Best Electric Mop For Faster Cleaning

As we can see in our reviews of the best electric mops, there are mops on the market that give you many great features to give your home a professional clean.

If you want a bit more information about electric or power, mops, read on to learn about whether or not power mops are worth it. We’ll also explore alternatives, such as if steaming is better for your floors. 

Are power mops any good?

If you’ve heard of the Flash power mop, you’ll already know that it’s popular. But is it any good? This type of mop has a scrubbing strip that will help you to remove stubborn stains, and a pivoting head so that you can get into difficult-to-reach places.

It also comes with cleaning pads that get attached to the mop head for fast and easy cleaning. This type of mop works in a similar way to the electric mops that we featured in our reviews. You can also use it on a variety of flooring types, such as finished wood.

Power mops are sometimes a confusing term. A power mop can be one that uses steam during the cleaning process, but it can also refer to an electric mop. Sometimes, a power mop can be one that includes steam functions and electricity to power it, as you’ll see when searching online retailers for power mop models.

Things can become more confusing if we consider that a power scrubber is also a type of mop. This is useful for cleaning small areas in the home, such as tubs, showers, and grout, to ensure that they can get a deeper clean. Some of a power scrubber’s pros include the following: 

• It’s ideal for cleaning sticky, stubborn spills and stains in specific areas. 
• It isn’t reserved for floor areas, as you can use it on tile grout. 
• It requires less physical effort than if you have to scrub at the stain with a rag. 
• It’s a handheld device which makes it easy to hold and use.
• It comes with attachments so you can clean a variety of surfaces and rooms in the home.
  

Is steam mop good?

Using a steam mop on your floors is a good idea for various reasons. For starters, steam cleaning is a natural way to remove dirt, stains, and household germs. It can even remove bacteria such as E. Coli and salmonella.

This is because of how it makes use of water that reaches temperatures of over 175 degrees Fahrenheit. This sanitizes surfaces effectively.

Another reason why steam mopping is good is that it prevents you from being exposed to dangerous chemicals that are common in many cleaning solutions, and it prevents you from having to use a lot of physical energy to clean your home.

However, there are some floor types that are not ideal for steam mopping. Since a steam mop produces pressurized steam that gets forced into crevices and cracks in the floor which can be missed with other types of mops, this can be potentially hazardous for some types of floors.

For example, if your floor has cracks in it, this can cause it to get damaged. Similarly, vinyl materials can warp because of the steam mop’s high temperature. Steam mops are not recommended for use on wood or laminate flooring.

Similarly, hardwood floors can have small gaps that are not noticeable to the naked eye, and if you force hot steam into them this can cause the flooring to warp, swell, or experience other damage.

Are steaming floors better than mopping?

One of the big questions you’ll have to ask yourself is if you should steam your floors or mop them. Which method is better? There are advantages linked to both cleaning methods, so let’s explore them. 

Steaming floors:

Pros

• Steaming is more sanitary than regular mopping. This is because it uses a high temperature to effectively clean your floors. Most steam mops only need water in their tanks, so you can also clean your floors faster.
  
• Steaming is safe for the family. It enables you to prevent the use of harmful chemicals that can be dangerous for your children and pets. This is because steaming floors don’t require the use of cleaning solutions. In addition, because steam mops dry very quickly, this is safe for pets and kids who walk on the floors after you clean them.
  
• Steaming doesn’t require a lot of effort. When you use a regular mop, you have to scrub hard on stubborn stains. By comparison, a steam mop is quicker and doesn’t require you to put in as much effort.
  
• Steaming loosens dirt and grime much quicker than a regular mop. This is because of how the steam produces vapor. 

Mopping floors:

Pros

• A regular mop is cheaper than a steam mop. A steam mop can cost more, especially if it’s got high-end features.
  
• A regular mop doesn’t require any batteries or electricity to work so that it can release hot water vapor. In this way, a regular mop is easy to grab and use whenever you need it, especially if you’re cleaning outdoors.
  
• A regular mop is lighter to move around and carry, as compared to a steam mop. A regular mop can weigh around three pounds, whereas a steam mop can weigh between six to 10 pounds, and that’s before you fill up its water tank. 

Where does the dirt go when you steam clean?

If you’ve ever used a steam mop on your floors, you might have wondered where the dirt goes. The hot vapor released by the mop will break down the dirt, but it doesn’t get eliminated from the area that you’re cleaning.

You will have to remove the dirt that’s been loosened by manually wiping it away with a cloth or using your vacuum cleaner to remove it.

That said, some steam cleaners suck the moisture and dirt away with the use of high pressure so that it gets put back into the dirty water tank. From there, the water can be flushed.