Steam mops | The best of 2022

There are more and more home care products, often designed for specific surfaces or rooms in the home. Finding a perfect item for your needs becomes more and more complicated and getting lost among the numerous proposals is on the agenda. this is why today we have decided to offer you a guide dedicated to the world of steam mops, showing you its enormous usefulness, the best cases in which to use it and also the best models you can find on the market. Going through different budgets up to specific features that can make a difference in daily use, we will help you purchase without sparing details. But let's start with the first question, the most common: what is a steam mop and why should you buy it?

Read also: Gardening gloves | The best of 2022 These products are equipped with a small steam generator designed to greatly facilitate the sanitation and cleaning of floors. The appearance is reminiscent of an electric broom, consisting of a stick with the tank mounted on it and ending in a large head for dispensing steam, on which a microfiber cloth is applied to remove dirt. The action of the steam is designed to remove the most stubborn dirt, while the vacuum cleaner only removes dust and light dirt. It is therefore an appliance capable of doing most of the work, even in the most difficult cases. In our guide we will explain how to choose the perfect steam mop for you.

Best steam mop

Steam Mop Ariete Polti vaporetto SV440 Double Black + Decker BHSM1615DAM-QS Polti Vaporetto SV220 Vileda Steam

Steam Mop Ariete

Let's start with one of the steam mops with the best quality / price ratio, simple and easy to use every day. If you are looking for a super versatile product, to be used in any room, Steam Mop Ariete is perfect for you. The power of the steam cleans perfectly from floors to carpets and curtains, ensuring child-resistant surfaces. You can use it to make the kitchen hob shiny and shiny, refresh sofas and fabrics of all kinds, remove encrusted and oily dirt in a single pass. Furthermore, with the vertical steam you can use it to comfortably sanitize even hanging garments, obtaining fresh and ready-to-wear garments in a few moments, free from germs and bacteria up to 99.9%.

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Polti Vaporetto SV440 Double

The Polti Vaporetto SV440 Double is among the most versatile steam mops on the market and in addition to killing and eliminating 99.9% of viruses, germs and bacteria, it allows you to clean about 15 different surfaces thanks to the steam regulation and the removable tank. Thanks to the rapid heating technology, you will be able to exploit the maximum power of this steam mop in just 15 seconds and the indicator light will notify you immediately. Also not to be underestimated is the anti-limescale filter, designed to facilitate the cleaning of complicated areas to be treated such as that of the sink or the hob. If you are looking for an equipped household appliance, the Polti Vaporetto will not disappoint you, in fact with the purchase you will receive 11 accessories supplied.

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Black + Decker BHSM1615DAM-QS

Among the products designed primarily for floors, the Black + Decker BHSM1615DAM-QS is one of the most recommendable. It is a light and powerful model, perfect to be used even on large surfaces.It is equipped with an excellent glove capable of emitting steam evenly on the most uneven surfaces. Together with the broom you will receive 17 accessories including the Easy Glide microfibre cloth, resistant to over 100 washing cycles. Thanks to Autoselect technology, you can decide how to regulate the steam emitted by the product, reaching even the most hidden and uncomfortable areas to be cleaned in depth.

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Polti Vaporetto SV220

The Polti Vaporetto SV220 is a steam mop with a dual function: in a simple gesture it turns into a steam cleaner, to sanitize different surfaces such as parquet, tiles, marble, rugs, carpets, hobs, hoods, taps, sanitary ware , glasses, mirrors and much more. If you are looking for an appliance that can quickly cool even sofas and upholstered furniture, the SV22o is an optimal solution. By connecting the special accessory to the broom, it is possible to sanitize and eliminate annoying odors from sofas, armchairs, pillows and mattresses. This is possible thanks to the specific frame, designed to be able to slide easily even on this kind of surfaces, continuing to clean thoroughly, capturing dust and germs.

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Vileda Steam

Also in this case, we talk about an ideal item for a deep but still quick and daily cleaning. Just fill the tank with water, plug it in and after 15 seconds you will be ready to clean. The microfiber of the Vileda cloth absorbs and removes dirt easily and ensures flawless results without leaving marks or annoying streaks. Obviously the combination of steam and microfiber eliminates all forms of dirt but without the need to use chemical detergents in addition, with consequent benefits for the environment. In addition, the triangular shape of the Vileda Steam soleplate allows you to reach all corners of the house, even without additional accessories.

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How to choose the steam mop

After having explained to you what kind of use you could make of a steam mop and having proposed a good number of articles, all different from each other in budget and type, we will also list the numerous features to keep in mind at the time of purchase. Buying a steam mop is an investment that can help you a lot in cleaning, even daily, but keeping in mind a series of information on the product can be a relevant precaution, also considering the surfaces on which it will be used and also the frequency of use. br>
Being a household appliance, the first factor to consider when purchasing your steam mop is the performance it is able to offer. When we talk about performance, we are talking about an important number of elements, including the temperatures of the steam delivered, if and how much the mop in question can be regulated, what possibility it has to effectively treat more surfaces and much more. The set of all these features can help you evaluate whether the performance offered by the product is suitable or not for the use you need to make of it. From additional accessories to power and emission, the elements to consider are really many and we will help you not to miss even one.

