Steam mops - do tell :)

[Reiltin]

I was reading a thread recently about steam mops and it piqued my interest, but I'm not quite sure I know what they do. Can they completely replace a mop & bucket? Are they worth the cost? Better for some situations than others?
I have 4 tiled bathrooms (I know!), a tiled kitchen, and wood floors downstairs, so enough mopping to consider upgrading my equipment

I have posted repeatedly on this, so please forgive me everyone, but here goes again:

I have a steam mop. It is OK. Does a decent job and I have the reassurance of knowing the floors are cleaned hot. But you can't use them on oiled wood, and I would avoid using them on even the tough coated and engineered stuff, because the steam will get forced between the boards and may change their shape! (This started to happen just a bit on a very tough engineered floor in my home - fortunately I noticed before much damage was done). You also have the faff of filling the thing up with water, and the pads are never very big so there is a LOT of mopping to cover a floor. The mops are also not that manouevrable - you won't be able to get them far underneath furniture for instance. There can also be issues with the mop putting too much or too little water on the floor - they can be a bit temperamental.

I have recently bought a Leifheit click system mop. It has large microfibre heads that you put in the washer, and the size of these has meant that the time I spend mopping is significantly reduced. The mop goes right down flat so I can get underneath just about anything with it, and the cloths leave the floor really quite dry. Performance is better - the pads have pulled a LOT more dirt off the floor than the steam mop did. I can use the mop with WOCA soap for my oiled wood floors, too. You can click other attachments onto the same 'stick' for the mop and turn it into a tile cleaner or a duster.

Thanks!

Thanks!

can you use a steam mop on the ceiling or does it only work on floors? Just bought a house with a really greasy kitchen and wondering how to tackle the ceiling that is coated in grease :(
I've been using a soda crystal solution to degrease the kitchen units but I'm concerned this will get in my eyes and splash in my face if I try and use it on the ceiling and will also have to stand on a ladder to reach.

Chicken - couple of ideas:

1. Wash it with distilled white vinegar - less horrible if you get it on your face! Will also work wonders on greasy surfaces and is non-toxic around food
2. My Leifheit mop has got an attachment for tiles, and I reckon it could be used on a ceiling too, to save you getting on a chair and doing it close-up.
3. If these fail, since you'll probably have to repaint in the long run anyway, so you could use sugar soap and consider it the first step towards redecorating?