Can You Put Floor Cleaner in a Steam Mop?
When you want to clean fast and get the best results, your go-to solution is a steam cleaner. These little machines have made our work easier.
Sometimes, we want more than just cleaning. We want to disinfect floors and add a smell of freshness. So, can you put a floor cleaner in your steam mop? Can you put anything else such as disinfectant in a steam cleaner?
Can I Put Floor Cleaner in My Steam Mop?
You should NOT put any floor cleaning solution in your steam mop. Manufacturers of steam cleaning machines recommend using demineralized water only. Steam at high temperatures is capable of killing germs, breaking down stains and dirt. Putting chemicals in your steam mop can cause corrosion and void its warranty.
That means that cleaning using steam is as good as using common floor cleaning solutions. From my experience, it gives even better results. Not to mention the benefits that come with this method of cleaning.
Benefits of Steam Cleaning with Distilled Water Only
If you read your steam mop’s manual, you’ll realize that it’s meant to be used with distilled water only. The water is heated into vapor. Hot vapor is then dispensed onto the floor at high pressure. This effect breaks down dirt, grime, and stains. You can even get a water distiller if you use your steam cleaner a lot.
The microfiber pad on most portable steam cleaners and mops wipes away the loosened dirt. This leaves your floor clean, disinfected, and dry. That’s why steam mops, compared to traditional mops, are better.
But there’s much more to using only distilled water and a steam mop machine. Here are some of the benefits of using a steam mop and trashing your regular floor cleaner:
- It is cheap to clean your house with steam. No need to buy floor mopping solution.
- Steam cleaning is chemical-free. It is safe for households with kids and pets.
- Steam deodorizes the house. You can use it to get rid of cigarette smells and other odors from your carpet.
- Steam at 212 °F kills germs and bacteria, leaving your floors sanitized.
- Using a steam cleaner, you’ll be able to kill fleas and get rid of bedbugs naturally.
You cannot get these benefits by mopping with a floor cleaner and a regular mop, or even a Swiffer Wet Jet (which is usually the best for cleaning hardwood floors.)
FAQ
Everyone has a staple when it comes to cleaning their floors. Some people swear by Bona floor cleaning solutions. Others stick to the good ol’ Pine Sol.
So, here’s what you need to know about using these solutions with your steam mop.
Can You Put Pine Sol in Steam Mop?
You should not put Pine Sol in your steam mop. It contains benzoic acid, sodium salts and sulfonic acids. These ingredients can corrode parts of your steam mop and void your warranty.
Can You Put Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner in Steam Mop?
Among other ingredients, Bona floor cleaner contains citric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Acids are known to be very corrosive. Hydrogen peroxide is also a corrosive compound. These ingredients will damage your steam cleaner.
Other common floor cleaning solutions I do not recommend you put in your steam mop include the following:
- Swiffer Wetjet Hardwood Floor Mopping and Cleaning Solution
- Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Finish and Polish
- Better Life Naturally Dirt-Destroying Floor Cleaner
- Fabuloso 4307 Long Lasting Fragrance
Hi I am dental surgeon and I have just brought a Kracher sC1 steam mop. Can you please tell me if it is ok to use common disinfectants available like quaternary ammonium compound or h2o2 in the dream mop to disinfect the clinical area specialy during these covid infection times.
Hi Adit,
I DO NOT recommend putting disinfectants and especially Hydrogen Peroxide (h2O2) in your handheld steam cleaner.
Bear in mind that anything that you put in your handheld steam cleaner will be vaporized and sprayed into the environment around you including the Ammonia and Hydrogen Peroxide which you can then aspirate. There are also other complications with putting chemicals with different boiling points to that of water in your steam cleaner.
H202 for example, boils at 150 deg C, water at 100 deg C. This can cause the chemical to be left behind in the pressure vessel and will concentrate over time. Other chemicals in water can break down into solids and water when water is boiled off. In these cases, once a solution is critically saturated, precipitants will settle in the tank and the nozzle will block with solids. You will possibly ruin your steam cleaner and put yourself at risk.
I’ve actually written a great piece of info on sanitizing with a steam cleaner here. Given that you have a clinic to make safe, I recommend you use the steam cleaner to help reduce the amount of chemicals that you need to use. Steam clean first to: reduce organic material loads (which impact the effectiveness of disinfectants such as Ammonium), and to sanitize and reduce microbial loads. Follow up with your disinfectants as a wipe to kill any remaining bacteria and virus. Hope that helps!
Hello does it make sense to put a solution such as pinesol on the floor instead of pouring it inside the steam machine?
Hi David, yes I guess you can put some pinesol on the floor and use the steam mop ontop but this may be dangerous for you! The steam will vaporise the pinesol into the air and you may be breathing it in as you mop! If you have not diluted the pinesol this will make it very unhealthy for you to breath it in.
I cleaned the H2O2 steam mop using Vinegar and water and cleaned the nozzles but nothing happens when I turn it on.
What should I do next?
Hi John, it sounds like you may have a power issue with your H202 steam mop. Check to see if your steam mop is heating up at all. If it is not heating up, maybe your power point is faulty or your mop may need to be professionally repaired or even replaced. Hope that helps