Ping: Lauren (OT - Steam Mop)
 

Hi Lauren,

You asked about the Bissell Steam Cleaner, and I promised to let you know
what I think of it after I use it. Well, I'm good at procrastinating, but
I'm on vacation now and finally got around to using it. I bought this
cleaner because it cleans only with water. The instructions specify that
*no* chemicals ar to be used.

Results: It did a pretty good job, and the floor was "almost" dry when I
finished. Certainly, there was *much* less moisture left on the floor than
when I use a conventional mop. It wasn't quite as easy to push around as
the ads show (but then, isn't that always true??), but I liked it enough
that I will continue to use it. My one concern is that is wasn't
particularly easy to attach the mop head, but that may get easier as I get
used to it.

I remember that you mentioned wood floors. As I said in an earlier reply,
the instructions say the mop cleaner can be used on sealed wood floors but
not on unsealed wood floors. My kitchen flooring is vinyl, almost white,
about 9 years old -- and I would say the cleaner did a good job for that
type of condition.

I hope this helps.

MaryL

--
MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Holly and Duffy:
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

You asked about the Bissell Steam Cleaner, and I promised to let you know
what I think of it after I use it. Well, I'm good at procrastinating, but
I'm on vacation now and finally got around to using it. I bought this
cleaner because it cleans only with water. The instructions specify that
*no* chemicals ar to be used.

Results: It did a pretty good job, and the floor was "almost" dry when I
finished. Certainly, there was *much* less moisture left on the floor than
when I use a conventional mop. It wasn't quite as easy to push around as
the ads show (but then, isn't that always true??), but I liked it enough
that I will continue to use it. My one concern is that is wasn't
particularly easy to attach the mop head, but that may get easier as I get
used to it.

I remember that you mentioned wood floors. As I said in an earlier reply,
the instructions say the mop cleaner can be used on sealed wood floors but
not on unsealed wood floors. My kitchen flooring is vinyl, almost white,
about 9 years old -- and I would say the cleaner did a good job for that
type of condition.

I hope this helps.

MaryL

Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From what I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use it on
the wood floors. But it does a great job on my ceramic tile. But it's like a
canister vacuum cleaner and it sounds like the one you have would be more
convenient. I really like the fact that when I'm done (you know how cats are,
they will immediately walk on a fresh cleaned wet floor), the cats can walk on
it all they want and I don't have to worry about any chemicals on their paws.

Thanks again,
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

You asked about the Bissell Steam Cleaner, and I promised to let you know
what I think of it after I use it. Well, I'm good at procrastinating, but
I'm on vacation now and finally got around to using it. I bought this
cleaner because it cleans only with water. The instructions specify that
*no* chemicals ar to be used.

Results: It did a pretty good job, and the floor was "almost" dry when I
finished. Certainly, there was *much* less moisture left on the floor than
when I use a conventional mop. It wasn't quite as easy to push around as
the ads show (but then, isn't that always true??), but I liked it enough
that I will continue to use it. My one concern is that is wasn't
particularly easy to attach the mop head, but that may get easier as I get
used to it.

I remember that you mentioned wood floors. As I said in an earlier reply,
the instructions say the mop cleaner can be used on sealed wood floors but
not on unsealed wood floors. My kitchen flooring is vinyl, almost white,
about 9 years old -- and I would say the cleaner did a good job for that
type of condition.

I hope this helps.

MaryL

Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From what I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use it on
the wood floors. But it does a great job on my ceramic tile. But it's like a
canister vacuum cleaner and it sounds like the one you have would be more
convenient. I really like the fact that when I'm done (you know how cats are,
they will immediately walk on a fresh cleaned wet floor), the cats can walk on
it all they want and I don't have to worry about any chemicals on their paws.

Thanks again,
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

You asked about the Bissell Steam Cleaner, and I promised to let you know
what I think of it after I use it. Well, I'm good at procrastinating,
but
I'm on vacation now and finally got around to using it. I bought this
cleaner because it cleans only with water. The instructions specify that
*no* chemicals ar to be used.

Results: It did a pretty good job, and the floor was "almost" dry when I
finished. Certainly, there was *much* less moisture left on the floor
than
when I use a conventional mop. It wasn't quite as easy to push around as
the ads show (but then, isn't that always true??), but I liked it enough
that I will continue to use it. My one concern is that is wasn't
particularly easy to attach the mop head, but that may get easier as I
get
used to it.

I remember that you mentioned wood floors. As I said in an earlier
reply,
the instructions say the mop cleaner can be used on sealed wood floors
but
not on unsealed wood floors. My kitchen flooring is vinyl, almost white,
about 9 years old -- and I would say the cleaner did a good job for that
type of condition.

I hope this helps.

MaryL

Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this
one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From
what I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use
it on
the wood floors. But it does a great job on my ceramic tile. But it's
like a
canister vacuum cleaner and it sounds like the one you have would be more
convenient. I really like the fact that when I'm done (you know how cats
are,
they will immediately walk on a fresh cleaned wet floor), the cats can
walk on
it all they want and I don't have to worry about any chemicals on their
paws.

Thanks again,
Lauren
________


Hi Lauren,

Just to make sure it's clear...this one also *does not* vacuum. I used a
dry mop to clean off "loose" dirt (which could also be done by a
light-weight vacuum), then used the steamer to steam clean. In other words,
it takes the place of a wet mop. Like you, I like the fact that there are
no chemicals. Also, it is dry enough that I walked on it immediately after
using it and did not leave any prints.

