After I conducted a very interesting experiment and came up with a couple of the best steam mops to use on tiles, a number of my readers provided me with very positive feedback, which delighted and surprised me. Some of them really encouraged me and even begged that I investigate the wood floor sector, since this is an area that obviously needs to be examined.
That is how my search for the best steam mops for wooden floors started. This proved to be just as interesting a journey, if not more so, than my first one. My first discovery that I happened to stumble upon really shocked me as well as a majority of my readers. What I found out was that the warranty on a majority of modern wood floors may be annulled or cancelled if you use a steam mop on them!
The reason for this is because when a steam mop is used incorrectly it can destroy the finish on a floor, ranging from engineered to pre-finished flooring. Any professional will be able to easily recognize this type of damage as well as other types of damages that a steam mop can cause, and this can instantly make the warranty on your floor null and void.
Everybody knows that water can seriously damage a wood floor. When a steam mop is used, you actually release moisture directly onto the floor. The moisture can actually be just as damaging to the floor as water because it can get into areas of the floor that have an inconsistent finish.
Fortunately, if you know what the proper techniques are to use and what the best steam mops are for wood floors, you will be able to mop your wooden floor without causing any damage to it. As an example, if you avoid using an excessive amount of steam, you will see great results. What that means is that your mop needs to have a trigger for releasing steam, and for easy handling it should be located close to the handle.
Despite all of this, some floors can’t take having even just a small amount of steam applied to them, particularly cheap laminates and some of the other lower quality floors. If you aren’t sure about the quality of your wood floor, ask a professional for his or her opinion.
The other good news is if your wood floor already is in great shape, then you won’t need to use a lot of moisture. Just a little can work quite well. As you are mopping the floor, trigger the steam only occasionally, or better yet, lift your mop off the floor and trigger just enough steam so that it moistens the cloth on the mop head. One good thing to do would be to get a lightweight steam mop so you can lift it frequently and when you need to.
To achieve striking and streak-free results, you should keep the floor cloth as dry and clean as possible. The best steam mops for wood floors will allow you to change your cloth quickly and easily. A canister style steam cleaner comes with a floor attachment that accommodates any cloth quite easily, unlike some of the stick style steam mops where you have to specially order cloths directly from the manufacturer.
Distilled water will provide better results than tap water will. That is because there are hard minerals contained in tap water that will leave streaks and may also damage your mop.
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Best Steam Mops for Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop
The Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop proved to be quite effective since the scrubber flipped down and was able to reach the grout and crevices. The mop also handled tough messes well generating shiny, streak-free results.
The Bissell PowerFresh Steam Mop was one of the best overall best rated steam mops that I have tested, hands down. If you are like me and have hardwood, tile, and laminate floors in some part of your house than you really should consider the Bissell PowerFresh. See my full review of it HERE.
Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner, FH40160PC
The Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner, FH40160PC also qualified as the best steam mop for wood floors. It even had two separate water tanks each for clean and dirty water. This enabled me to fill, empty and rinse both tanks easily. It was also light enough to lift frequently and the results were satisfactory.
Hoover is another one of the top brands that I tested out, like Bissell they had a couple of contenders in the match for the best steam mop. I really liked how this steam mop had two separate tanks as mentioned above. When you can see how dirty the water is from the area you are cleaning, it just proves that the steam mop is doing what it is suppose too. Full Review here
Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer, 313A
The Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer, 313A was light enough for me to lift on a frequent basis. The water was also turned into steam within a few minutes and the results were a gleaming perfection.
The Eureka was also another top contender for Best Steam mop for Hardwood floors. It was undoubtedly one of the easiest steam mops to maneuver around the house. The water reservoir and components are all located at the bottom of the mop, which makes it a breeze to use. Full Review Here