First off, i''d like to tell you a little about myself so that you can understand my view when writing this review: I am the type of person that has to do all the cleaning myself because I want it done a certain way, and no other way will do because it has to be just "perfect". Luckily, my husband was willing to learn "my way" and he does it that way and I don''t have to worry about it. I am VERY picky about my cleaning. I used a lot of bleach for disinfecting and used to buy bleach by the gallons at Sam''s Club because not only would I bleach my bathrooms, countertops, etc, but I would fill a mop bucket with bleach water and bleach my tile floors. When I clean, it''s CLEAN. However, about 9 months ago I discovered "steam", and I thought, well, it''s still killing germs, etc, etc, but, and i''m not using all of that bleach on the floors. Cause, let''s face it, even though I would mop with the bleach water and do two buckets of clean water to rinse the floor, there''s still going to be residue from the cleaner bottom line.
So, as I said, I discovered the Steam mop. Went to the store, bought the Shark. My 88 year old Grandma was with me that day, she too bought the Shark. Ok, let me just say, I LOVED the concept of using the steam on the floor instead of mopping and using all of that bleach. WAS NOT happy with the pumping and pumping and pumping and pumping and pumping you have to do to get it to produce the steam. What a pain in the @## that is. Turns out, it''s way more of a workout than mopping. You are sweating up a storm by the time you are done. It was getting my floors clean, it was, however the effort it took to get them there was more that I was willing to do. In the meantime, my mother became curious about steam cleaning as well, because, quite frankly, she too was tired of the mop and bucket. I figured there had to be a better option than this pumping my @## off stuff, so I started looking online and at first had picked out another brand of a "continuous steam" type steamer. I figured, ok, let me go to the local Vaccuum Store in town and see if they carry it. They did not carry that particular brand I was looking to purchase, however, they did carry the HAAN. Of course, I had never heard of this brand before, but they swore that it was much better than that other brand I was mentioning and assured me I would like it. So, on a whim, I bought the original Haan FS-20 (the yellow and white one). That was earlier this year. Let me tell you, I have not picked up a mop and bucket since like April of this year. It is such a pleasure to mop (if i can even call it mopping) the floors now. My tile floors are clean, and I mean, residue-free clean. I know it''s killing the germs, etc, and it is so easy, literally a child, or husband :) could do this. I am serious. You just simply fill the tank of the boiler, and it boils the water to produce the steam. The floors are so clean and residue free, that if you are wearing nice clean socks, you''re liable to slide on the tile. Well, my mother became jealous of this NEW steamer because when I got the original HAAN, I had given her my Shark to use. And although she loved the concept as I did, the pumping was a pain for her as well. NOW, she wants what I got. Let me tell you, I tell EVERYONE about my steam mop. Matter of fact, I''ve gotten about 4 ladies at work steaming their floors now. One lady says, oh, I get down on my hands and knees". I''m like, FORGET THAT! Get a HAAN. And she did. I got people steamin'' all over the place. ahahha. OK~ SO~ Fastforward~
I saw that they came out with this new "SLim and Light" contraption. HMMMMM, that looks really, really nice. I wonder how it works? well, I read and read and read reviews. NOW, I want one of THESE!!! (I still love my original Haan FS-20, but this looks even BETTER!!) Let me just say, these people that give this new Slim and Light a bad rap because it didn''t make their 30 year old warn out linoleum look brand new, or pick up all of their kids leftover food on the floor, or didn''t pick up a clump of dried stuck-on something that had been there for two weeks, COME ON PEOPLE!!! There are limitations to everything. First of all, IT IS NOT A VACCUUM, nor does it ever claim to be. YES, you do have to vaccuum first. Coming from a person that has two labrador retrievers, you must vaccuum. And you should anyway. It steam cleans, it does not pick up a pile of cheerios or doggie hair tumbleweeds. VACCUUM FIRST!!! Also, yes, steaming times on one tank of water will vary, depending on how fast or slow you push the steamer. Some people say, oh, one tank only lasted me through doing the kitchen, well, if you go really slow, like i do to make sure i''m getting it real good, yes, you will have to refill by the time you get to the dining room. Some people move the steamer around faster, covering more area quickly, and get all of their floors done on the one tank. That''s fine too. I am just a little unclear on how fast to actually move the steamer over a certain area in order for it to be cleaning effectively, so, I go slower and refill the tank more often. Whatever, doesn''t matter really.
