Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A
by Electrolux Home Products (floorcare)
|
List Price: Our Price: $59.54 You Save: $20.45 (26%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $36.95 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A
Customer Review: A Disappointment So Far
Summary: 2 Stars
After reading comprehensive and very positive reviews on the Eureka 313-A hard surface floor steamer, I decided it would be a good product for cleaning the tile floors in my rented condo, as the suface has fairly deep texturing and grout which is finished well below the tile surface--not something easy to get clean with a mop, and too large a surface for hands-and-knees cleaning. I am the sort of person who does read directions--all of them--and I did read all the instructions and cautions which came with the steamer before using it. I followed these instructions closely, noting that one is cautioned to keep the steamer head level so as not to tip water out. Well, I tried. Unfortunately, the catch in the handle which keeps handle upright until pulled into a working position is very stiff, so the first time I tried release the mop handle from the upright postion to begin, the whole mop head tipped with it. I did not see any water tipped out, and I did see steam coming out as directed, so I started using the steamer. Water everywhere! Not hot water either. I mopped the water up, put aside the first of the two floor cloths which come with the steamer, as it was now dripping wet, and put on the second, dry cloth. I had followed directions and turned the mop off to do all this stuff before trying to steam the floor again. I turned the product on, waited for steam (yes, easy to see it coming out the sides of the cloth) and tried again, releasing the handle very carefully this time. Once again, it spread lot of wetness over the tile, but I could not tell that I was really doing anything but spreading water over the floor. I tried letting the steamer sit in one spot on the floor for up to thirty seconds to see how warm/hot the tile got underneath--not very. In the end, I ran trials with various floorcloths (thicker and thinner) and various amounts of water (filling the machine less than directed as well as just as much as directed--and being very careful not to exceed the amount of water directed). The result was the same. I got a wet floor, which was not cleaned any better than I could have done skating a wet towel around under my feet. This is the only time I have used the damned thing so far. Have I made some error in using it? If I have, I have not been able to figure out what. When I don't have anything else to do (ha!) I'll get it out and try again. But so far it is a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT.Customer Review: Scratched wood laminate floors plus just MESSY!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
In case you dont want to read my whole review, just get this point..DONT BUY THIS!!!DONT BUY DONT BUY!!!!!!!!!
I was so excited about getting this product. Did a lot of research and had been holding off for about 4-5mo until i found the right one. this seemed to get the best reviews and price was great so I bought it. OHHH WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!
First of all it didnt seem to heat up as high as one of the reviewers had mentioned. No way. Then there was a huge flood of water when it did start making steam which soaked the pad and made it impossible to dry the floor immediately like it is supposed to. Plus the towels I had to use to soak up the flowing water- extra laundry. I had to switch pads several times as they got soaked. I tried bottled water, tap water, distilled water, water with a little salt for steam...by this time I could have had the floor scrubbed on my own. Each area took a long time to dry because so much water was flowing out- no i didnt over fill- followed instructions to a T. And the thing only worked for about 4min before it ran out of water (thats because it all flowed out at the beginning)
Didnt notice much dirt on the pads but DID notice that little things like dog hair or tiny pieces of dirt just got pushed around and still needed to be swept up After cleaning. I did sweep the floor first but its impossible to get up all the tiny sand grains, grass, whatever. My current method of cleaning is using Mr Clean with my own towel tucked into the swiffer so I can take it off every few swipes, rinse it out and get all the dirt. think Im going back to this method. should have known if its too good to be true... Finally after I did one laminate wood floor I noticed all the tiny SCRATCHES from using this. I KNOW these werent there before!!! That just makes me sick I will never get all these tiny scratches out. I also used this on my ceramic tile and the floor did not look any better than when I used my old method. In fact the eureka was messier and as I mentioned did not pick up all the tiny tiny pieces of dirt, sand or whatever that doesnt come up from the broom and vacuum, it just moved them around. Yeah, Im irritated I spent most of my weekend messing with this thing only to go back and clean the floors again the right way. SO TO SUM THIS UP....MESSY, WET, DOESNT WORK, BE CAREFUL IT SCRATCHES FLOORS- DONT BUY THIS.
Customer Review: Scratches hardwood floors
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this steam mop a few months ago after reading the reviews on amazon. This mop was highly reviewed and also generated steam of the highest temperature, which seemed important to me if I ever wanted to use it to sterilize floors. I was, however, disappointed with the mop's performance. The waffle-knit pad that came with it did not wipe my floors evenly--it left streak marks. I think a solid material (like microfiber) or a more absorbent pad would have been better. The pad also did not stay on properly on the head of the mop, and kept slipping while I mopped. This presented a huge problem because the head of the mop has sharp points that I suppose are there to grip onto the pad. When the pad slipped, the sharp points scratched my floors. I did not see the scratch marks at first because the floor was wet, so I kept mopping away, only to find my hardwood floor not only streaked, but horribly scratched up! I have experimented with different make-shift pads: Dishcloths were too thin, and the sharp points actually scratched the floor through the cloths. When I doubled up the dishcloth, I had to tie the cloth onto the head to keep the cloth from slipping.
