The Swiffer Steamboost Deep Clean Steam Mop (Powered by Bissel) Starter Kit features hardwood and sealed floor steam mop plus 2 disposable mop cloths. The starter kit promises that it works better than a mop and bucket and has a money back guarantee to back that up. The company also has a standard 1 year, limited warranty for parts and components. Swiffer began in 1999 and has introduced and discontinued a wide array of products in their history. The Steamboost mop is one of many floor care products that the company offers.
The Money Back Guarantee
The Swiffer Steamboost is advertised as working “better” than a mop and bucket. The company vows that the steam loosens deeply embedded dirt which is then trapped in the specially designed mop cloths making cleaning almost effortless.
The money back guarantee is for 30 days and has a number of limitations and requirements before the “money” is returned. You must have all of the original paperwork- receipts, bar codes, etc. as well as the original carton.
The money is issued on a prepaid credit card which itself as a vast number of limitations as well. It cannot be used to get money from an ATM and there are several other restrictions for where it can be used as well. The card also expires 6 months after it is issued.
The Mop
The Swiffer Steamboost mop is fairly easy to assemble with only one or two pieces needing to be clicked in to place before you are ready to get started. The handle will either come in 1 section or 2 with the only difference being an additional step for assembly. Finished handle length is roughly the same with both types. The water tank is easy to fill and refill but not overly large,only holding about 10 ounces of water at a time. It does not come off of the mop body but rather is filled by pouring the water in to the opening at the top of the tank and then screwing the cap back in to place.
The instructions say to give 30 seconds for the full heating time but some consumers found that they had to wait for much longer for the water to get hot enough to create steam. There is an indicator light that will show when the steam mop is ready for use.
It should be noted that there is not a huge amount of steam generated by this mop even with the trigger depressed constantly. There may be some variations in the amount of steam that you are seeing. The more steam that is created, the quicker the water tank will need to be refilled.
Steam is released by a trigger which can be held down for continuous steam or pressed for additional bursts of steam when doing lighter cleaning tasks. Swiffer does not indicate in any way that there is enough steam to “sanitize” floors. The company does not provide any relevant information on how hot the water gets in the tank. It is described by consumers as “warm” in most cases. There are some complaints about the durability and size of the tank. Once it starts leaking, the unit is worthless and will only cause further messes as cold to lukewarm water puddles beneath the unit.
The Types of Floors the Steamboost is Safe to Use On
The Swiffer Steamboost should only be used on finished hardwood, laminate and sealed vinyl floors. It should not be used on any floor that is unsealed, waxed or requires special treatment. The pads should not be used on other materials such as marble. There is some confusion related to marble as it is listed on the Swiffer website as a safe flooring type for the steam mop itself.
If you have any doubts, always consult your floor installer and/or manufacturer or do a spot test somewhere before you use the steam mop on the entire floor.
The Mop Pads
The mop pads are slightly thicker than standard Swiffer pads and attach to the Steamboost mop the same way. There are several scents available including Open Window (included with the Steamboost starter kit) and Lavender and Vanilla “Comfort” scent. The pads are sold in several refill pack options. Some consumers, eager to stop using disposable products in their homes have opted for reusable, washable pads including those that are commercially available as well as homemade options. Homemade pads can opt for using the scent of their choice.
Nothing should ever be added directly to the steam mop’s water tank.
Other Features
There are no accessories or tools for this steam mop. It has a swivel head which sits low enough to fit under most furniture. It is easy to maneuver and is fairly light in weight at roughly 4 pounds. The cord is long enough to reach a pretty decent sized area so you will probably need to refill the water tank before you need to move the plug to a new outlet.
Since it is corded, it does not need to be stored near an electrical outlet while not in use. The cord wraps around a small hook just under the handle and then the end fastens on to the cord itself so that you do not end up with a tangled mess every time you put the steam mop away.
Is this a recommended steam mop?
If the goal is quick and easy cleaning with an easy to use, light steam mop, this is a good choice. If you want to do deeper cleaning with “germ killing” steam, you are going to be disappointed. The tank is too small and the heat is to low to create the type of steam that would be capable of doing that. It does seem to eliminate the need to drag out a mop and bucket whenever you need to clean and it can be used as both a regular cleaning tool and to handle small messes as well.
Keep in mind that while the initial starter pack is relatively inexpensive, you will be paying for the disposable pads for as long as you own this steam mop.
The more that you plan to use it, the higher this expense becomes. There are other options including off-brand pads, reusable pads that are thrown in the washing machine between uses and making your own pads.
- Lightweight- weighs around 4 pounds.
- Easy to assemble and easy to use.
- Very long cord for convenience.
- Pads are easy to attach and come in several scents as well as unscented.
- Steamboost can be used on any hardwood, sealed vinyl or laminate floor.
- Money back guarantee if this mop does not meet your expectations in the first 30 days of use.
- The tank is very small holding only 10 ounces of water.
- Heating time is quick (30 seconds for most) but the steam is not very hot and will not kill germs or sanitize.
- The tank may leak.
- The disposable pads are a continued expense for the life time of the steam mop unless you buy washable pads. Using other pads could negate the warranty.
- The money back guarantee has a number of restrictions and limits and may be problematic to obtain. It is not cash nor check but is rather issued via a prepaid credit card. There are a number of restrictions for how it can be used and it can not be used to get money from an ATM.
- The mop itself may not be very durable with cracks in the water tank and other areas being fairly common.
The Swiffer Steamboost Steam Mop Powered by Bissel is light and easy to use but comes with continued expenses related to its use. There are a number of pros and cons that should be considered when deciding if this is right for your home.
If you have mostly hardwoods, vinyl, tile, laminates or other sealed floors and do not expect this to provide with sanitized level cleaning, it may be the right choice for you.
It is especially handy for taking care of messes that are too much for a broom but not enough to warrant getting a mop and bucket out. It is corded so you never have to wait for it to charge up to be ready for use.
