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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To just buy a steam cleaner

26 replies

littlejolee · 21/01/2016 11:33

With a bit of the money I got for Christmas from a relative? Bit of background here so I'm not drip feeding, I'm a sahm to a 2yo boy so don't have much any money and sticky messes are a multiple times a day thing. I loathe mopping though so don't do it nearly as often as I should because it's so much hassle mucking about with bucket loads of hot water and waiting till the hell freezes over for the floors to dry. Dp had said in the past that he'll buy a steamer if I used the gross pita mop we already have a bit more frequently but I've seen one in Argos with good reviews for about £30 and I'm so tempted (as sad as that sounds, oh no I'm turning into my mother...)

OP posts:

gobbin · 21/01/2016 11:37

Why does what your DP says goes? I'd tell him to get fucking mopping himself if he wants the kitchen floor cleaned more often. And then go and buy a steam cleaner. I've had two cheap ones from Asda and they've been fine.

PuntasticUsername · 21/01/2016 11:39

Do it. No question. My steam mop changed my life.

Though I'm a bit about the whole "DP says he will buy it if I follow some arbitrary condition he has set down" schtick. Why is he in charge of this when from the sound of it, you're the one who actually mops the bloody floors?

Casmama · 21/01/2016 11:41

It makes me sad that you are spending xmas money on a household item because your partner won't "let" you have one.
Who the fuck does he think he is - your dad?

Oysterbabe · 21/01/2016 11:43

Buy one from the joint account not your own spends.

Theoretician · 21/01/2016 11:47

I had a steam cleaner once, didn't find it a lot of use. Steam cleaning is bad for carpets. On hard floors a disposable wet cloth gets rid of spills in less time than it would take to get a steam cleaner out of a cupboard.

Original poster

littlejolee · 21/01/2016 11:47

We don't have a joint account so if I need money beyond what I get in cb/ child tax credits I have to ask him for it. He thinks steamers are a bit of a con because you can get the floors clean with a normal mop for pennies and he's quite careful with money bit too tight sometimes

OP posts:

JapanNextYear · 21/01/2016 11:48

No. I brought one and used it once. Mop with really hot water and really squeezed out mop and then it dries really quickly.

You have to wait for it to heat up and the cheap ones you can't always refill quickly as you have to wait for them to cool down before you refill them.

You still have to do the cleaning! It's £30 you could have spent on something else, nice, not home related.

Original poster

littlejolee · 21/01/2016 11:49

We only have carpet upstairs and I'd go through an inordinate amount of wipes cleaning the messes off the floors with my DS! (Believe me I tried, that when I resigned myself to actually just mopping) :)

OP posts:

PuntasticUsername · 21/01/2016 11:50

You should have equal access to family money op. You shouldn't have to ask him for every single thing.

StayAChild · 21/01/2016 11:51

Just get one if you think it will be useful to you. If not, it isn't exactly a fortune to waste.

I had been thinking of getting one, then had the chance to borrow one from my daughter, who couldn't get on with hers. I can't remember what brand it was. I didn't like it - it didn't glide, didn't seem wet enough so parts of the tiles weren't cleaned, handle was quite flimsy and the steam was unreliable. Much easier and more efficient with a traditional mop and bucket IME, though I know lots of people who think they are great.

Xmasbaby11 · 21/01/2016 11:51

It's just a mop. Don't expect too much. I have a steam mop and it's easier to use than the old one. I still don't mop enough though as I hate cleaning!

I'd get it sure, but not out of your own money

Itsmine · 21/01/2016 11:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RudeElf · 21/01/2016 11:51

it's so much hassle mucking about with bucket loads of hot water and waiting till the hell freezes over for the floors to dry

I'm a cleaner and have used various different steam cleaners including my own. The good old mop and bucket beats them all hands down for both less hassle and drying time.

All the steam cleaners needed their tanks refilling regularly, the pad gets sopping wet very quickly leaving the floor sopping wet. Some of them leak or drip. And the pads get really dirty very quickly (they arent being rinsed like a mop head) and they all take longer to dry than a mopped floor.

