Tips for Getting the Best Results from Your Steam Mop

Choosing the best steam mop is certainly important to get the results you want when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing your home's floor surfaces. However, doing the right things will also ensure you get the best possible results for that steam mop. Here are some tips to follow to be sure that you are getting the most out of your steam mop when you use it:

Sweep or Vacuum Thoroughly First - Unless you have a steam and sweep steam mop, you will want to be sure that you carefully sweep or vacuum your floors first. I use an inexpensive stick vacuum on mine most of the time because it is quicker and easier than a broom. Cleaning loose debris off the floor first is important or you could end up with a yucky mess when you do start steam mopping, especially if you have pets and a lot of pet hair on your floor.

Spot Clean the Worst Spots First - It's not necessary, but I like to spot clean some of the worst spots first.  That's because I have small children and there are usually some sticky, dried messes on my floor each time I mop.  The steam mop can certainly tackle these spots but I don't like my mop pad to get dirtied to quickly so I take a damp kitchen towel to these spots first to extend my mopping time before I need to stop and replace the mop pad with a fresh one. 

Change Pads When they Become Saturated - When you notice the mop pads of you steam mop are becoming too saturated and leaving the floor a little wetter than usual, stop and change it with a fresh one.  This will help prevent streaking while the floor is drying.  This is no problem because every steam mop manufacturer provides at least two mop pads with it's steam mops and you can also purchase additional mop pads, usually fairly inexpensively, if you have a larger home and more rooms to cover.

Mop 2 to 3 Times a Week - If you have a high traffic home (think kids and pets tracking in and out all the time), consider mopping at least two to three times a week, if not more.   Steam mopping is quick and easy so this is much more possible than it is when you are mopping your home with a mop and bucket.  Mopping a little more frequently if you have a high traffic home means it will take less time to get the results you want when you do mop.  With two small kids, I find that only steam mopping once a week means I usually have to do the floor twice because they leave it that dirty.