Clearly I am a girl who needs instant gratification.
After reading reviews online (and listening to so many of you rave about steam mops) I joined the Bed, Bath and Beyond email list so I got a 20% off coupon delivered to my inbox and drove straight there [in the pouring rain!]
Came home, plugged ‘er in and got to work.
Look at the grime the VAC part picked up right away! I am very pleased with the vac feature.
The Shark was very easy to use – I love how things fit together and work. Very pleased.
The steaming part was pretty darn cool. NO BUCKETS! NO SLOSHING! NO TOUCHING GROSS MOP HEADS!
I swear my floors were dirty in the befores!!
Since they looked pretty clean already, there really isn’t much of a difference. But the difference is all in how they FEEL! Normally I wouldn’t touch our floors with my bare hands. But I rubbed my palms all over the afters and they were clean and smooth!
It also got up some paint chip marks that no other mop had gotten up.
Our floors are naturally pretty shiny (remember we’re renting this house, so I have no idea how they’ve been cared for) but I do think they are a little less shiny then when I have used some other products. I also slightly miss the clean SMELL. Do you think I could add some essential oil to the steam water??
Most of all, the Shark is just SO convenient. The first of four pads is washing in the washing machine right now, and I was able to clean my whole house in much less time.
I made lunch when I was finished cleaning around 1PM
A KERF Staple salad: Spinach, carrots, peppers dressed in olive oil, honey and lavender salt. Plus bleu cheese, cherries and cottage cheese
With a side of Terra chips and half an apple. These are the new RUFFLED Terra chips and I LOOOOOVED them!!!! The hearty texture is amazing. I had at least another serving straight from the bag as I was making lunch!
Love to NOLA during Mardi Gras week!
Going to the gym later this afternoon for a little indoor playground fun.
In the meantime, getting a move on on our taxes! Blah!
Amanda (The Nutritionist Reviews) says
The floor looks great! I can’t believe that you just went and got it : )
Sally says
You can totally add essential oils to the water! I have a different brand of machine but I add a tablespoon or two to the reservior and it smells nice and clean, not overpowering though! I do rinse it out afterwards, too.
Chris (Our Corner House) says
This is a helpful tip – we’ll have to give that a try!
Leigh says
Be careful about leaving essential oil in the reservoir, though. I left some in my Shark steam mop, and it basically disintegrated part of the cap to the reservoir. I can hardly get it to stay on now. But I did love the nice lemongrass smell…
Karen says
I have a Shark Vac then Steam and it says in the manual NOT to add any essential oils.
Freya (Brit Chick Runs) says
Adding essential oils would be such a good idea! You’d get beautiful smells and a calming atmosphere…I wish you could make regular hoovers or mops release nice smells :/
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
The floors look great! The salads looks delicious! Have fun at the gym…I need to get motivated to workout this afternoon!
Stacy @ Every Little Thing says
That would be great for our tile and hardwood. Will have to look into it!
Katy (The Singing Runner) says
Looks great Kath! I should tell my mom about it! We have hardwood floors at my home!
jen @ taste life says
I love all the references I’ve been reading this week to “Nola”. I know it’s New Orleans, but my cat’s name is Nola, so it reminds me of her 🙂
Also, that thing looks like it makes mopping so convenient!
Kristina says
Nice! I am definitely adding that to my wedding registry. Just out of curiosity, how often do you mop your hardwood floors?
Also I love your rug – I have one with a similar color scheme that I brought home from Turkey…
KathEats says
Once a month?
Julie @ Lettuce Choose Healthy says
Wow that steamer is awesome! I need that for my floors!
… loooove terra chips!
melissa (fitnessnyc) says
looks like the perfect lunch
Jess (Sweet Potato) says
The floors look awesome! I’m glad you are happy with your purchase!
Kat says
I have another brand’s steam mop and it actually came with essential oil! Makes the house smell great. I use eucalyptus but I’m sure you could use anything!
