Steam Cleaners On Hardwood Floors

Ask any experienced hardwood floor professional about using steam cleaners on Steam cleaner on hardwood floor hardwood floors and the answer is a resounding absolutely not. Our curiosity got to the best of us and we approached one of the technical experts at
the National Wood Flooring Association on the subject. His reply was "If I were to build a machine to destroy a wood floor, it would be a steam mop"

So why are these companies pushing almost the same thing as the Wet Swiffer a few years back? If you pay any attention to their current advertisements no longer do they show or talk about using the product with hardwood floors. It’s quite obvious the benefits did not outweigh the profit.

Warranty Claims. Not!

To make matters worse, no prefinished hardwood floor manufacturer will honor a warranty claim if any machines forceably move water, or steam onto the surface of the floor. With the new steam mops many assume the vapor dries quickly. On the surface yes, but let’s examine the millions of square feet of micro beveled floors out there.

Moisture will find it’s way into the smallest crevices and this is no exception. These systems inject moisture. By seeping into the joints it disallows flashing off of the moisture. Over time discoloring will become obvious with lighter colored hardwoods first. In due time floor finishes will be affected in these areas as well.

What’s Different With A Steam Cleaner?

Nothing. It produces water vapor. That’s the same thing as what the wet swiffer does. Although steam cleaners expel less moisture on to a wood floor, it still offers one of the major leading causes of failure with any wood product. Wood and water never works.

My Sister Has Been Using The Shark For A Year

You may be thinking, my sister hasn’t had any problems with her steam cleaner, why shouldn’t I invest in one? Let’s think about it in a different way. Your floor is valued more than some of the finer pieces of wood furniture you may have in the house. Would you side with a popular gimmick for the furniture or pay attention to the long standing methods of care you have depended on? Repairing any damage caused by moisture with wood floors to it’s original condition may cost thousands of dollars.