I decided to get my Mother and Grandmother one for Christmas this year. By this time, both Mom and Grandma had stopped using their Shark and had gone back to mopping at this point. I did order them the new Slim and Light for Christmas this year. I was so excited to give this to them, I could not wait. I COULD NOT WAIT to bust it out of the box and try it for myself, just could not wait. Also, I just had to try this new mop because another lady at work wants to go to steam cleaning and wants to buy the HAAN, but, wasn''t sure if she wanted the original HAAN like I had, or if she would like the new S & L better. SO, i suggested to her...... let Mom and Grandma open theirs on Christmas, I''ll use it and let you know which one I like better between the two, because after all, at this point, I had only read reviews and seen pictures of it on the web. She thought that was a good idea. So she was waiting with baited breath to find out which one she was going to buy!! WOW, is this NICE!!! Ok, so, now, how do I tell my husband I want the new S & L without him getting mad? hmmm, i''m going to have to work on that because I have GOT TO get me one of these. Mom loves it. She has steamed her floors every day since Christmas.
Ok.........
PROS:
~Light.
~Cute
~Tank pops off the back and you can just refill and go
~The long handle and the shape of the handle make it really easy to use, no bending over.
~Head is very low profile and will go under (but not completely under, mind you) the stove, cabinets, fridge, etc. (depending on the height of your appliances)
~Pads are re-washable. Take them off, throw them in the wash with your clothes, throw them in the dryer with your clothes.
~Super easy to push, NO PUMPING REQUIRED.
~You are not sweating up a storm when you are finished.
~You know your floors are getting clean, truly clean without any chemical residue
~It WILL remove some stains or stuck on stuff (IF) you hold it over the spot for about 10 seconds or so.
~It comes with the carpet tray attachment so you can freshen your carpet, couch, bedding, mattress, dog bed, etc). IT IS NOT STANLEY STEAMER!!! NOR DOES IT CLAIM TO BE! It WILL NOT steam clean your carpets like Stanley Steamer. There is a difference. However, it will help loosen a stain so that it can be cleaned out of the carpet, and it will take the smell out from a pet accident, etc. It freshens because it is killing mold, dust mites, bacteria, etc.
~Husbands and children can use!! Can we say BONUS!!!
CONS:
~Cord is a little shorter than the Shark, BUT, that is peanuts compared to the ease and positive benefits. No big deal.
NOTES:
~What''s the difference between the FS-20 and the new S & L? Well, the FS-20 works on a boiler system, basically you fill the tank, it boils the water to produce continuous steam. The S & L uses an internal pump. You WILL hear a slight fluttering noise as the mop is pumping the steam out for you. This is normal. (I have actually found that the steam comes out more vigorously on the new S & L than mine because it is being pumped out).
~Wear shoes or at least socks when steaming the floors. You may not think that it is steaming all that much, but let me tell you, if you get it too close to your foot, and it burns the skin in between your toes, you''ll know it!! (obviously a personal experience).
~Don''t be a cheap @##. Buy distilled water to use in the machine. It will keep it from getting all crusty and crudded up with mineral deposits like your coffee pot does. I use only distilled water. The machine will last longer this way and the steam jets won''t get clogged.
~Take the pad off the unit and throw it in the wash or at least the hamper when you are done steaming. If you let it sit on the unit after you''ve used it and store it that way, the pad can get musty smelling.
~My advise, buy 2 extra pads. You can never have enough.
~If you''ve been steaming for a while and the pad starts to get saturated, just put a new pad on. This will avoid the complaining of streaking on the floors as some people state.
Assembly of this steam cleaner consists of snapping the handle on and pressing on the cleaning pads. Uses distilled water for the best cleaning without having minerals that tap water would introduce into the boiler, so it should have a long life. I have porcelain tile and laminated wood flooring and both were cleaned thoroughly and quickly. The steaming sounds were so quiet it didn''t even disturb the cat! After cleaning about 1600 sq ft, I laundered the 2 cleaning pads on gentle cycle and air dried them. Only some small matter was still on the pad surfaces and that pulled out easily. If you first vacuum your surfaces to pick up all the loose debris, you won''t have much to stick to the cleaning pad, which has a microcloth with just enough "tooth" to grab hair, threads, etc. This product will allow you to clean under the bed, but it does not have a swivel head, so you may still need to hand clean areas that are too tight to negotiate, such as between toilet and wall. The cleaned floors passed the WHITE SOCK test, so I highly recommend this product.
