If you’re like me, keeping things clean is a constant battle, especially being busy and living in a small apartment that gets dirty fast. Quick and easy-to-use products have a lot of appeal, but often a lot of chemicals as well. Fortunately, several companies are now utilizing a chemical-free way of cleaning - using steam to quickly clean and sanitize surfaces.

A prime example is the HAAN Slim and Light Steam Mop, which I had the opportunity to try in out in my small apartment on vinyl, wood, and carpeted flooring.* Here’s the “hot and steamy” scoop on this mop.

 

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Pros

At first glance, the HAAN Slim and Light has a very stylish, shiny red exterior and a small, lightweight body. I found the water reservoir is easy to remove and refill, but because it uses water sparingly, I didn’t have to refill often.

One of the top features of this steam mop is that it heats quickly. It takes only about 20 seconds to go from room temperature to visibly, steamy hot. Something unique I noticed was steam comes out automatically without pressing anything beyond the “on” button. I was skeptical about the lack of control I would have but I discovered this was a plus. Not having to continuously press or pump a handle to release steam keeps your hands from getting worn out, which is especially great for those who have arthritis. The company also had the forethought to include a landing pad for the steamer to stand on while it “chills” - protecting your floors from excessive heat.

The best feature of this mop is that it uses steam to clean rather than cleaning chemicals. As a result, it doesn’t leave any residues but water, which is fragrance-free and dries very quickly. I noticed when I finished cleaning floors with the HAAN Slim and Light, there was typically no stickiness, sliminess, or any other “ness” left on the floor. In addition, it was comforting to know it was sanitizing while it cleaned - meaning that my floors were actually clean and didn’t just appear to be clean.

Cons

 

While the HAAN Slim and Light cleaned up most everything, the steam mop couldn’t fully remove a couple stubborn spots. One spot was a dribble of food that had turned crusty hard and the other was a coffee stain on the carpet. While I was disappointed the steam didn’t remove the crusty spot on my kitchen floor, I wasn’t surprised that it didn’t remove the carpet stain. In the past, I have tried using other steam units to remove semi-fresh stains, but without much success. You can expect the steam mop will remove surface soiling on the carpet and sanitize it, but unless the stain is very fresh (as in still wet), in my experience, it won’t do much in loosening carpet spots.

Since the Slim and Light is one of the lower-end HAAN models, you’ll find it’s missing a significant feature - a swivel head. Though swivel heads are found in all of the more expensive models, I was disappointed to find this essential feature was left out of the Slim and Light’s design. It was more difficult to turn and clean tight corners without a maneuverable mop head.

Overall, while the HAAN Slim and Light Steam Mop lacks the bells and whistles of the higher-end HAAN models, it is an effective green cleaning tool for a small home or apartment. Best of all, it’s chemical-free and sanitizes naturally using steam. And at HC, we definitely approve of that!

 

*The HAAN Slim and Light Steam Mop was supplied for our review at no cost by the manufacturer.

(Note: The views expressed in this blog post are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of The Housekeeping Channel, LLC.)

 

About Allison Rathey Kirby

Allison Rathey Kirby is Housekeeping Channel's (HC’s) Associate Editor and Director of Social Media. Formerly HC's Tool Listing Editor, Allison has been with HC for four years - managing, editing, and contributing “clean” content to the site. Allison is also the Associate Editor for HC's sister site, the Healthy House Institute (HHI).