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(More customer reviews)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.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Haan Slim & Light Steam Cleaning Floor Sanitizer and Vapor Steamer, Model SI-35
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