neuhofer's Full Review: Euro-Pro Deluxe Steam Mop S3202 Upright Vacuum
First thing's first: I don't know why Epinions describes this as an "upright vacuum". It's not. It's a steam mop only.
I've had the Shark for about two months now and both my husband and I love it.
Basics about the Shark operation: 1. Fill the tank with tap water (use distilled if you have really bad water). 2. Plug it in and wait several (eg. 15) seconds. 3. Start to push and pull the mop over the floor in front of you with strokes to and fro. 4. The handle pumps in the head automatically as you do this - that's what pumps out the steam. Shark recommends long slow strokes. We find moving faster works better: the shorter strokes pump out more steam.
How it's made: 1. The plastic water reservoir at the bottom is plenty large enough for us to clean our kitchen and foyer (apx 200-250 sq feet) and probably gets us half-way through a second cleaning. 2. Water reservoir fills at the top back with a removable lock-in plastic plug. There is no "keeper" for this plug, so keep track of it. Although Shark includes a filling funnel and a contoured filling cup, these are unnecessary. Just stand the mop into your sink and turn on the tap lightly. 3. Handle is made of aluminum. I have read other reviews complaining it is flimsy, but have not found it a problem.Plastic head with steam vents has Velcro-like hooks on the bottom. You simply slap on one of the washable fabric cleaning pads. 4. The cord is over 24 feet long. The mop has cord clips top and bottom to wrap the cord on and the top clip pop-swivels to quickly release the cord.
This is not a complicated device.
My Desperation
We have 5 children 8 and under and lots of spills on our floor. Did I mention the old and muddy dog?
Our old kitchen floor was a mid-grade Armstrong vinyl floor with at least 15 years wear and absolutely no finish left on it. Only scrubbing it by brush on hands-and-knees gave good-looking results. Unfortunately, with an hour-plus into the job and a 5-minute pay-off before it was dirty again, this didn't happen very often.
Rag mops just seemed to sweep the grime around, and foam mops didn't have enough "oomph" to deal with the lack of finish. Another problem was trying to find the time to do a lengthy floor washing and drying session. By the time all the kids were in bed, we were too bagged to do the floor.
We had tried a Swiffer Wetjet as a "here and there" quickie way to prolong the periods between cleanings. Big mistake. Swiffer Wetjet coats your floor with slimy product build-up. Just gross.
Taking a Bite out of Grimy Floors
On our old vinyl floor, the Shark was very good. It lifted most of the grime out. This was a very visible result (because the old floor was almost evenly white both in texture and colour. No, I'm not kidding).
We could clean the floor in about 7 minutes and walk on it immediately as the steam dries almost instantly. This opened up opportunities like doing a speedy job while supper is just finishing simmering on the stove.
The only complaint/concern I had about it was that it seemed really tough to push the mop around. Friction! Ok for a younger person, but not for a senior.
That complaint vanished with our new floor. We installed an Armstrong Natural Fusions low-gloss vinyl floor. It has some texture in it, but is not as highly textured as other new vinyl floors. The Shard is awesome! Evidently, the friction all due to our old floor having no finish left on it.
It's fast and easy. The pads are a snap to install and wash. I would not recommend some of the other steam mops that use disposable (ie. re-purchase) paper pads. Shark says to avoid using liquid fabric softener and let the pads air-dry. I air-dry them, but they get softener. This is because I would never wash them in a separate load, and I use liquid fabric softener rather than dryer sheets b/c like many these days, have converted to a front-loading washer. The pads work great and I have not noticed any problem due to the fabric softener.
I have not used the included plastic frame that snaps over the fabric pad and allows you to use the Shark over carpet. So no comments on that application.
The Shark retails near me for $100 Cdn including 5 cloth pads. I bought it for $70 and feel it is a good value (assuming it's long-term longevity) but I would not pay $100 for it.
I did have dealings with their customer service because I got only 2 pads. Their email customer service is a joke (reply, can't reply, bounce-backs, etc). Their phone number was very hard to get through on. But once I finally reached them, the agent was really professional and wonderful and I got the missing (and extra!) pads quickly as promised.
But some people just don't like Sharks
My neighbour was curious and tried out the Shark on her faux-wood laminate floor. She didn't like it at all. My neighbour has been hating her floor ever since they installed laminate a couple of years ago. EVERYTHING shows streaks. And seriously, this cleaning-queen has tried every method and product recommended. On the laminate, she found that once the cloth pad of the Shark dirtied over the first part of the floor, it just pushed dirty streaks around the rest of the floor. This is not a problem for me on the vinyl.
I would recommend that people with laminate floors try one of those somewhat more expensive steam cleaners that looks like an upright RugDoctor and actually vacuums up the dirty water it's spraying down.
In closing, we love our Shark. It's an aggressive predator on a dirty, busy floor like ours. I just love having something that works this well, this quickly and easily, and doesn't require that I buy any special pads or chemicals to keep it moving.
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