As steam mops experience increased use, people are curious whether they are ideal for cleaning various floor types, including tiles. Tiles are delicate and need to be treated with the utmost care, so using the wrong equipment on them can be a bad move.
So, the big question is, can you use a steam mop on tiles? You can use a steam mop for cleaning tiles, but their effectiveness depends on the type of tiles that they are used on. For safety and the best results, steam mops are recommended for only for tiles that are sealed.
Regardless of their benefits, it might take a while before steam mops completely overhaul regular mops in terms of popularity. This is because people are still skeptical about their safety and effectiveness.
For people wondering whether steam mops are an excellent choice to clean your tiles, below are some important talking points to help you make up your mind.
Does a Steam Mop ruin tiles?
Using a steam mop on tiles can cause some damage to them, particularly if the tiles are not sealed.
In general, steam mops are awesome products that get the job done quickly and efficiently, but their number one drawback is the fact that not all types of floors can be cleaned by them. This is because when steam is applied to tiles that have spaces and cracks in between, it can cause swelling, separation, and loss of lamination.
As scary and discouraging as these forms of damage seem, they can all be avoided if used on the right types of tiles. Tiles that are unsealed have spaces in between them, and these spaces are what might make them susceptible to damage caused by steam mops.
This means that if you use steam mops on sealed tiles, then you are reducing or eliminating the risk of damage.
Apart from unsealed tiles, some tiles might either be old, made from inferior quality material, or installed improperly. These issues can cause cracks to develop, making them unsuitable for use with steam mops.
Apart from tiles that have cracks, other types of floors can also be affected negatively by steam mops. One such example is engineered hardwood floors. These floors contain pieces of wood that are held together by adhesives. Normally, the presence of adhesives should prevent moisture from the steam from seeping under the wood and damaging it.
However, steam is hot, and this high temperature can negatively affect the adhesives, therefore compromising their integrity and opening spaces that lead to eventual damage.
Just like the tiles mentioned above, the best way to use steam mops on hardwood floors is to ensure that they are sealed. This keeps the moisture out, ensuring that the floors look good and last for extended periods.
Using steam mops with hardwood floors is often a great combination, as it results in streak-free, good-looking floors.
Can you use a steam mop on bathroom tiles?
You can use your steam mop on bathroom tiles without having to worry about the tiles getting damaged.
Normally, the main risk that comes from using steam tiles arises from the possibility of moisture in the form of steam that seeps into and beneath the tiles. This penetration by liquid causes swelling and other forms of distortion that affect the overall quality of the floors.
Bathroom floors do not share this same risk because when they are built and assembled to be resistant to water. The entire process of setting up bathroom floors caters to the fact that water will constantly touch these floors. Hence, some measures are always taken by either manufacturers or technicians to prevent water from seeping into bathroom floors.
The most common procedure that safeguards bathroom floors is sealing them. Since bathroom tiles are sealed, there is no way that steam from your mop will be able to cause damage.
You can never be too safe when ensuring that your floors are maintained properly, increasing their durability. So, in case you are worried that your bathroom tiles are not sealed properly, or if you are starting to notice cracks, spaces, or other imperfections, you can always get in touch with a technician to perfect the sealing or do it yourself.
Also, whether your bathroom tiles will need to be sealed or resealed depends on the type of material that they are made from. If they are made from dense porcelain and natural stone, then they need sealing. However, other types of materials such as ceramics and glossy porcelain often do not require extra sealing efforts.
The Chart Below Illustrates Different Popular Approaches People Take to Clean Their Tiled Flooring:
| What you use to clean your tiled flooring | Percentage of total results |
| One of the best tools to use to clean the dirt your floor tiles is a steam mop, one such mop being the Shark S3501 Steam Pocket Mop. Click here to view it on Amazon. | 32% |
| A few forum users found that a schedule of consistent sweeping can be extremely effective when removing dirt from tiled flooring. | 12% |
| An inexpensive option, many people found normal mops to be useful when quickly washing your tiled flooring. | 20% |
| A specific item that was highly recommended for cleaning your dirt tiled flooring was the Hoover FloorMate (click to view on Amazon). | 16% |
| Using diluted Pinesol with a mop of choice can be very effective to clean tiled flooring. | 8% |
| Some have found that using water in combination with a mop and rag is the best way to have a streakless finish when cleaning your tiled flooring. | 12% |
Best Steam Mop for Laminate Floors
After surveying some of the most remarkable steam mops available on purchase, the most outstanding product that is currently most recommended by the public is the PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner. Click here to view one on Amazon.
The PurSteam Steam Mop Cleaner has a lengthy list of notable characteristics that make it a better choice than most other steam mops, and these features are listed below.
- It is a versatile product that is equipped with 3 modes that can be adjusted, allowing you to regulate the type of function it carries out. It also comes with a unique surface scrubber that makes it a perfect option for cleaning various floor types such as glass, vinyl, steel, tiles, marble, and hardwood.
