Thread Number: 11306
what's best for bare floors? 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 122308   1/20/2011 at 09:49 (4,837 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()        

I was just looking for a better way to clean my kitchen floor.... I don't have any dedicated bare floor cleaners and that seems odd to me as someone who so loves floor care appliances! My experience with them is limited to when I sold vacuums at Sears back in 02.... I used to try them out in the break room.... we had the original Hoover Floormate with the pedals, the yellow Eureka Envirosteamer, canister and models, and the first generation Bissell Steam mop. They all worked OK, I don't remember being particularly impressed with any of them. My kitchen is very small and it has the kind of tile that you'd find in stores, schools, and hospitals. Last night, at 3 AM, I couldn't sleep so I got up and scrubbed the floor with a toothbrush and applied a few coats of "quick shine" floor polish. It looks pretty darn good! Usually to mop, I use my Rubbermaid Spray mop or Libman Wonder mop with a bucket of soapy water (Pine Sol, Amonia, or Armstrong).... but there should be a better way! Because of the kind of tile it is, I don't really have any grout to worry about. To "sweep", I usually just use my red Velida Tango broom.... I vacuum every now and then if I'm using a machine that has a bare floor feature in the rest of the apartment already, but it doesn't happen often because there is always some degree of spilled water in front of the sink. I also have the Dirt Devil Brum, which I don't use because it's so heavy and clumsy. It's so awful, I don't even keep it charged.... looks good though!

So, what do you guys think? Should I look into something like a Hoover Floormate, or is steam truly the way to go?

Post# 122312 , Reply# 1   1/20/2011 at 10:33 (4,837 days old) by twocvbloke ()        

Mop & bucket? It's what we use in this house... :D

No electricity required (aside from heating the water if you water heater's electric), and gives you a workout too... :)

Not to mention, a mop is pretty flexible, so you can get it into tighter spaces that an inflexible machine cannot or struggles to... :)

Post# 122316 , Reply# 2   1/20/2011 at 10:53 (4,837 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()        

Already got that.... looking for something "fun" :o)

I wonder what the Bissell Flip is like? There's one on CL for 20 bucks, but with no steam or moving brushes, I can't imagine it's very effective.

Post# 122320 , Reply# 3   1/20/2011 at 12:30 (4,837 days old) by kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️)        
Shark Steam Mop XL

 kirbyloverdan's profile picture
I love my Shark Steam mop . I have very little bare floors but it does a great job . Beats being on hands and knees !

Post# 122321 , Reply# 4   1/20/2011 at 12:53 (4,837 days old) by electroluxtank ()        
Use a pitch fork first!

 First one rights the fridge vertical.

Then one uses a pitch fork to remove the marsh grass from the Kitchen floor. I did this with a Kerosene lantern when there was no power for 2 weeks.

Then one throws away the stuff that is crud.

After awhile one can see the floor, or parts of it! :)

Then comes putty knives, brushes, 409, windex, elbow grease.

After weeks of using a 70,50 and two 35 quart dehumidifers the floor is dry enough to use a dry vac.

The odd thing is folks US mail floated into the house and got stuck on the Kitchen floor.

This Kitchen's floor is Armstrong linoleum from 1971. It had about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of muck mud after Katrinas flood, the salt water in the Kitchen was about 24 to 30 inches.

To get the water out behind the cabinets,a rotozip was used. That panel is what is used to cover this hole.



Post# 122322 , Reply# 5   1/20/2011 at 12:58 (4,837 days old) by petek (Ontario)        

I have a Hoover FloorMate and while people rave about them I don't find it all that great. If the spin brush bristles were stiffer it might work better. As well I find it a bit on the too noisy side. I use it occasionally but a good mop and bucket is a lot easier. I also use a Swiffer Wet Jet for quick going over, I like that.
For a small kitchen I think a Hoover Floormate is overkill and too much fuss and bother to set up and clean afterwards.

For a mop I use a Vileda and their bucket that goes with it.. it's one of those flat mops with a washable microfiber pad.

Post# 122332 , Reply# 6   1/20/2011 at 13:41 (4,837 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.)        

