Housework isn’t something that tends to be high on everyone’s “enjoyment” list, unless you’re like me in which case this is something you love to do. However, even if you like to clean it’s always nice to know there are products on the market that will make the whole experience far quicker and easier to do.
As you’re probably aware, this website is based on floor cleaners and the various other features manufacturers have included that will help keep other areas of your home clean. And among the reviews I’ve included you will find steam mops that will clean hard surfaces as well as carpet.
Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it?
Well, as with anything in life there pluses and negatives and that’s why you see this page before you. I’m not about trying to coerce you into buying something that doesn’t suit your needs, so if you’ve just got excited about the prospect of being able to clean both your hard and “soft” surfaces in one go I’m going to give you an idea of what results you should expect.
Carpet Cleaners
Carpet cleaners will only deal with your carpets, or your upholstery and other soft furnishings. I have come across comments where people have attempted to use this cleaning utensil on their hard floors and quite honestly, the results are less than desirable. This is because carpet cleaners include brushes designed to get into the fibers of your carpet, and a hard floor doesn’t have these.
If you do use one on a hard surface, you may end up with scratches everywhere as well as damage the cleaner so if you’re looking for something that does both, you’re better off with a machine that’s designed to undertake the jobs at hand.
Steam Mops with Hard and Soft Surface Capabilities
These cleaning utensils can and do make life much easier around your home because they essentially do two jobs in one unit.
Lets deal with hard surfaces first.
When you use a steam mop on your hard floors (depending on the model you have), it will not only remove everyday dirt and grime but it will also sanitize your floors by removing almost 100% of unseen bacteria. Some also have the capability of dealing with hard to remove stains as well as ground on dirt your vacuum won’t remove.
When it comes to your carpet, don’t expect the same results as you would if you were to use a machine that’s dedicated to this surface only. Many of the two-task steam cleaners I have reviewed do not use chemicals to clean, just the power of steam . For this reason it is possible to give your carpets and rugs a lift but the results won’t be the same as a good old deep clean.
On the flipside, having a steam mop that does both hard surfaces and carpets will allow you to get up various stains and spills that occur between washes. They will also kill off a good deal of bacteria that’s hiding in the fibers.
The upshot is a steam mop with carpet cleaning capabilities will make keeping your floors clean much easier, and will cut down the amount of times you have to use a “real” carpet cleaner.
Oh, and don’t forget you MUST vacuum both your floors and carpets before you use any of the models I have reviewed on my website (with the exception of the Shark MV3010, which includes a vacuum).