Mara @ What's for Dinner? says
We got a shark floor steamer for our wedding and absolutely love it! We have these ridiculous tile floors, and it makes cleaning them much easier. Add our new Dyson vacuum to that, and we’re walking around barefoot without a problem!
kelsey says
You should probably just come over to my house + test out the shark again just to make sure it works!!
KathEats says
Did I test it at your house before!?
KathEats says
Ahhhhh gotcha 🙂
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn says
Hahaha wait I love that vacuum cleaner! I love that it steams and is called a Shark. We used to have a baby shark vacuum back in the day, it was perf for using when us kids made messes. Slash its purple color is so cute!! Pearly adorable:)
Cyndi says
I am definitely going to consider a steam mop! Your floors look great. FYI you can buy Bed Bath and Beyond 20% coupons on ebay! Sounds crazy, but I bought 10 (or 20? I forget) last summer for 5.00! I was making a lot of purchases so I saved a bundle – they never expire.
Lee says
Ooh, I have BB&B credit, maybe I’ll look into this. I have a regular squeezy mop and it always stinks up the entire house. Also, and I just found this out while trying to figure out how to get the mop to smell better, stinky mop has another, dirty meaning.
Amy at TheSceneFromMe says
I have real hardwood floors in my home too and I clean them with a swiffer wet jet. But to make them really glossy and shiny I use Holloway House QUICK SHINE Floor Finish. It’s in a green and white bottle and I can find it at Walmart. I just love the look of super clean and streak free wood floors!
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
taxes = yuk! But your floors do look clean, for sure. And your lunch looks amazing!!!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
It always feels awesome to get nerw cleaning appliances!! I had lived with this pretty bad and small vacuum cleaner for the past few years. It was great at first but eventually got to the point where it was mnore or less pushing the dirst around rather than sucking it up. Then I got a new vacuum for Christmas and the difference was AMAZING!!
Your floors look great! Glad you’re enjoying the shark. 🙂
Meg says
Hoooray for clean floors 🙂 I certainly sleep better when I know things are SQUEAKY clean, even if you can’t quite see the difference!
Michelle | gold-hearted girl says
I LOVE terra chips! But I try not to buy them because I’ll eat the whole bag, haha.
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
Kath, that machine is awesome! WOW!
I used one of those BB & B coupons to save 20% on a macked out breville juicer which was like $300 so down to $240 which made it cheaper there than anywhere online. LOVE those coupons!
And good luck w/ your taxes. I JUST got mine back from my acct. Small refund, very happy 🙂
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
Love that steam vac! Is it safe for laminate hardwood?
KathEats says
I dont’ know – check the website? I think it is
Mary Frances says
Such fun to get something new that will make life better and easier too. Wasn’t really an impulse buy–you’ve been contemplating for some time now, did your homework and got a great deal. Good for you! Also, your landlords must be thrilled to have someone as conscientious as you taking such good care of everything. It will be wonderful when you buy your own place again, but they sure will miss you–let them down easy when the time comes (maybe over a glass of wine).
AJ @ Flowing to Fifty says
Is this not a change-your-life moment??? Anything that makes housework easier is worth every penny in my books! On to taxes? Girl, you deserve a relaxing afternoon after all that work!
Gina Dingman says
wow! I need to get one of those Shark Vac’s 🙂 I love your website.
Lesley says
My old house used to have ALL wood floors and they were a nightmare to clean … wish I would have known about this baby back then! haha.
Sarah says
I am definitely an instant-gratification girl. I saw a recipe that called for almond flour, and instead of looking around for an equally-compelling recipe, I ordered 4 bags of almond flour from Amazon. Amazon Prime gives me such instant-gratification that I find myself ordering way way too often.
Toni says
Glad you’re liking the steamer!!!! 🙂
Hannah says
That BB&B email list is dangerous — seems like they send out those 20% off coupons every week! And they never expire 😉
Lisa (bakebikeblog) says
Hmm – maybe we need to invest in something like that! I feel like I am always mopping ourhouse lol
Deva (Voracious Vorilee) says
Your floors look awesome and shiny! We swiffer our linoleum tile floors once a week. With three cats and two adult humans, I find it easier to keep things clean that way. I may check out a steam mop during our next move!