There's always Hoover Floormates on Craigslist, which makes me think either they don't do that well of a job, or more trouble than they are worth. My friend who owns a vac shop sells a lot of the Bissell stick type steamers and people seem to like them. Oreck has 3 versions of a stick type steamer, and the only one I think is built well is the most expensive called the Steam-It, normally 179.00, on sale now at our store for 149.00, it has squeegee and concentrated steam brush attachments for grout, and can be used vertically unlike the other ones. I have a small kitchen myself, and use a spongy strip type mop from Stanley and good old Spic N Span, ditto for the small bathroom. My kitchen has off-white vinyl tile and if it gets bad from my dog tracking in stuff, I use a light mist pre-spray of Clorox Clean-up, my favorite cleaning chemical for just about everything.

Post# 122334 , Reply# 7   1/20/2011 at 13:54 (4,837 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()        

Maybe a Haan would be good? I don't think that just because there are a lot of something on CL, that it is a bad product.... I think quite often people misunderstand how to use or maintain the product and want to get rid of it because of that. Of course it could also be bad, but I've gotten some awesome stuff on CL.

I have used my Hoover Steam Vac on the bare floor, but the brushes are soft and it lacks a squeegee.... it's just too heavy and cumbersome to use regularly. It does to a surprisingly good job, however!

Post# 122336 , Reply# 8   1/20/2011 at 14:03 (4,837 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

portable's profile picture
Shark Steam Pocket Mop. I hate Shark products, as a rule, but this works great, and the pads are machine (and even hand) washable. DON'T get the original Steam Mop...get the Steam POCKET Mop. The original steam mop did not disbruse steam through the space between each side of the mop head, as the Pocket model does. I think the XL mentioned earlier is also a good one. I got mine at Costco. It was about $100 and came with 3 different heads and covers.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO portable's LINK
Post# 122370 , Reply# 9   1/20/2011 at 16:52 (4,836 days old) by vac_whisperer ()        

If you want just a floor sweeper, swiffers and swiffer wet jets work pretty good. If youre looking for a vacuum, orecks are good for hardfloors.

VW

Post# 122390 , Reply# 10   1/20/2011 at 18:15 (4,836 days old) by cleaningbuff (Quincy, IL)        
bare floor cleaning

 cleaningbuff's profile picture
I use a spinmop, this is the best mop I have ever used.
Hands never have to touch the dirty water, and you control how wet or dry you get the mop by how much you spin it.

Think salad spinner design.
I clean 3 houses weekly and this is great.
Robert

CLICK HERE TO GO TO cleaningbuff's LINK
Post# 122423 , Reply# 11   1/20/2011 at 22:30 (4,836 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

suckolux's profile picture
I'm a brush, soap towel on the floor kind of guy. Pain, but never feels right if I don't. Go figure.

Post# 122439 , Reply# 12   1/21/2011 at 02:02 (4,836 days old) by bimmer740 (Long Island, New York)        

bimmer740's profile picture
I've never used a Hoover Floor-Mate but I do have a RubberMaid Reveal MicroFiber mop for the quick in between jobs. I'd love to have one of the Haan Floor Steamers or a professional steam cleaner canister. But.... I dont think anything tops a good quality cotton string mop and bucket with very hot water. Use some white vinegar or a few drops of good dish washing detergent in a bucket of very hot water and a good quality mop, and you are all set. And be sure to rinse the floors with a fresh bucket of clean hot water and rinse your mop out well before using it to get up the excess "stuff" from the floor. It might require a bit of work but mopping this way will ensure that you have absolutely spotless bare floors.

Post# 122541 , Reply# 13   1/21/2011 at 23:09 (4,835 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()        

OK, I did something that I never thought I would do in a million years. I bought a Euro-Pro product. It hurts to even say that. I can't believe I just uttered those words.... I swore I'd never sink so low, but the positive reviews online (for the pocket model only) and entertaining infomercial led me to try it. 100 bucks at Wal-mart. I enjoyed watching the infomercial for this and for the Navigator... they are both on Youtube. I enjoy infomercials for some reason! I got it home and tried it on my kitchen floor... it left streaks, and didn't get any dirt up... but I'd just scrubbed the floor with a toothbrush on my hands and knees the night before, so I didn't expect it to get any dirt. The handle is very flimsy. The release latch for the telescoping part WILL break, it bends almost to its breaking point each time I try to use it, and I baby it because I know what low quality products Euro Pros are. It does not stand up on its own, super annoying. Heaven forbid it ever fall down. Because my place is so small, I brought it in to work tonight to try there. It's a textured semi-glossy ceramic tile with off white grout. As I pushed it over the floor I noticed it left streaks that did not go away when it dried, but overall the floor did seem cleaner and the pad was dark gray on both sides when I finished. It makes a loud hissing sound when it ejects steam. Was super annoying to have on at work just because of the noise. I do not like that it lacks a power switch. Also, it doesn't have a grounded plug and it's a "water" appliance... seems like asking for trouble! I don't like the lack of a trigger for steam control. It is supposed to spit steam out when the handle is pushed forward, but I've found it does it as soon as it warms up, until it's unplugged and has cooled off.... it does more on the forward stroke, but the steam is always "on".

