When my very young niece and nephew began coming to my house frequently, I started looking at my house in a different way.
When they were crawling around on the floor and putting everything in their mouths, I knew I had to up my cleaning game.
I felt like my tile and vinyl floors needed a little bit more help. After doing a bit of research, I decided to buy a Shark steam mop.
Honestly, I wasn’t thoroughly convinced that I needed it — until I used it.
My First Time Using The Shark Steam Mop
After spending a day cleaning the house in preparation for a family visit, I mopped the floors the old-fashioned way.
As I sat down to put my feet up, I remembered my recent acquisition — my Shark steam mop.
I thought it was a waste to test it out when I had already mopped, but I was in the mood to experiment, so I broke it out.
It took me 5 minutes to get everything ready — and that included reading the instructions and taking it out of the box.
After I made my first swipe on my clean (still damp) dining room floor, I realized that my floor wasn’t as clean as I thought it was.
From that moment, I was hooked.
The Shark mop was simple to use and it made my house feel cleaner and safer for the little ones to play on the floors.
But, that’s not the end of my experience with the Shark steam mop…
Using The Shark Steam Mop At Work
In my profession, where I manage group homes for elderly and disabled folks, I use the Shark steam mop on a daily basis!
Within 2 weeks of me using the Shark mop for the first time in my home, I made a point to get one for each of the 10 houses where I work.
So not only has the Shark steam mop become a part of my personal cleaning routine, it’s also part of the daily routine in each of the homes I oversee.
The Good And The Bad
Even though I’m a big fan of the Shark steam mop, there are some pros and cons worth mentioning.
Pros
- It’s a ‘green’ product — no messy chemicals, just fresh steam cleaned floors.
- The cloth cleaning pads are reusable and washable.
- It’s lightweight and easy to use. I feel that it is easy enough to use and safe enough for people with diminished abilities to use.
- Another ‘green’ aspect is the fact that it doesn’t use batteries. It is electric — which is good — but it would be better if it was a rechargeable and cordless mop.
- The biggest pro is how fast it is! It gets ready in about 30 seconds and gets me to relaxation time more quickly than when I used to mop my floors the old-fashioned way.
Cons
- Sometimes it gets streaky on laminate flooring. If you use a special pad, it seems to clear that problem up. Others who have used the Shark mop in our homes at work have said that you can dry it with a towel when you’re done to avoid streaks.
- Out of the 11 Shark steam mops I’ve used, 2 of them broke super quickly. Out of 11, that’s not too terribly bad, but still keep your warranty — just in case there are any issues with yours.
- The pads don’t get entirely clean sometimes in the wash. Adding some OxiClean to the wash load seems to clear up this problem.
Overall, the Shark steam mop is a great mop. I love the way it makes my house feel clean, and the staff at the homes I manage enjoy using it too.
Here’s another review of the Shark mop. You’ll get a good feel of what it looks like, how heavy it is, how adjustable it is, how it works, how to fill it with water (…and proof that those cleaning pads never really look clean again after the first use!)
We have lots more Helpful Cleaning Tips and an awesome Pinterest board filled with Everyday Tips & Tricks (…That Really Work!)
Beth has a great deal of experience evaluating cleaning products — both personally and professionally. As a manager of group homes for the elderly and disabled, she has learned a number of professional cleaning secrets that enjoys sharing with others.