Burke Women says
Ahh we need to work on our taxes too – no fun 🙁
Sarah says
Looks like a productive day! We made it back to NC, thanks again for having us over 🙂
KathEats says
🙂 Did you make it to Monticello?!
Sarah says
We did & really enjoyed it! I couldn’t talk him into letting me taste at 1 more winery though 🙁
chelsea says
BB&B also lets you get coupon credits *after* a purchase – I’m not sure of the timeline (maybe 30 days? 60?) but if you buy something without a coupon and then get one in the mail, you can bring the coupon & receipt into the store and get the coupon discount retroactively!
KathEats says
That’s pretty sweet! They also told me you don’t need a receipt to return purchases if you pay with a credit card – they can track your transaction! So you can return anything, anytime
lynn @ the actor's diet says
you know that song “steam heat” from “the pajama game?!” it’s now in my head!
Namaste Gurl says
I’ve been looking for a new, more reliable vacuum, so I’ll have to try this one out! Bed Bath and Beyond is just a few short minutes away, after all:)
Lauren @chigallauren says
I absolutely love my shark, heaven sent!!
Stacy @ LoveDiscoveryGratitude says
That salad looks awesome! Salads intimidate me, whenever I try to “whip something up” it ends up in the trash. 🙁 I guess I’m not great at combining flavors yet (or something)… I guess I’ll just copy-cat you for a while and hopefully get the hang of it. 🙂
Camille says
Geez, now I want a steam cleaner 🙂
Stacey (The Home-Cooked Vegan) says
whoa! nice job 🙂 And I also love the fact that you can wash and reuse the pads that it comes with. I wouldn’t think adding a little bit of oil would hurt anything. I love the smell of cleaner when I’m mopping 😀 My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy
Allison @ Happy Tales says
Gosh, I looove hard wood floors, I can’t wait to have a place where I have that conundrum one day… My apartment right now is allllll carpet, and some tile in the kitchen. One day!
Courtney (Pancakes & Postcards) says
pretty awesome. i wish i had hardwood pretty floors so that would actually be useful 🙂
Katie says
I love hardwood floors! I think they are so beautiful!!!!
Love the NOLA glass!!! Hope your Sunday is wonderful!!!! xoxo <3
Krissy - Shiawase Life says
Definitely agree about the cleaning FEELING. Glad you like it!!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Oh wow, my floors could definitely use that vacuum! I love the look of shiny floors. 😀
Sarah @ OneLoveSarah says
That mop looks awesome! I want to get steaming now!
Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete says
I belong to so many email lists — but they are worth it when you get a 20% or higher coupon! I’m glad you like the Shark — and although I don’t think your floors look dirty before, there is much more shine in the after photos.
staceyhealthylife says
Taxes blah. Enjoy your Sunday, sounds very productive.
Lindsay says
I stumbled upon your blog today and LOVE it!! I will def become an avid reader! You have such a lovely and inspiring story, and I loved all the fun topics like Home Neat Home, The Bears (hilarious! My hubs and I have a bear that we do crazy things with too!), travel, and of course…the food! Thank you for being out on the web, I’m so glad I found your blog!!
KathEats says
Welcome!!!
Amy says
Hi Kath, I love reading your blog since I discovered it about a month ago! This is my first comment though. I made KERF classic oatmeal for the first time tonight and it was amazing! I made it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of skim though because I much prefer it. I had a question though- I followed your instructions exactly and as I said, delicious results (i put PB and banana nut granola on top!), but I was wondering why you use half milk and half water as opposed to all milk? Wouldn’t it be creamier made with all milk?
KathEats says
Yeah, it might be creamier. I guess I’m trying to make my expensive milk last! Also, I feel like it can get TOO rich if you use all milk (since I use 1% cow’s milk)
Christine (The Raw Project) says
Uh oh, I’d better not show this post to my hubby because he’d run out and buy one right away too. 🙂 Your floors are beautiful, thanks for the great review. And the salad looks wonderful.
