Steam and Sweep

I've mentioned it before, but I really hate cleaning. I like to have a clean house though, so I do it. For the most part. Usually. But I'm always looking for ways to make it easier and simpler. I saw a commercial for the Bissell Steam and Sweep hard floor cleaner before Christmas and asked my mom for it for Christmas. Of course, she got it for me, cause she's just as much of a sucker for cleaning stuff as I am. It's essentially a vacuum and steam mop all in one device. The theory is that it cuts down your floor cleaning time by making a two step process (vacuuming then mopping) into a one step process. I read the reviews, and decided that it would be worth a try. My entire main floor is hard floor, some cherry wood and some tile, and it takes forever to clean. The main floor is the only floor the dogs are allowed on, as well as where the three entrances to our house are, so it gets extra super duper dirty, extra super duper fast. I've had the Steam and Sweep for about 4 months now and have used it a bunch of times so I feel like I can give a pretty fair review.

Pros:
*It really does cut back on cleaning time. I can do my entire main floor in less than 30 minutes.
*It only uses water, so you don't have to worry about leaving sticky residue or chemicals on the floor. I feel much better about cleaning my floors with steaming hot water than a cleaning solution that can cause my family harm and leaves a gross residue on the hard woods that only attracts more dirt.
*It does a decent job cleaning.
*It can sanitize the floor.
*It's lightweight and small so using it and storing it isn't a problem.
*I only have to fill the water tank at the beginning of cleaning. It lasts the whole floor, and I've never run out of water half way through the job.

Cons:
*The way that it's designed, the vacuum area is on the front of the machine and the mop is on the back, making it almost impossible to mop a corner. Even if you turn the machine around and mop backwards. I usually have to go back with a wet rag and clean the corners. Or I just let them go and have dirty corners. (Honestly, it's usually the latter)
*Sure, it sanitizes, if you hold it in one spot for 15 seconds. It would take me three days to sanitize my floor 4 inches and 15 seconds at a time. So I normally only sanitize spots that need it and do a general clean everywhere else.
*It's really only for maintenance. It's not so great if you let the floor get really dirty.
*Whenever you steam something smelly (like dog smell), it gets smellier for a while. So although my floors are much cleaner, it can take a couple hours to get that "steamed dog" aroma out of the house, which I don't love. I still think it's better than that masked "fake clean" smell of most household cleaners though, so I can live with it. I know that it's clean. It doesn't have to smell like pine trees to prove to me that it's clean. I read once that true clean doesn't have a smell, so I try to stick with that rule as much as possible.

Review: This is definitely worth the money, especially if you have as much hard floor as me. Is it the same as hands and knees mopping? No. Nothing compares to hands and knees mopping. And if there is something out there that does, let me know cause I'm SO buying it! It's a major time saver and does an good job for what I need it to do.

*Oh, BTW, although it probably sounds like it, this isn't some sort of paid advertisement for Bissell. Just an honest review of a product that my mom paid full price for.

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