Some sad news about those steam mops and wood floors

[lea1]

We recently moved into a new home that has wood and tile floors. My first purchase was a new steam mop, which I absolutely love and believe it to be one of the greatest inventions ever, but I digress.

 

Our wood floor guy came by to look at a couple of places in the floor that need some touch up repair work (had nothing to do with the steam mop). While he was here, he started giving me advice about the best products to use for mopping and what not to use. I told him that we have one of the steam mops and we can only use water with them, no extra products. He told me that the steam mops get too hot for wood floors and they will, over time, ruin them. The high heat allows the water to penetrate the wood. He said if we keep using it, we will have to have our floors refinished much sooner than otherwise. He said his floor company loves the steam mops because it makes more business for them.

 

Now, I am very upset over this because mopping with a regular mop requires a lot more work and elbow grease and hurts my back. My steam mop makes the job very quick and easy. I move the mop around pretty quickly too so I wonder if it would really do that much damage. But then, I don't know that I really want to find out because it could be an expensive experiment. I will still use it on my tile floors but I will likely not be using it on the hard wood floors any longer. I am very sad and disappointed about this though.

[Perry]

I wouldn't use a steam mop on my wood floors, but I hardly ever mop them at all. :D I vacuum several times a week and spot clean with a damp rag. Every few months, I use a microfiber mop with Bona on the kitchen floors. I've never mopped anywhere else in the house, and the floors still look nice.

[Frontier Mom]

Bona, Bona, Bona. Easy to use and no batteries to replace. I also just bought a Libman that is very similar but lets me put my own solution into it. I just put vinegar and water into the container and I can rinse out the pad. I like to keep this mix in the kitchen for quick clean ups and use the Bona weekly.

 

Much easier than literal mopping and does a great job.

[RahRah]

Wood floors, if properly sealed and/or waxed, do not need to be mopped frequently - just spot cleaning with a damp microfiber cloth and regular dust mopping (once a week)....maybe once every month (or so) a once over with some Bona wood floor cleaner with the microfiber mop head - but never a steam cleaning!

[lea1]

I mostly dust and spot clean but we have them in our kitchen and rear foyer, coming in from the garage. This is the most traveled path in the house and hubs and the two boys all drip drop a lot so I end up mopping this path more frequently. The rest is dust mopped and spot cleaned.

 

Our floor guy said vinegar and water was the best cleaner for wood floors. One cup of vinegar to one gallon of water. Sounds like a winner to me, although I will miss my steam mop.

[Laura Corin]

Otherwise I just wipe up any spills. I don't know that I've ever mopped them - we do take our shoes off at the back door though.

 

Laura

[Skadi]

I'm sorry, but he is wrong. As long as your wood floors are sealed, there is no danger of steam mops ruining them. Read the accompanying instruction booklet for any steam mop. Call the company and talk to them first hand. It sounds to me that this guy is just riding on anecdotal evidence -- perhaps even just speculation. I've done some Google'ing, and haven't found anything to corroborate his claim.

 

I'm a professional housekeeper, and I use a steam mop for all my clients. I'm pretty sure I'd have seen some damage by now if mopping every week with a steam mop was bad for wood floors.

[Plink]

When we install wood flooring we advise against steam mops. They are fine as long as your floors are perfectly sealed, but as soon as you get one scratch, nick, or dent, there are small holes in the finish that the steam can easily pass through. Water and wood don't play well together.

 

Go with Bona, you won't regret it.

[plain jane]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! *sob* :crying: Not what I wanted to hear. :(

[Perry]

When we install wood flooring we advise against steam mops. They are fine as long as your floors are perfectly sealed, but as soon as you get one scratch, nick, or dent, there are small holes in the finish that the steam can easily pass through. Water and wood don't play well together.

 

Go with Bona, you won't regret it.

:iagree:

Also, many wood floor warranties are void if you use a steam mop. I wouldn't risk it.

[Parrothead]

How often are you doing your floors? I only do my wood (with my floormate) twice a year. The rest of the time I dust mop and spot clean.

[justamouse]

I wouldn't use a steam mop on my wood floors, but I hardly ever mop them at all. :D I vacuum several times a week and spot clean with a damp rag. Every few months, I use a microfiber mop with Bona on the kitchen floors. I've never mopped anywhere else in the house, and the floors still look nice.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Bona, Bona, Bona.

 

If I used a steam mop on my wood floors my Dh would kill me and then put me back together again to kill me once more. It takes the finish right off the wood.

 

I have a microfiber mop system and on days I don't need to spot mop, I use a mophead of lambswool to dust mop. Easy peasy, just swivel around the floor.

[justamouse]

I'm sorry, but he is wrong. As long as your wood floors are sealed, there is no danger of steam mops ruining them. Read the accompanying instruction booklet for any steam mop. Call the company and talk to them first hand. It sounds to me that this guy is just riding on anecdotal evidence -- perhaps even just speculation. I've done some Google'ing, and haven't found anything to corroborate his claim.

 

I'm a professional housekeeper, and I use a steam mop for all my clients. I'm pretty sure I'd have seen some damage by now if mopping every week with a steam mop was bad for wood floors.

 

Of course the steam mop company is going to say that.

[Ellie]

:confused:

 

Well, I don't know about that.

 

I have a steam mop which I use infrequently, because when I spot-clean, I use a microfiber mop and Bona.

 

But it seems to me that a properly sealed wood floor--wood, not laminate--would hold up to a steam mop, although I guess that might depend on how often you use the thing. As I said, I use Bona and zip around cleaning in no time at all.