Steam mops can damage the surfaces of cork tiles and unsealed or waxed timber. However, they should be suitable for most hard floors, including vinyl, ceramic tiles, linoleum, marble, stone and sealed timber – with some caveats.
Avoid Hardwood and Laminate Floors
Avoid using a steam mop on any type of flooring that should not have hot water on it or on adhesive tiles with lifting corners. It's common for steam-mop manufacturers to warn against using steam mops on "unsealed" floors, a vague direction.
Steam mops are great for sealed hard floors like tile, stone, marble and hardwood, but heat and steam can penetrate some types of flooring and cause damage. Don't use a steam mop on unsealed wood, unglazed ceramic tile or vinyl plank flooring. If you're not sure, check with your flooring manufacturer.
Our testing has found that all steam mops remove stains fairly well, with marginal differences, and are likely slightly better than a regular mop and bucket due to the heat and vapour produced by the steam.
Although it may be tempting to deep clean your hardwood floors with a steam mop, don't. “Drastic temperature changes and moisture may warp the wood,” says Steve Stocki, manager of marketing and merchandising at Lumber Liquidators. That's true whether you have solid or engineered wood floors, and for bamboo, too.
Unfortunately, no. Laminate flooring is sensitive to heat and moisture, so the humidity from your steam mop can cause harm. It won't cause as much damage as a wet mop, but could eventually cause your floor to warp, loosen or peel.
So, where does the dirt go when you steam clean? Actually, it doesn't go anywhere. Instead, the heat and vapour of steam cleaning ensure that all the unwanted substances or stains are fully broken down and easy to get rid of.
Soap only lifts dirt and oil into water, making them suspend in water. Therefore, the more soap you use, the more your mop gets saturated with dirt. So, if you do not remove all the soapy water from the floor, the dirt remains, forming streaks on the floor.
Steam mopping over a painted surface is risky, even if the paint layer is sealed. The heat from the steam can cause bubbles beneath the paint, which may then peel. Best to avoid steam mopping on all painted floor surfaces.
What can't I steam clean? Steam can warp unsealed floors, melt plastic, and cause laminate floors to swell. Don't steam clean these surfaces. Other surfaces on the do-not-clean list: cold windows, unglazed tile, those covered in water-based paint, and delicate surfaces.
Steam mops are effective for cleaning many types of surfaces, including tile and grout. While steam cleaning is safe for most types of grout, it is not recommended for sanded grout, as it is sensitive to high temperatures and moisture and can easily be damaged by steam cleaning.
Steam cleaners are fantastic to clean porous tiles, smooth tiles and the are the best way to clean grout lines. These surfaces are usually hard to clean because of their crevices and pores, but hot steam flows deep into every nook and cranny to effectively loosen dirt, grime and grease.
No. A steam mop should never be used on a Polished Concrete floor. Nor should one use harsh chemicals such as bleach, citrus products or oils. A microfibre mop is all that is required in conjunction with water or a neutral ph cleaner such as GTA Tough Green.
Steam mops can damage the surfaces of cork tiles and unsealed or waxed timber. However, they should be suitable for most hard floors, including vinyl, ceramic tiles, linoleum, marble, stone and sealed timber – with some caveats.
Steam Damages Wood Flooring. Steam mops can damage hardwood floors by breaking down the finish over time and allowing water to absorb into the thirsty hardwood floor beneath. Heating up water reduces its viscosity making it act more like a solvent.
Steam cleaning can take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to completely dry.
Do: Wipe up excess dirt before steaming. Steam mops essentially employ steam to loosen grime, which the mop head then clears away, but there's no suction element in this appliance. This means that surface dirt will need to be vacuumed or swept up before you begin or you'll only succeed in pushing dirt across the house.
If you have "hard" water, mineral deposits will most likely accumulate (eventually) in the machine and cause it to stop steaming. (Hard tap water is probably the #1 reason for premature failure in appliances that use water like steam irons, coffee makers, steam mops etc.).
A steam cleaner is dependent on water and steam and does not use chemicals. How often should you steam clean your floors? Make steam cleaning your floors a weekly cleaning chore.
Cleaning performance was very good on hard floors: we found that using the cleaner on minimum steam was enough for most cases, leaving our floors relatively dry as well as clean. For tough stains, the floor mop can be removed to reveal a brush.
Steam clean your tiles and grout
Combining intense heat and high pressure vapours, steam cleaning can help dislodge grime, almost as if by magic! Moreover, steam cleaning tiles also serves to disinfect your tiles by killing bacteria – this is an important consideration if you're cleaning a kitchen or bathroom.
Steam cleaners are particularly helpful for allergy sufferers, because not only do they clean surfaces of dust and other allergens and debris, but they also disinfect and deodorize without the use of harsh chemicals that could trigger allergies, asthma, and multiple chemical sensitivity.
To prolong the life of your steam mop, we recommend using distilled water in the tank. Make sure you only add water to the tank – chemicals or cleaning solutions (including vinegar) may damage the steam mop and could be unsafe.
We have had some customers who have had their steam cleaners for 5-8 years and are still going strong. For less expensive models like the steam mops or handhelds, you should probably expect more like 3-6 years of consistent use.
What not to use to clean laminate floors? It's important to steer clear of harsh tools and abrasive cleaners, such as bleach and ammonia, which can cause irreversible damage even if heavily diluted. You'll also want to skip acetone and nail polish remover, even if you think it could get rid of a stain.