MaryL

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

You asked about the Bissell Steam Cleaner, and I promised to let you know
what I think of it after I use it. Well, I'm good at procrastinating,
but
I'm on vacation now and finally got around to using it. I bought this
cleaner because it cleans only with water. The instructions specify that
*no* chemicals ar to be used.

Results: It did a pretty good job, and the floor was "almost" dry when I
finished. Certainly, there was *much* less moisture left on the floor
than
when I use a conventional mop. It wasn't quite as easy to push around as
the ads show (but then, isn't that always true??), but I liked it enough
that I will continue to use it. My one concern is that is wasn't
particularly easy to attach the mop head, but that may get easier as I
get
used to it.

I remember that you mentioned wood floors. As I said in an earlier
reply,
the instructions say the mop cleaner can be used on sealed wood floors
but
not on unsealed wood floors. My kitchen flooring is vinyl, almost white,
about 9 years old -- and I would say the cleaner did a good job for that
type of condition.

I hope this helps.

MaryL

Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this
one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From
what I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use
it on
the wood floors. But it does a great job on my ceramic tile. But it's
like a
canister vacuum cleaner and it sounds like the one you have would be more
convenient. I really like the fact that when I'm done (you know how cats
are,
they will immediately walk on a fresh cleaned wet floor), the cats can
walk on
it all they want and I don't have to worry about any chemicals on their
paws.

Thanks again,
Lauren
________


Hi Lauren,

Just to make sure it's clear...this one also *does not* vacuum. I used a
dry mop to clean off "loose" dirt (which could also be done by a
light-weight vacuum), then used the steamer to steam clean. In other words,
it takes the place of a wet mop. Like you, I like the fact that there are
no chemicals. Also, it is dry enough that I walked on it immediately after
using it and did not leave any prints.

MaryL

From: Laura R.

circa 27 May 2004 17:13:22 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
PawsForThought ) said,
Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this
one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From what
I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use it
on
the wood floors.

I suspect that by "sealed", they probably mean Pergo and such-like.

Laura

I thought by sealed they might mean it has a coating of some sort?
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: Laura R.

circa 27 May 2004 17:13:22 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
PawsForThought ) said,
Thanks so much, Mary. I think none of these products is perfect, but this
one
sounds good. The steamer I have doesn't vacuum, it just steams. From what
I
can tell, I don't think my wood floors are sealed so I'm hesitant to use it
on
the wood floors.

I suspect that by "sealed", they probably mean Pergo and such-like.

Laura

I thought by sealed they might mean it has a coating of some sort?
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

Laura R. wrote:


I thought so, too, until I started thinking about it some more. With
finished wood floors, the wood isn't necessarily "sealed" in that the
gaps between the planks would almost certainly allow steam to
penetrate. Somebody would have to glob polyurethane onto a regular
wood floor to really "seal" it, which is a really dumb thing to do if
one doesn't want broken legs. :-) Thus, I figured that by "sealed",
they might mean laminate-type wood flooring. I could, of course, be
wrong. :-)

Well, my husband has always told me that pretty much all wooden floors have
been sealed with something--otherwise they are unfinished wood, which would not
hold up very well. Usually hardwood floors are sealed with polyurethane, but
unless you have a really stupid installer like the janitor at one of the
apartments we used to rent, they are not going to glop on such a thick coat
that you would have a slick surface (and even that one was not so much slick as
just ugly because he had so many air bubbles in it.) They can also be sealed
using penetrating sealants like acrylics or oils. If you want to do a search,
there are a couple ways you can test your floor (in an inconspicuous area) to
see what kind of sealer you have.
The reason this subject came up with us is that I didn't believe at first that
our floors are sealed (in our current house) because they didn't appear to have
a layer of polyurethane.

Laura R. wrote:


I thought so, too, until I started thinking about it some more. With
finished wood floors, the wood isn't necessarily "sealed" in that the
gaps between the planks would almost certainly allow steam to
penetrate. Somebody would have to glob polyurethane onto a regular
wood floor to really "seal" it, which is a really dumb thing to do if
one doesn't want broken legs. :-) Thus, I figured that by "sealed",
they might mean laminate-type wood flooring. I could, of course, be
wrong. :-)

Well, my husband has always told me that pretty much all wooden floors have
been sealed with something--otherwise they are unfinished wood, which would not
hold up very well. Usually hardwood floors are sealed with polyurethane, but
unless you have a really stupid installer like the janitor at one of the
apartments we used to rent, they are not going to glop on such a thick coat
that you would have a slick surface (and even that one was not so much slick as
just ugly because he had so many air bubbles in it.) They can also be sealed
using penetrating sealants like acrylics or oils. If you want to do a search,
there are a couple ways you can test your floor (in an inconspicuous area) to
see what kind of sealer you have.
The reason this subject came up with us is that I didn't believe at first that
our floors are sealed (in our current house) because they didn't appear to have
a layer of polyurethane.

From: Laura R.

I thought by sealed they might mean it has a coating of some sort?

I thought so, too, until I started thinking about it some more. With
finished wood floors, the wood isn't necessarily "sealed" in that the
gaps between the planks would almost certainly allow steam to
penetrate. Somebody would have to glob polyurethane onto a regular
wood floor to really "seal" it, which is a really dumb thing to do if
one doesn't want broken legs. :-) Thus, I figured that by "sealed",
they might mean laminate-type wood flooring. I could, of course, be
wrong. :-)

Seems that sealing wood floors is putting some type of finish on them. Here's
what I found at Google:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...d+wood+floors&
btnG=Search

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm