Steam mop - reassure me

[SierraMadre]

What in the name of all that is holy is this?

I was about to go out and buy a steam mop for my new kitchen in a vain attempt to stop it getting as bad as the last owners did and now you tell me I have to clean the floor before mopping?

What's the sodding point of that?! Please explain yourselves!

I have NEVER cleaned before I steam mop..... But then MOST MNers are wierd, and I am not....

Mine was meant to come yesterday, and now isn't coming until Monday I'm going to give the floor a quick hoover before mopping (rather than sweeping bits of food all over the place) and then mop it. Sod scrubbing it first!

Thank you ladies. I did wonder whether I had wandered into a parallel universe. Hoovering (bugger sweeping) first I can cope with and is just common sense, no?

Flisspaps which one have you gone for? Which seemed to rate the Black & Decker one and Lakeland aren't doing the Lite n Easy one anymore.

I've gone for the Black and Decker one and can't wait for it to arrive. I'm not washing my floors this weekend. I'm deliberately getting them nice and grotty so I can properly test it. I'm starting to wonder if I'm a bit sad to be so over excited about a steam mop.

Consider my agony! Our kitchen is being knocked down and rebuilt and we won't get it back until the end of November and then I will have to wait a futher three weeks week before I can be arsed to use the steam mop

I've gone for a Bionnaire one as it was in the catalogue and I can't afford to shell out for one up front. It's got pretty good reviews online though, and comes apart so you can use it as a compact hand-held thingy too.