- The steam mop has a tank with a capacity of 340 ml (11.5 oz) that is meant to be filled with water to produce steam. At its lowest power setting, this water capacity can produce steam steadily for 20 to 25 minutes. At the maximum power setting, steam is produced continuously for 10 to 12.5 minutes, half of the lowest setting.
- The PurSteam cleaner also weighs little, making it easy to carry about. It functions properly with normal tap water, meaning you do not have to spend unnecessary money on detergents.
- This cleaner is named a 10-in-1 product because it has so many parts. There are a lot of accessories that accompany the steam mop, allowing you to use it for various purposes. This gives you maximum freedom, ensuring that specific tasks are carried out with ease, ranging from cleaning flat surfaces to tight corners.
As mentioned above, we did a proper survey to determine which steam mop is perfect, or close enough. There were some individual factors that we considered to help us arrive at our final choice. Some of these considerations are listed and explained below, for you to know what characteristics to be on the lookout for when purchasing a steam mop.
- Tank Capacity
Every steam mop is designed with a water tank where it stores the water that is being converted to steam. The size of water that a steam mop’s tank can hold is quite important, as it often determines how long the steam mop can function without stopping.
Larger water tanks hold more volumes of water, letting them run for longer periods. When trying to get a steam mop with a big tank, you should avoid one that is too large, as it might be uncomfortable to use and carry about.
- Accessories
The number and types of accessories that accompany a steam mop are also important, since they directly affect the function of the mop, determining its overall quality. Some of these helpful accessories can include brushes and nozzles built specifically for windows, tables, car interiors, and tight corners in general.
- Steam Capacity
The amount of steam that your mop produces is yet another factor that you should not ignore. Some mops blow steam at a greater speed than others, and this can have its advantages and disadvantages. High-powered steam mops are effective at cleaning up faster, but can also be dangerous to people and the surfaces they are used on
For the best results, it is ideal to purchase a steam mop with an adjustable steam level, letting you find the perfect setting for you.
Do Steam Mops Damage Grout?
It is safe to use a steam mop on grout, as they do not cause any damage, whether the grout is sealed or unsealed.
To properly understand why steam mops are safe to use on grout, you need to first understand the purpose of grout and how it serves its functions.
Grout is a specially made mortar that is used to fill up gaps and crevices within buildings, majorly in walls, and in this case, tiles. The most common components found in grout are water, cement, and sand.
When mixed properly, grout is made in the form of a thick paste that is then applied to cracks and spaces, then left to harden over time. The proportion and types of the components that are used when mixing grout determine vital features like its color and strength.
In the case of tiles, grout can be applied in two ways. It can either be used with tiles that are sealed or unsealed. The awesome factor about grout is that on its own, it can serve as a protection against moisture for tiles. By filling up the cracks that water would have entered, grout ensures that tiles do not get damaged.
As an additional measure to ensure that the quality of tiles is never compromised, there are sealants for grout that are meant to make them further impervious to moisture. When this sealant is applied, it makes grout to be further resistant to water, oil, and acidic substances.
The question above asks whether steam mops damage grout, and once again, the answer is no. Grout is resistant to penetration by liquids and effective whether it has been sealed. While grout might not get damaged by moisture, its color can change, and it can even develop mold.
It is in cases like this that the grout sealant is important as it shields grout from external factors, maintaining its original appearance and improving its durability.
Is steaming floors better than mopping
Steam mops serve as a better alternative to regular mops because they are safer, healthier, less stressful, and tend to get the job done a lot faster.
To understand why steam mops are better than regular mops have a considerable advantage over regular mops, you first need to grasp how a steam mop functions.
Here is a video that compares steam mops to spin mops for hardwood floors:
Steam mops are built with a reservoir that is made to hold water. When the steam mop is switched on, the water in the tank gets heated. Most great steam mops heat their water to a temperature around 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius). This is above the boiling point of water, which is 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).
The elevated temperature converts the water to steam, which is then directed to the pad or brush, or whatever accessory is fixed to the end of the steam mop.
From the explanation above, it is obvious that a steam mop’s number one feature is the hot temperature of steam. This is an advantage when compared to regular mops since the heat from steam mops helps to kill off bacteria and germs that might be unharmed by normal mops.
Another advantage that a steam mop has over regular mops is its speed. With a regular mop, you have to carefully regulate how much water you use and wait for long before the water on the floor dries. However, floors cleaned by steam mops dry up very quickly, since steam does not linger on surfaces.
The final reason why steam mops are better is the fact that they usually come with a lot of accessories. A regular mop often has just one single head, limiting its function. However, steam mops have many components that can be attached to one end, letting them perform so many functions for maximum versatility.
Why is my floor sticky after I steam mop?
If your floor is sticky after you use a steam mop, then there is likely a lot of soap residue from when last you mopped your floor.
When cleaning up your floor, using an excessive amount or concentration of detergent results in some of the soap being left on your floor after you are done cleaning. In a situation like this, once you use a steam mop, that detergent residue will make your floor sticky and sometimes, slippery.
Another way this can happen is if you use your steam mop directly with detergent instead of just plain water. Doing this is not only unnecessary, but it can also be potentially harmful to your steam mop.