specs of steam mops can really help you make your decision.  You should also look at steam mop reviews to see what sort of problems consumers might have experienced with the various models but taking that and the specs into consideration can make it easier to narrow down your options and pick the best steam mop for your home's cleaning needs.