Update June 2012 I am still loving this steam cleaner. I purchased additional pads when I saw a mall demonstration of the product earlier this year. Now I have two colors of pads (they are of the same materials) and use one color for floors and the other for everything else.
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I love this product. It does exactly what it says it will. Picks up dirt/dust. Makes the floor feel really clean beneath my bare feet.
I usually would mop very rarely due to back/shoulder pain, but this is very easy to use, lightweight and didn''t cause any discomfort. Also, I love that it uses no chemicals. Because I have two cats, I''d use the swiffer wet and then go over it with water to remove the chemical residue. I didn''t want them licking the poison cleaner off of their paws, nor did I want that on my feet. Also, the swiffer cleaner smell/chemical made me itch.
I have hardwood floors in most of my apartment plus tile in the kitchen and ceramic tile in the bathroom. It cleaned all the floors really well and easily. I do sweep prior to use. I also used the glide attachment on my sisel area rug. It was definitely brighter afterwards and felt cleaner. There was a musty oder due to all the recent dampness; there is no smell at all now.
I did notice after two rooms the pad was becoming too saturated and it was more difficult to glide over the floor, so I changed the pad and went on to the next rooms. I would suggest buying the extra pads so as not to be without a clean one to change up.
I can highly recommend this product. I''ve already recommended it to my friends who also hate to mop!
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After a lot of research, I went with this model, because I wanted something more durable and with hotter steam than the shark, but had read reviews that other steam mops may not fit underneath some cabinets (which would have been really irritating). Trust me, I went back and forth between this model and the FS-20 (yellow model) with the short handle attachment for at least a week.
Well, I''ve now used this steam mop for 2 weeks, and I am impressed!
Here are the pros in no particular order:
1. A tank of distilled water lasts over 20 minutes. The removable tank makes it easy to pour any unused water back into the distilled water jug, too (since it is not recommended to store water in your steam mop).
2. I was able to clean my extremely filthy vinyl entryway, my (small) kitchen and two (small) bathrooms in 23 minutes, and that was when I went slowly and lightly scrubbed some ground-in dirt. Will this work miracles for dirt that''s been ground in since 1993? No, but it does way better than anything else I''ve tried (including Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and good old acetone-both of which took the finish off the floor, too). Because of my small rooms, I cannot comment on the cord length, although it''s not a huge deal to unplug it, move it, and plug it in again, because it''s pretty lightweight.
3. Hairspray residue in the bathroom was completely gone within 2 cleanings (nothing but hand scrubbing had ever completely cleaned that before--the Wet Jet left it dull and a little sticky) All of the floors were left completely shiny and so clean that they were actually a little slick (I feel like doing a Risky Business scene here).
4. The mop was extremely easy to assemble and use.
5. You do not have to wait for the machine to cool down to refill the tank. Simply unplug, remove the water tank, refill, plug back in, and in less than a minute, you''re ready to go.
6. It truly fits underneath just about everything (a few inches, anyway).
7. As with the other Haan steam mop, no pumping or trigger work is necessary (the steam is always on).
8. The pads are very thick and absorbent, much more so than most microfiber towels. Since pad quality appears to be an issue with some other steam mop brands, I thought I''d mention it. They hold up well in the washing machine, too, and air-dry flat. They also adhere well without any clips, so you can use your foot to remove them when they''re dirty.
Now for the cons :(
1. There is no short handle attachment for this, so to clean the countertops or use the gliding attachment to sanitize furniture, you''d have to wield the entire mop around. I was excited when I thought that perhaps I could just attach the black handle directly to the base without the middle portion of the handle attached (why, oh why, Haan, did you not design your attachment points just a little bit differently??), but alas, it isn''t possible, just in case you were wondering. You''ll see what I''m talking about here, if you get one of these. Luckily, I also have the handheld Haan steamer for those jobs.
