carolstickelmaier

OK girls, I am full of questions. I am looking to buy a steam mop to clean my ceramic floors. Need your opinions, pros and cons on what you think is best one. I have light beige tile with light to med grout. The grout is my downfall. Due to disabilities I am unable to get down on my knees or "butt" without pain. I am hoping a steamer will help clean the grout.

While on the subject of floors, I am also in need of a new vacuum for the carpet. I have short shag multi color beige and brown. The problem is the neighbors very long haired German Shepard. I love her to death but she sheds terrible. She spends most of each day with me. My Hoover canister is just getting plugged up! Will an upright work better or do I need to stick with canister and look for a new one. This one is five years old. By the way my home is a clean home not a house, with lots of adults and kids going in and out daily. Oh, can't forget the dogs or dogs on some days... depending on who is here. Grandkids all have one or two dogs that watch over them at all times. So I guess they would be my grand dogs. Who would have thought 20 years ago I would be a grandmother to dogs??!! LOL It must be a a late Spring cleaning bug I seem to have caught! Although I don't remember much of a Spring here. We went from snow to hot and humid. Thanks girls for any help you can give.

Doggramma

I'm a grandmother to dogs too, but I'd certainly rather have human grandchildren! Anyway, I have a Shark vaccum that I really like. It has good suction, easy to push around because it swivels, and it's easy to dump out the dirt. I also have a Shark steam cleaner, but I don't have tile so I'm not sure how it would clean grout.

Lisa_wanna_b_quilter

I have the Shark steam mop. It's OK. Grout is still not perfect at times, but livable. If you have hard water, use distilled water. Mine has been plugged up a few times when I've forgotten. My husband has always been able to get it cleaned out, but it would be easier not to mess with it.

NJ Quilter

Can't offer any advice on a steamer. But for the grout...when we installed ours, the person at the tile store told me to seal the grout with 10 (yes 10!) coats of the sealer. I spent a couple of days with a small bowl and little kiddie paint brushes and did exactly that. Granted, my grout is very dark brown but it still shines like the day I finished sealing it over 20 years ago.

For a vacuum, I have the Dyson animal and love it. I keep getting cheapie uprights for my upstairs and am never satisfied. End up dragging the dyson up the steps then need DH to drag it back down as it is heavy and I'm short. I would think an upright might be easier for you to deal with instead of the canister/bags. But don't go cheap. It's not worth it. DH has come home to find more than one on the front yard!

Ginaky

I have the Shark steamer and like it for my vinyl, but I don't have tile. I also have the Shark Rotator vacuum and absolutely love it! I thought my previous vacuum was doing a good job until i got this one but it didn't come close. I love that you can take it off the beater/brush at the bottom and carry it around when you need to.

caspharm

We have a Haan steamer for our porcelain tile! We also have a Sebo vaccuum. Both are great.

Stitchnripper

We have discussed steamers and vacuums recently if you want to try the search function for more input. We had a big hairy German shepherd and got a purple Dyson and it really sucked up that fur from carpet and hard surfaces. Mr stitchnripper was dubious but soon became convinced. I have a shark steamer and also got one of those little new swiffer steamers and I like that too.

Onetomatoplant

I have the shark steam n vac and I love it. I don't use the steamer often, but I use the vacuum almost every other day - it's great for a quick run over the hardwood floors to suck up dog hair, cat hair, and my hair!

Lafpeaches

I have a Shark steamer: works okay on bathroom tile. I have a kenmore hepa filter vacuum for years that someone brought to the salvation army thift store: was only plugged up but is dying now and hubby wants to buy a shark. Also got a dyson from the thift store that was also plugged up and leave that one down in my sewing room.

jitkaau

I have a very small Dyson which is easy to move around - it is half the size of a normal upright. My Bissell steamer came with a number of brushes, including a grouting brush. Perhaps you could work as a team by having someone else wield the brush on the grout whilst you hold the detatchable water steamer. The steamer requires that someone hold onto the switch on the handle to operate. It stops when the switch is released.