Over the last fortnight I have been putting the Bissell Vac and Steam through it’s paces. I mop my kitchen and bathroom floors daily and although I have previously used a steam cleaner to clean areas like grout this is the first time I have used a steam mop. So when I was told this steam mop was also a vac I was very intrigued. Usually I hoover the kitchen and bathroom floors prior to mopping them which is time consuming. So the thought that I could save time but not scrimp on cleanliness is great, but is it a reality?
When the Vac and Steam arrived I was really surprised at how light the box was and when took the vac out it was very compact. Dad of 3 wasn’t convinced it would work well as a vac and a steam mop.
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| Contents, instructions, fragrance disc x 2, two scented waters, mop pad, water jug |
Not wanting to rush into trying the vac and steam out I decided to read the instructions and familiarise myself with where everything goes and then use it the following morning. Our kitchen is a very high traffic area, with children and sometimes animals passing through throughout the day. I tend to hoover the kitchen every morning after breakfast and once done mop the floor so that it is dry in time for morning snacks.
The following morning I was relatively sure that the kitchen floor was clean apart from a few crumbs so set about getting the vac and steam ready to use. I inserted the fragrance disc in the gauze pouch on the inside of the mop head, refitted the mop head and filled the water compartment to the specified level using the provided jug. I then plugged the vac and steam in and turned it on, waiting until the light indicated it was ready to use. As the floor needed hoovering I decided to use the vac and steam in it’s full capacity i.e as a vac and then the steam mop. So I turned it on to vac and adjusted the height of the handle, then started to vacuum the floor. It was quite loud compared to our hoover and Erin didn’t like noise and quickly closed the kitchen door on me. It did make quick work of the floor though and was easy to manoeuvre and collect all the debris on the floor.
Once I had finished with the hoover, I pressed the button for hi steam, you have the option of hi or lo steam. Then working slowly back over the floor, pausing for about 5 seconds each time the Bissell started to steam clean the floor, you could see the floor looking wet as it worked if that makes sense. This was the longest part of the process but even then I covered the kitchen floor (approx 20 square metres) in about 15 minutes. There’s something quite satisfying about using a steam mop I found! dad of 3 thought it was funny watching me get excited about the machine. Once finished I simply turned the vac and steam off at the the on/off button and put it back into it’s upright position and unplugged it from the mains.
Now I have always thought that my kitchen floor was relatively clean especially as it is mopped with disinfectant and also bleach twice a week. So I really wasn’t expecting to see mop pad in too bad a state, how wrong was I! I also can’t believe I’m sharing this picture with you!
This was the mop pad after I had used the Vac and Steam! Obviously my kitchen floor wasn’t as clean as I thought it was! I expected the mop pad to be a little dirty but nothing like this! I called dad of 3 into the kitchen to see for himself, he was quite shocked at it too. One of the things that concerned me was how was I going to get the pad clean again. The instructions say not to use bleach etc on the mop pads and to wash at 300 degrees centigrade! I quickly took the pad off and popped it in the washing machine on the specified setting and crossed everything! It is also not recommended to put the mop pad in the tumble drier but to let it air dry. After the first wash the pad was a bit cleaner however it really needed another cycle in the washing machine, I tend to use a 30 degree centigrade quick wash which takes approx 30 minutes. So I popped it back in for another cycle. It came out looking a bit better but I was still concerned it was dirty. Now I know it’s been on the floor but for something that has then been washed and is intended to be used for the same purpose again I would have hoped it would have been a bit cleaner than it was. I decided then to lay it on the kitchen window sill in the sunlight to dry and hoped that it would bleach some of the dirt out in the process.
After a couple of hours drying on the window sill the mop pad did look a lot better and I felt happier about it.
The Bissell Vac and Steam claims to kill 99.9% germs and bacteria, judging from the colour of the mop pad after use I would think that this is the case. Obviously using a regular mop does not clean the floor as well as I thought it did! Ensuring that area’s like the kitchen and bathrooms are clean is something that’s important to me as a mum of young children and also as someone who cares for other young children.
In the last fortnight I have got in too a good routine of using the Vac and Steam daily in place of my traditional mob and hoover. Straight after using I have been removing the mop pad and washing as per the instructions and then leaving it to dry on a window sill. It has cut down the length of time it takes to clean the floors and also has given me peace of mind. I have found the Vac and Steam so easy to use, the machine it’s self is not bulky and is easy to store when not in use. The dirt bin from the Vac is simple to empty and reinstall. I now must have used the Vac and Steam about twenty five times since it arrived for me to try. It’s been used on a tiled kitchen floor and on lino bathroom flooring. Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom floors has been less of a chore the last fortnight thanks to the Vac and Steam. The experience has left me seriously considering in purchasing our own steam mop even if it was not this model with the vac.
The Bissell Vac and Steam retails at around £149.97 and comes with a two year warranty. I think this is quite a reasonable price for a dual purpose machine. For more information on the Bissell Vac and Steam or to buy your own please visit www.bisselldirect.co.uk
Disclaimer – I was sent the Bissell Vac and Steam for a two week period as part of the Bissell Steam Circle and for the purpose of this post. The content of the post as always is 100% my own.