Structure Accessories Power Temperature Emission Filters Tank capacity

Structure of the brooms steam

The lighter they are, the more comfortable they are, especially when it comes to cleaning your home and rooms. Undoubtedly, keeping in mind the structure of a steam mop, between its weight and its total size can greatly influence your final decision, particularly if you do not have large spaces in which to store appliances.

The lighter and slimmer models are often equipped with a smaller tank and weigh even less than 2 kg, making them easier to handle but obviously less effective on larger spaces. The heavier models, equipped and with a larger tank, can even weigh 4 kg or a little more, managing to last longer without having to refill the water tank often and often having longer cables to connect to the current. The dimensions of the steam mops, therefore, can be very significant and should be considered accordingly, with particular attention to your needs.

Accessories

Let's start with an addition that, in daily cleaning , can make a difference and simplify your routine. Indeed, the accessories that come with a steam mop are also very important, but when are they essential? They are to be considered an inseparable part of the purchase from the moment you are thinking of using the appliance not only for the floors, but also for other surfaces such as carpets, rugs or curtains, just to name a few. As you can imagine, some models are multi-functional while others are designed only for floors and noting the presence of accessories can be a crucial element in this regard. Some will allow us to adapt the broom with a hose or nozzle, able to reach the highest points or the most hidden ones. Others are designed to have a delicate but intense effect even on the most delicate surfaces.

Some very versatile models will allow you to also separate the tank from the broom and adapt it for use with a flexible hose or nozzle for cleaning. cleaning hard-to-reach surfaces, perhaps on top of some furniture such as wardrobes and bookcases. Among the most common accessories, you will find:

spare cloths (often in microfibre), reusable and machine washable; plastic insoles that allow the steam mop to run well even on rugs and carpets; dispenser for refilling for brooms that do not have a removable tank; additional nozzles to treat different surfaces; rigid or flexible pipes that allow you to expand the cleaning range of the appliance; brushes of various sizes to finish the work, in the smallest details and much more.

Power

Let's move on to one of the most important characteristics, namely the power of steam mops. From this information you will be able to understand the efficiency, the speed with which the water in the tank reaches the necessary temperature for steam delivery, and consequently also the waiting times before being able to use the appliance. In general, by creating generic categories among which to juggle your search, you will find electric brooms with an absorbed power ranging from 800 W up to 1600 W.

While an 800 W steam mop can take about a minute to heat 500ml of water, a 1600W broom can take just 10-15 seconds. The surfaces on which to use this appliance, obviously always bearing in mind the level of power that the single model can reach, are: hard floors such as terracotta, ceramic or marble, delicate floors such as wood and parquet, tile joints, carpets and upholstery with right accessories. Faucets, bathroom fixtures and windows are usually to be avoided unless it is a particularly versatile or very specific steam mop.

Temperature

Closely related to the power issue is the temperature, perhaps the most important element of steam mops. The temperature reached can ensure a more effective cleaning even after a single pass, so if you are looking for a valid purchase that helps you in the day, it is essential to consider steam mops that exceed 100 ° C in temperature, since the models that "stop" at 100 ° C may require more effort on your part, especially on a more oily or encrusted dirt.

Emission

Obviously also the possibility of adjusting the intensity of the the emission of steam should not be underestimated, because it is on the basis of this that even surfaces such as parquet can be treated or not! Brooms that do not require adjustment are generally designed for stone or ceramic floors or carpets, while the models that can be adjusted are more versatile or particularly specific. Some dedicated solely and exclusively to fabrics and upholstery, others to particularly delicate surfaces to be treated.

Filters

Since steam mops require the use of water in the tank, of which there is we will talk better shortly, the presence of anti-limescale filtration systems can really make the difference to simplify the maintenance of the steam mop and above all to ensure its long life, even over the course of years. Over time, the build-up of limescale caused by water can hinder the proper escape of steam, even preventing it altogether, and this happens in many appliances that we use every day. Any added filters can be permanent, and in turn require a simple periodic cleaning, or simply to be replaced regularly after a certain period of use. Obviously, in case no fake of any kind is foreseen, the use of distilled water, not demineralized, could be fundamental, since in the second case it could contain chemicals harmful to the steam mop.

Tank capacity

Last, but not least, this feature will allow you to understand how long you can use your steam mop, without having to stop to add water. In general, all modern steam mops allow a practically immediate refilling, without having to wait for the tank to cool down and lose pressure, as was previously necessary but, despite this improvement, modern models often have tanks with a limited capacity, about between a minimum of 350ml to a maximum of 500ml. However, it must be borne in mind that the capacity / autonomy ratio is pretty good in general, since a full tank of about 400 ml can already be enough to wash 100 square meters of floor, which already corresponds to a very large surface.