Steam cleaning is a great way to keep your hard floors looking their best, but you need to have the right steam cleaner. A steam cleaner that works on upholstery might not be the best for your floors. With the number of options on the market, it can be hard to choose but knowing what to look for will help you make the right decision on the best hard floor steam cleaner.
The Steamer Style
When looking at steam cleaners, you will notice that there are different styles. The styles you should focus on for hard flooring are the steam mops and the canister steamers. These are the best styles for flooring, but you need to consider what each offers.
The steam mop is an upright stick-style steamer that is very easy to use on your flooring. Unless you get a 2-in-1 steam mop, you will not be able to use it for anything other than the floors. The primary issue with these steamers is that they heat water to boiling point only generating wet steam. This leaves your hard floors damp which can be a problem for certain types of flooring.
Canister-style steamers are larger and will hold more water. They also have a range of attachments allowing you to use them for more than just the floor. These steamers are heavier and some people find them cumbersome. Additionally, if you leave them standing for too long, the unused steam in the hose will condense back to water and be released the next time it is used.
The Features To Look For
Once you know what style of steamer you want, you need to look at the features. One of the most important features for hard floor steamers is a cleaning cloth that you can easily and quickly change. If you are cleaning floor that are particularly dirty, you need to change this a few time to ensure your steamer is actively cleaning and not spreading dirt.
When looking at the cleaning cloth, you should also consider the types of cloth the steamer uses. There are some steamers that only use manufacturer cloths. There are others that allow you to clip any large cleaning cloth on them.
The next feature you should consider will only relate to canister-style steamers and this is the wet or dry steam. The cheaper steamers will only offer wet steam while more expensive ones have dry steam. Dry steam will not leave your floors or other furniture damp when it is cleaned. To create the dry steam, the steamer will heat the water to a higher temperature.
Another feature to consider is the heating time. This is the amount of time it takes the steamer to heat the water and generate steam. Steam mops will generally be faster than canister steamer because they hold less water.
If you are looking for a steam cleaner for your hard floor, you need to carefully consider all your options. You need to know what style of steamer you want and the features you need. The team mops are best for people only using the steamer on their floors while canister steamers are more versatile.
References:
https://www.cleaningtalk.com/f7/steam-cleaner-17265/
https://www.daycare.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71178