[dillywho]

Thanks for the Shark info. I will definitely purchase one! I, too, dread having to mop, mop, mop!

[Mikitv]

I am not in TV yet but I do have a lot of tile flooring. I was using the swifter but invested (my son wanted it) in a Hoover floormate. It was astounding the first time he cleaned the floors how dirty the pick up water was. The machine dispenses the clean water and picks up the dirty water. He does the floors for me and he loves it. I tried it in the master bath and was easy to use. Since it picks up the water, dries very quickly and doesn't streak.

[jtdraig]

I bought a Haan floor steamer/santizer..it is FANTASTIC! It works so well that I ordered one for my daughter in New Jersey..it has 15 steam jets. I use it as much as my wife does because it works so well.

[thegreenerside]

I purchased a Shark from a person here on TOTV a couple of weeks ago and boy was I happy. It works great on tile, but I also have dark cherry hardwood floors which makes the floors look brand new. No more mops, no more knee pads, and no more dreading the floor cleaning duty

[Boomer]

We just put in a new tile floor. We used something called Star Quartz grout. I don't know if it will live up to its promises. Time will tell. I asked for the skinniest grout lines possible in this one. I think it's 1/8 of an inch. Here's the link to Star Quartz.

http://www.starquartz.com/about.html

Of course, that's only good if you are starting with a new installation. Our bathrooms have the regular grout and grout lines.

I have been reading this thread today and thinking we need to buy a Shark.

And when Greenerside said the Shark works on hardwood, too, that got me really interested in buying one of these things.

This might sound like a dumb question, but what do you put in the Shark with the water?

And the Hoover Floormate mentioned here sounds interesting, also. Will it work on hardwood?

I've been crawling and scooting around on these floors for way too long.

Thanks for the info.

Boomer

[another Linda]

Wow, Boomer! Star quartz grout sounds just like what I'm looking for. I'm planning to put tile in our CYV -- probably some time this summer. Now all I need to do is be able to find this when I need it. (I appear to have a search impediment.)

[Mikitv]

Boomer,

I have the Bruce hardwood floors and they recommend not using any type of steam or water cleaner on the floor. I have a product that I spray on and use a big cloth pad on the floor. I throw it in the wash after. It works well and I haven't had any problems with it on the floors. We've built five homes and have always had a combination of wood, tile and carpet. I think this is the first time I can say that the products I am using to clean floors are the best I have used.

[Cassie325]

Well after reading this entire thread the family has made the decision to try one of these Sharks! My question is "How does it work on the grout?"

Granted I wish we had darker grout....but does this Shark really clean the grout too? Or will the tooth brush and bleach have to stick around?

[Boomer]

Mikark,

Thanks. This hardwood has been down for 5 years. It's prefinished 3/4 inch thick, tongue and groove boards. It's amazing the beating it can take. I have been using Murphy Oil Soap and water. It does not have to be rinsed. In the beginning I would not use Murphy because the world "Oil" in its name threw me. I expected it to streak and smear. Not the case at all. But still I end up crawling around.

Good for me -- maybe.

But sometimes I just squeeze out the cloth in the bucket of Murphy soap and water and attach it to the Swiffer handle, to that thing on the bottom where the Swiffer cloth is supposed to be. Ah, laziness, the mother of invention. Crawling around this house is not my idea of a good time. I hope P&G does not sue me for patent infringement.

And Linda,

About that Star Quartz grout -- Mr. Boomer learned all about it from somebody at a big tile distributor in Cincinnati. He was looking into epoxy at the time. This stuff is easier I think. I am not sure how new it is. You might want to keep skinny grout lines in mind if you like that look. My tile in the new room is 18X18 with a straight edge. I don't know if skinny works with an irregular edge tile. When I said skinny, the tile guy asked me about the edge. Mr. Boomer is not my tile guy. He does not like to do tile. Just hardwood in our house and laminate for Boomette, our daughter.

Oh My!

For two days here on TOTV, I have been going on and on about flooring in one thread or another. What is the matter with me???? I am starting to feel like Cliff, that mailman who hung out in the bar on "Cheers" and went on and on about stuff until everyone's eyes rolled back in their heads.

Boomer

[hh6641]

Our home is completely tiled floors. Just buy a Hoover Floor-Mate and use a vinegar/water solution. Works great. "Good scrubbing".

[Cassie325]

Well we purchased the shark this morning and what a difference!! the knees and back were saved first of all....

AND the floor looks GREAT!!


However I do wish their were parts available for the shark that would work on the grout a little more directly. We will keep looking for parts or perhaps another brand that has parts....but the steam is wonderful and I would imagine kills germs at the same time!!


Now does anyone have any great tricks up their sleeve for granite....ours is dark and sometimes you can't tell if you have it completely clean! Looks great but can't tell whether it is fully clean! A steam cleaner for granite would be great!

[l2ridehd]

We are getting ready to purchase a steam tile cleaner as well. In reading reviews on other sites, the one complaint about the Shark is that over time it loses it's abilty to heat and therefor does not clean as well. Anyone have one that they have owned for a while? How long? And does it still work well?

[TallerTrees]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

We are getting ready to purchase a steam tile cleaner as well. In reading reviews on other sites, the one complaint about the Shark is that over time it loses it's abilty to heat and therefor does not clean as well. Anyone have one that they have owned for a while? How long? And does it still work well?

Here's the one we purchased after having tried the Shark. The use that we give it justifies the cost. We use Dyson for what little carpeting we have left.

http://www.save-now.com/steam/new-st...-Home-Unit.htm

This one is great. It's a good size and not heavy. But wow does it hit the grout and do all of our tile well. We use it in both of our homes. It's a work horse.

The Shark was cheap, didn't get the grout well and ran our of steam. Also, the handle broke and we had it replaced. At first it seemed so great, but... With this you get what you pay for.

[cobblercabin]

For light colored grout, liquid dishwasher soap is pretty good. I also recommend sealing once a year......

[beady]

I agree ..steam is the way to go ...we have a smallish unit with 2 floor attachments and 2 small brushes (great for cleaning grout). Got ours at Big Lots and I think we payed between $75-100. It is a little cumbersome, has enough steam to do the kitchen, laundry and eating area. Half a tank does the 2 bathrooms. Great for the shower , as well.