Clean team review: Lift-Off® Steam mop

I arranged to spend an afternoon doing a review of the BISSELL Lift-Off® Steam Mop with Jane, a friend, at her house which has the whole ground floor in laminate and ceramic tiles – my house has only a small kitchen and bathroom. Jane has one other adult, 3 teenagers and two cats living with her.

When I initially asked to do this with her she said that she had inherited a steam mop from her mother and found it too much of a ‘faff’ to use it and much preferred to use a mop and bucket. So we set about testing the Lift-Off Steam Mop.

Assembling the BISSELL Lift-Off Steam mop was easy and the instructions were easy to follow.

There were main two components to join together:  the swivel head to be pushed on and fastened with a small screw, and the handle which was also pushed on and secured by turning a knob.

The water tank was filled, we plugged in and switched on.  We set the control to “Medium” and when the expected knocking sound (of the pump filling) had stopped , we tried it on the laminate floor.

We could see the floor was getting damp, but no steam or vapour was escaping to indicate it was hot. I then felt the floor, just to check, and could feel a feint warmth on the surface. Because steam is used instead of water, it left no streaks and the floor dried very quickly.

We then moved into to the kitchen area and onto the ceramic tiles. Again there was no indication of steaming so I presumed the steam was being directed towards the floor, rather than into the air, and on examining the underside of the pad after, it was lightly soiled.

Again it left no streaks and dried quickly.

Jane noted the positives of the machine: it has a long electric lead in order to reach the whole floor. While the machine is heavier than we had expected, it leaves a streak-free finish. With animals in and out the house it’s important to ensure the floor is thoroughly cleaned.

Thank you to Jane and Valerie for trying out the Lift-Off Steam Mop in Jane’s home. We address Jane and Valerie’s observations:

Where’s the steam?

The Lift Off Steam Mop has a directional steam feature which means that steam is directed on to the floor, where it is needed, rather than released into the air where we can see it but essentially it isn’t cleaning anything.

Does it sanitize the floor?

While the Lift-Off Steam Mop doesn’t use any chemicals to clean, it uses nature’s greatest solution – steam! Steam is a pure way to sanitise one’s home without the use of chemicals. In order for sanitisation to occur, the Lift-Off Steam Mop must be held in place for at least 15 seconds.