When I arrived home from work one day and saw the packaging from our new Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop in the garage. I became aware I was the new co-owner of one of the latest cleaning gadgets on the market. I had no idea we had the need or desire to own one of these prior to my arrival home but I was advised... we did and we do.
Once you get this little contraption home, there is almost no assembly required to get started. Simply snap the two handle extensions into the proper locations and place one of the included micro fiber cleaning cloths on the mop head. Remove the cap of the water tank and fill with water using the filling flask supplied by Euro-Pro with the mop still unplugged. You will need the flask since the hole is laughingly tiny but I was surprised, filling directly from the flask was not a problem and the task was complete without missing a drop. The Euro-Pro company does suggest using distilled water to eliminate the possibility of mineral build up and prolong the life of the mop.
The first thing you will notice as you begin cleaning is this little steam mop is extremely light and will not be a problem at all to use. I've read some comments suggesting this is hard to push. I can't say either of us have experienced any issue at all even slightly resembling these comments. Once the mop's tank has been filled and the unit has been plugged in you will have a 30 to 45 second wait for the mop to reach a usable temperature. The small green LED on the front of the unit makes you aware the unit is plugged into your AC outlet. Pumping the handle of the mop about ten times will prime the machine. You will know you're ready to mop when you see and hear the steam being emitted similar to your hand iron.
The marketing guys and gals at Euro-Pro make five specific claims on their website.
(1) Obliterates tough grime - That depends on what you consider tough grime. In the words of an ex-president, it depends on what is... is. The Shark will remove most dirt so long as it's not ground in or stuck on to the floor's surface.
(2) Eradicates stubborn dirt - Again, if it's really stubborn you'll be going over the spot multiple times and maybe... it will be eradicated.
(3) Disintegrates scuff marks - If they're not too tough, Yes. If they're deep and dark, you may need to move the process along a little quicker with a little elbow grease and one of those two-sided rough sponges.
(4) Melts away sticky messes - Again, if they're not too sticky, OK. If your toddler dropped a small piece of his lollipop and then the Maytag repairman ground it into the tile with his shoe last week, expect to make 10 or 15 passes over the little confection before the spot "melts away"... maybe. Or maybe you'll reach down again with that sponge and loosen the remaining particle before going over it with the Shark.
(5) Absorbs muddy footprints - Yes, soft dirt or mud messes will come of relatively easy.
We have a lot of ceramic tile in the main floor of our home... A lot of tile! We clean pretty regularly but do have two small dogs and do occasionally drop things that leave visible spots on the tile. If you've ever spilled milk on the floor and tried to clean it up off a shiny tile floor, you understand the impossible task ahead. Numerous cycles of clean and rinse are necessary before the milky reside disappears. The Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop actually does a pretty good job giving the entire surface a nice even shine, even after spills such as milk.
I like the fact it cleans with only tap water or distilled water leaving no chemical residue for our dogs to contend with. Those consumers with infants crawling on the floors or young children should also be equally happy to get a nice shine without any chemical cleaning agents. Also, using this mop may save a few bucks since you will not have to purchase extra cleaners as you previously did. Let the steam do the cleaning for you.
I also like the fact that the Shark does not leave a wet mess. The steam evaporates in seconds so there's no need to get out the crime tape and rope off the area for half an hour. You can walk on the newly cleaned area almost instantly. In the past, following cleaning with the old mop and pail, we had to block off the kitchen for a while to allow the floor the opportunity to dry.
The pads do pick up dirt and grime as they should. What I don't like is the idea of transferring the stuff on one side of the room to the other side. Therefore, you most likely will need to swap out the pad several times if you're cleaning a substantial area of floor. Not a big deal since the pads are cleanable and reusable. I suggest replacing them regularly and not allowing them to get too dirty. The directions say you can machine wash the pads in warm water and recommend air drying or machine drying at a low temperature setting. We prefer to hand wash and let the pads air dry. This has worked well for us so far.
My wife dropped $79.00 when she purchased the Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop which may be just a little on the high side. That aside, I'm a little surprised at the one and two-star ratings here at Epinions. Based on the reviews here at Epinions, I guess some like it hot and some don't. There's no question the marketing folks at Euro-Pro got a bit overzealous with some of their claims. It's these claims that may have given many reviewers the over-inflated expectations that caused their own disappointment. I actually feel there is a place for this mop in our home and possibly yours as well, just don't expect too much from a simple steam mop. I'll offer up a tepid three star rating on this mop with a cautious buy recommendation.
Features: Lightweight electric steam mop for steam-cleaning hard-floor surfaces Ready in 30 seconds Releases steam with push-forward motion of mopp...More at Newegg.com
1,500 watts of power for a powerful steam cleaning. Steam is released across the 10-1/2 cleaning path with the forward motion of mopping. 20 cord lets...More at Buy.com
Get floors sparkling clean with this electric 1500 watt steam mop. Its rapid water heating system generates steam in 30 seconds, then the unit release...More at Home Depot
Lightweight, electric steam mop for steam-cleaning hard-floor surfaces Ready in 30 seconds; releases steam with push-forward motion of mopping 10-1/2-...More at Amazon
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.