Secondary problems with this mop include a very short cord. I got around this by attaching an extension cord but it makes the whole mop unwieldy. The styrofoam tray that you use when heating up the mop is flimsy and generates a strange smell. Some reviewers complained that the mop was too wet--but I find that if you let the water heat up adequately before you start mopping, this problem goes away.
Still, the major problem is the scratching of the hardwood floor. My floor is now permanently damaged and looks terrible, covered with tiny scratch marks. My friend has the Euro-Pro Shark and she has no problems with scratching. The Shark pad is also softer and seems more absorbent, and the mop has a longer cord. If you must get a steam mop, that looks like a better bet.
All in all, I would not recommend the Eureka, especially if you have wood floors. It might be OK with tile floors, but actually, I would not recommend a steam mop at all, because after using one, I have decided it is a gimmick that will soon fade away. It does not get the floor any cleaner, it is clumsy to use, and over time will probably damage hard wood with the steam. I have gone back to wet swiffers and am much happier.
Customer Review: Squeaky clean!
Summary: 5 Stars
After years of slopping around the old sponge mop and getting frustrated with the dirt build up on the mop after only a couple of uses, I decided to look into a steam mop. Comparing the Shark against the Eureka, I chose this because of the swivel style, the water tank is closer to the floor, and the great reviews it had gotten. I was not disappointed.
I like being able to use the mop and then toss the pad into the washer. It recommends that you hand rinse it, but I think it gets cleaner in the washer, so I just air dry it to lessen shrinking. One person noted that it released a lot of water when she first tried it, and I had the same experience for one swipe across the floor. She was right as well, when she said it is operator error as you really need to wait until it starts steaming, like a clothes iron. After doing this one time, I make myself wait until it is actually ready to go, just 3-4 minutes. Then it works fine.
It makes the floor feel cleaner than the old sponge mop,and seems to get up the sticky spill spots on the floor much better because of the hot steam so that's a plus. I used it on my hardwood step(s) and it worked great! I love using it in the bathrooms to get up the over spray of hair products and such and it feels like it sanitizes the bathroom area.
The only complaints I have would be the complaints I have with any mop style. Sometimes you have to pick up debris with a paper towel as the cloth really doesn't pick up any missed loose dirt if missed during the sweeping stage, but again, neither did my old mop and it really doesn't get down into the grout lines very well, again neither did the old mop except that had a little brush on the end which helped some.
Weighing all the pluses and minuses, this steam mop is a keeper!! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to feel like their floor is cleaner when they are done mopping, not just moving dirt around the floor.
UPDATE: One year and one month later-IT DIED.....I still love it and will buy another one, but life expectancy isn't what I would have thought. I used it average 2 times a week and followed all the precautionary measures (emptying the tank out everytime). It still beats the old mop and bucket, but I will do some research on the same style, maybe different brand. Tank on the bottom is a must though!
Customer Review: A fantastic cleaning tool
Summary: 5 Stars
Receive this as a gift. My parents had one and they have a house with tile through-out their main floor and love it. I have a large tiled kitchen/pantry/laundry area and had tried two other methods to keep this area clean: various types of mops and a carpet steamer/cleaner with brushes that can be used on tile floors. This Steamer Mop is a great improvement over both those other methods for me so far. Here's why I think that:
Traditional Mop- It's a pain (heavy) to get a big bucket of soapy water prepared and lug it around the area. Dried on sticky stuff from kids sometimes takes a lot of very aggressive scrubbing to clean up. This method requires the most energy due to the scrubbing and I have to change the water at least once during the process. Floor is also still very wet when I'm done.
Hoover Carpet steamer/Cleaner- Heard from friend this works great on tile. It does have some advantages over mopping. Cleaner deposits water/cleaner solution, brushes do the scrubbing and it then sucks up the dirty water. Problem for me is that I still need to dump and re-fill water container at least once during the process and although it sucks up a lot of water, floor is still definitely wet when I 'm done and I need to towel it down, or wait 30 mins to walk on it.
Eureka Enviro Steamer- I was surprised by how effectively it removed the dirt. It really, really works! When floor is especially dirty I have to refill it before job is done, but for regular maintenance, a single filling is enough for entire area. It's not heavy to push around, and pushes quite smoothly. The floor dries FAST! No need to go around with towels afterward or having to wait 30mins to use the room again. I find this is definitely the quickest way to get the job done and requires least amount of effort on my part. Only complaint I have is that from what I can see pads have gone from $19.99 for two to $19.99 for just one. I think that's a complete rip-off. Cleaner comes with two, which is all I need to get the job done. I read another post from someone who said she wraps regular towels around the head instead. I think I'll try this in the future if I ever have to use more than two.
If you have a tile floor and are not happy with your current method, this is definitely worth a try!