2. It only swivels forward and backward, not side-to-side. That feature would be very nice for getting into tighter, more awkward spaces. I cope with this problem by locking the mop into its upright position, grabbing the lowest portion of the handle, and moving the mop side to side across those areas (not necessarily a pretty sight).
3. The cleaning pad/head is very wide (nearly 7") from front to back, which I suppose is nice for a bigger cleaning surface area, but it''s not going to be able to get behind your toilet unless you have a freakishly large space behind your toilet.
Not necessarily a pro or a con:
1. I''m just throwing this out there so that people know. There is a pump that gets the water from the tank into the steam area. The other Haan (FS-20) uses a simple boiler system. The good news is that the steam comes out of the steam mop quite vigorously this way. However, if you wanted something absolutely silent, this isn''t it, although it is VERY quiet (oddly enough, one of my cats runs over to watch whenever he hears the steam mop pump). Also, I hope it''s a really durable pump. I don''t want it to wear out in a short period of time, because I REALLY like this steam mop.
Anyway, that''s all I can think of right now, but I''ll update this as more things become apparent, especially regarding the durability of this machine.
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I LOVE my Haan steam mop! It seems to be of very high quality. Surprisingly, the cord is heavier than my Dyson vacuum, or any other appliance of this type. The pads are nice & thick and are sure to hold up well.
I was most impressed when I cleaned one of my vinyl bathroom floors. It''s had a deep stain on it since it was installed. I''d tried Clorox Clean-up and every other product I thought might work, to no avail. With just ONE short use, most of the stain is gone! I''m sure a second cleaning will remove it entirely.
You still have to sweep the floor as the Haan steams, and doesn''t pick up debris.
It heats up in just 30 seconds (rather than the 3 minutes they say) and comes with pad to place under it while it''s heating. One very little tank of water did my kitchen, both bathroom floors and my tiled entryway, with some left over. So buying distilled water won''t be much of an expense. However, my rooms are very small.
I''m anxious to use it on my braided and oriental type rugs, which haven''t been cleaned as I was afraid a shampooer would ruin them.
I''m 66 years old and found the Haan to be very light weight (at 4lbs) and easy to use.
Haven''t found any Cons, so far.
I certainly wouldn''t hesitate to purchase this again.
UPDATE:
I tried my Hann Steam Mop on my area rugs last evening. They came out cleaner than I imagined they would and I was very impressed. Especially on an area of my regular carpeting where the dirt was very ground in AND one of my puppies had an ''accident''. I tried everything to get the smell up.....several natural enzyme products, Febreeze, Spot Shot etc, and had even shampooed the carpeting several times. Now, The smell is GONE, after one use with the Haan.
Unlike using the Haan on hard flooring, when you''re steaming rugs or carpeting, you will want to go very, very slowly and go over the area a few times.
This is one of the best purchases I have made in many a year!
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Though I love the red color over the blah white color of other brita pitchers I''ve owned, this is by far the worst design of the 4 I''ve owned in the past. The pitcher reservoir only allows a small amount of water to be added at any one time due to the curved shaped of the lid; ie you can never fill to the full top of the lid like you can with other flat-topped designs, because the water hits the top edge near the handle well before you can fill the entire reservoir and all of the overflow pours into the hollow handle (yes, seriously it''s the stupidest thing ever). Not only is this a problem on its own, but then the water doesn''t just stay put in the handle, but rather leaks out the handle seams all over the countertop, fridge, etc. and makes a big puddle. Even if you are careful not to go too high to the edge of the handle when filling the reservoir, just the simple act of putting the pitcher onto the counter from under the running water of the faucet, causes the water in the reservoir to swish around, causing a few ounces of it to overflow into the handle. It makes the whole process of refilling the reservoir very time consuming (since you can really only put in about half the amount that you can with the other pitcher designs (large reservoir) if you don''t want the handle overflow issue. If you''re doing anything where you need a large quantity of filtered water at one time, it takes an eternity to get this to filter when the pitcher can only be filled 3/4 of the way. (the more downward pressure you have from a full reservoir, allows the water to be pushed through the filter more quickly. When the reservoir is closer to empty, the water trickles through more slowly (this has been true with all of the pitcher designs, but the particular design of this one seems to make the water go through the filter even more slowly than any other design I''ve ever owned (even when filled to the top edge)).