RudeElf · 21/01/2016 11:53

Oh and the steam cleaners all have cords, none of which are retractable so you have to keep kicking them back out of your way or scoop them up over your shoulder.

MLGs · 21/01/2016 12:07

I got a good one from amazon - reduced from £150 odd to about £40. It can also steam the carpets apparently (not tried it yet).

Another one wondering why what your DP says goes.

Buy from joint money not your Xmas money.

MLGs · 21/01/2016 12:07

Also it doesn't over wet the floor or take ages to dry.

shovetheholly · 21/01/2016 12:35

A lot depends on what floors you have. You don't want to be using a steam cleaner on wood or laminate - it causes problems over time.

I have both a steam cleaner and a Leifheit Cliclk system mop (from John Lewis) and I prefer the mop. It's really light, doesn't need filling, is easy to use and it has a massive head so I can whiz round a room in seconds. You whip the head off and shove it in the washing machine when you're done. I think it also lifts more muck than the steam cleaner. If you get the version with interchangeable heads, it also becomes a tile cleaner, a broom, and a feather duster. It folds really flat, so I can slide it under the sofabed when it's not in use. Combined with the Method flood cleaners, it's brilliant.

Noofly · 21/01/2016 12:39

I love my steam cleaner. It's no bother to refill it and I just stick the cloth in the wash after using it. We have laminate/tile floors and a dog so it gets used a couple of times a day in this weather. Much less hassle than a mop!

PurpleCrazyHorse · 21/01/2016 12:44

I have a Polzi one, which is great, gets loads of dirt off but takes (relatively) ages to set up and put away. Not a problem when we had an older child but I don't have energy for the hassle now we have a 6mo. I want to get a smaller, quicker one for just whizzing around under the high chair and in the hall as the buggy brings in loads of dirt.

Jibberjabberjooo · 21/01/2016 12:55

Why does your dh get to control the money? Why don't you have access to it? If you want to buy a steam mop, buy a steam mop.

FannyTheChampionOfTheWorld · 21/01/2016 13:01

I'm guessing the tax credits and child benefit are a much smaller part of the family budget than his wage? Is there enough money coming into the household for you to be able to afford £30 on a cleaning device OP? It sounds like there is, since DP is apparently amenable to getting one if you do as you're told like a good girl.

mackinnonka · 21/01/2016 13:06

You can get mops that take water/floor cleaner in the handle and you just spray and wipe....dried quicker and less effort than getting a bucket, hot water or faffing with a steam mop (I have a steam mop, all downstairs floors are hard flooring, still only use it once in a blue moon for deep clean).

Vileda do one, try searching flat spray mop, no idea how much they are.

and if DH doesn't want to buy a mop...maybe he can do the floor cleaning....

GrubbyWindows · 21/01/2016 15:08

You two need a joint account, and he needs to clean some floors. Or, he can pay you a full time nanny's wage, plus a housekeeper's wage.

Original poster

littlejolee · 21/01/2016 16:05

To be fair to dp, he does more mopping than me and is quite happy doing it the old fashioned way and while I do the lions share of the housework he does do his bit, it's a pretty even 50/50 split when he's not at work. Asking him for money has never been a problem I just say I've ran out and he'll give me another £100 or so (roughly, sometimes more sometimes less depending on a few things, how much he has left in the bank mostly) I have his pin so it's not like he withholds any finances from me. He doesn't earn loads so money is fairly tight, we have a mutual agreement that if either one of us wants to buy something that costs more than £30 we should ask the other and so far both of have stuck to that. We would have to make a conscious effort to save the £100 or so that steam cleaners cost when I was looking at them (it was quite a while ago, I just saw this one for £30 and thought it was a bargain). That being said, I just picked up a spray one on mackinnonkas recommendation and I think it's just the ticket so thank you for that!

OP posts:

mackinnonka · 22/01/2016 10:20

You're welcome littlejolee

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