So, do I like anything about it? Well, the cord is surprisingly longer than I thought it would be. 25 feet. The cord clips are designed really well because the hold the cord securely in place, but still allow it to move when the handle is pushed or adjusted. At least it has a quick release cord wrap, but still that's annoying because you have to pull it out before you can turn it, and it has detents that it sinks into all the way around, so it not smooth twisting motion. Simply unnecessary. I like that the pockets fit on securely (anyone who tried the original Envirosteamers with the elastic "waffle weave" pads will appreciate that). I like that they can be flipped and that so many extras are included. I like the idea of not having to buy disposable "stuff" (never liked Swiffer products). I like that the filling tank has a "bowl" shaped mouth so the water kind of funnels in, and that the water level is easily visible. I also like the pretty blue light that lights up the Shark emblem.

I may have been happier with a Haan or Bissell (both better names, and both free-standing models... I know the Bissell has a trigger, but not sure about the Haan), but I will give the Shark a little while and see how it does before passing final judgment. I have 90 days to return it, so I'll at least keep it until it breaks.... which it will, it's too flimsy not to. I'm not throwing the box away or shredding the receipt just yet!

I'm about to do under the 'fridge, so we'll see how it performs there. I added a bit of vinegar to the tap water (not hard, by the way) to see if that will help with the streaking. Maybe I could put some jet dry in, who knows? I may try distilled water too, just to see. I also thought that it may have streaked because the pads are new and haven't been washed yet.... It's streaked on both of the things I've tried it on... and the reviews that didn't ADORE this thing (not many, but there were some), stated that was a problem.

Thanks for your advice and opinions.

Brimmer.... I have the Rubbermaid Reveal too.... it's good for quick pick ups, but I don't think it cleans deeply. The spray is hard to direct and most of it falls on the mop head itself... which is hard to push and difficult to swivel, not to mention way too wide for small spaces. They almost got it right!



Post# 122543 , Reply# 14   1/21/2011 at 23:12 (4,835 days old) by Vacuumfreeeke ()        

OH yeah, Portable, I LOVE your avatar picture thingy. Truly awesome! What in the world is it from?

Post# 122554 , Reply# 15   1/22/2011 at 00:59 (4,835 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)        

portable's profile picture
Well, Bobby, I'm sorry that you (mostly) don't like the Steam Pocket. You make some valid points. Mine never HAS streaked, so I'm not sure why yours does. You might want to steam the floor you've already done again, and see what it does (use a washed clean cover).

That avatar picture of mine is from a British fabric ad, Osborne and Little. I almost flipped when I found it (sometime back in the early 90's).

Post# 122617 , Reply# 16   1/22/2011 at 12:38 (4,835 days old) by vac_whisperer ()        

I have two euro pros that are straight-suction. One i havnt even glimpsed at in at least 5 years, and the other, the only reason i half-ways like it is because it was my first vacuum that i got as a gift when i was just a toddler.

VW

Post# 122836 , Reply# 17   1/23/2011 at 21:00 (4,833 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
In my opinion, the easiest way to sweep a bare floor is with the Swiffer SweeperVac! It is basically a rechargeable cordless stick-vac featuring a Swiffer disposable pad. The strong suction at the front nozzle removes all the large debris (even in corners) and the pad gets rid of all that fine electrostatic dust that an electric broom leaves behind. It is lightweight (my 83 year old mother could not survive without one!), easy to manoeuver around chair legs and into corners, and really does the job. It's also cheap - $30!

Here's a link to their website....I swear by this little vac!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO eurekaprince's LINK
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