So I broke down and bought the Euro-Pro Shark Steam Mop Model S3101CO about a week ago. It came with 5 Micro-Fiber Cleaning Pads, a funnel and narrow cup to pour the water into the reservoir. Assembly was easy, just three pieces to snap together. It is very light, just 3 pounds and is backed by a one-year limited warranty.
Note – The box states in several places that you just use “ordinary tap water” however the instruction booklet suggests that you use distilled water. From personal experience with clothing steamers and steam irons – use distilled water. Using distilled water helps to prevent mineral build-up and scale that you get with tap water and gives you more life out of your steam appliances.
The Shark heats quickly and generates steam within 30 seconds, no kidding. The pumping motion of the mop releases the steam as you push forward. The 20-foot power cord is plenty long and wraps up neatly against the handle when done.
This mop can certainly be considered an eco-friendly mop, as it uses no toxic or messy chemicals to clean. Also, the mop pads are machine washable – they wash well, but I wouldn’t put them in the dryer – just hang or dry flat.
Another note though – if your floor is heavily soiled or has sticky or messy spills, use some common sense and clean those spots first the usual way. This mop is good, but it is not a miracle worker. It is also a good idea to vacuum first in order to pick up extra debris you wouldn’t want caught up in the mop pad. You should also carry along a cloth to pick up any hair or dust that the mop pushes out in front of it.
The water reservoir is small, holding just slightly over one cup of water, so you might expect to refill it often while mopping – not the case. I only had to refill it once while cleaning three large rooms and a hallway.
My mission in purchasing this mop was to finally find something that cleaned our sealed hardwood flooring without leaving streaks and without leaving wood-damaging water sitting too long on the surface. Mission accomplished! The Shark Steam Mop took away the streaks left by my previous mopping job and dried almost instantly. It was unbelievable! Touching the pad after finishing, I had expected it to be soaking wet or dripping, but it was just moist – very surprising.
I also used it on white bathroom ceramic tile and a slippery-slick tiled kitchen – both turned out perfectly and dried immediately, eliminating the chance of a slip or fall on the tile floor. The floors all felt extremely clean (and I’d like to add sanitized, however I am not sure what the requirements for that claim would be) and there was no sticky residue. It did not seem to work as well though on uneven surfaces like the textured tile in one of my bathrooms.
All in all it did an admirable job of cleaning in a short amount of time and I am glad I bought it – I will surely use it often!
(I purchased this product myself, and the above opinion is my own.)