Hilary says
Hmm…cottage cheese on a salad…interesting. And for our wood floors, we use Murphy’s Oil Soap mixed with water…not sure if it’s a Canadian thing, or if you can get it in the US too.
Toni says
I think it might be a Canadian thing! I love Murphy’s Oil – the clean smell it leaves behind is awesome!
Emily G. says
I used to use Murphy’s..and it’s fabulous (and I’m in the US)..but the minute I used the Shark Vac-then-Steam I was sold.
LauraJayne says
I LOVE tulip season – I seriously have to restrain myself from buying some for every room in my apartment! Those flowers (and your photography) are gorgeous! Continue to enjoy your new toy!
Emma (Namaste Everyday) says
seriously stop having a clean house! I’m living in this apartment for only 5 months, and God only knows who has lived here before…I swear every inch is dirty! you’re house is lovely 🙂
Ash @ Good Taste. Healthy Me says
love how the floors came out! We put in wood floors and it’s crazy the dust that accumulates. I’d love to get a steam cleaner…even to work it’s magic on the carpets too!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] says
That last photo is a fun one!
Hannah says
This makes me feel so much older than 23, but I’m really envious of your vacuum cleaner. Mine just isn’t working well anymore 🙁
Valerie @ City|Life|Eats says
Wow – whenever we move to a bigger apartment (we live in under 600 sq feet now – my condo from before I got married became our home when we moved back to DC from NYC) I am going to keep this Shark thing in mind.
Emily G. says
Ohhh!! I really hope you liked it 🙂 I was worried that you’d buy it, hate it, and think I was a retard if you thought it wasn’t what I made it out to be. I do agree with the smell – I wish it had a clean scent to it..but I lovve it too much to switch to anything else. And..can you only imagine how bacteria infested mops are? Ew!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
I was just talking to my mom today about the Shark then Steam!! That settles it, I’m totally going to buy one! Thanks for the heads up on the 20% coupon. I’ll totally subscribe to save 20%! Plus, I’m sure I’d be interested in their other offers.
Congrats on your new vac! It’s great to clean with just steam, no cleaners! 🙂
Amanda (tomboy that wears makeup) says
Looking Good!! I could use a new vacuum! Food looked yummy as always too.
[email protected] says
I am coveting your steam vac, too cool!! Just dropped all my tax stuff off to my CPA last week… there is NO WAY I’d do my taxes myself as a contractor, so I give you props!
Alaina says
I am definitely like you when it comes to instant gratification. It might cost me money in the end though. Oops! 😉
[email protected] says
We’ve been using the SHARK in our household and it’s a miracle device I tell ya! Isn’t it so cool? And fun? 🙂
Christie {Nourishing Eats} says
Thank you for the review of the vac n steam as my husband and I have been considering getting one for our floors. Lugging a mop and bucket around is such a hassle. Will you use this as your vac exclusively or is it not that heavy duty? We have a few carpeted rooms so we need both for sure?
KathEats says
That’s one thing I forgot to mention – the vacuum does NOT work on carpet. Flat surfaces only. It was a bit of a bummer, but no, we don’t intend to not use our big vacuum also at times.
Allison B says
I have the Shark steam mop and I love it! I’m not certain if its the same from one product to another, but you can’t add essential oil because it won’t steam properly. Just embrace the time savings and $$ savings not having to buy cleaner.
haya says
i put essential oils in my shark and it steams just fine. no difference with or without.
Jill says
Please keep us posted on what you find out about adding essential oils? I have hardwood floors and have been considering a steam vac, but I currently clean my floors by hand with a mix of vinegar + water + a few drops of peppermint oil & lemon oil. I love using the essential oils!
(Check out the book: “Clean House, Clean Planet” by Karen Logan – lots of info on using vinegar, baking soda & essential oils for cleaning – love it!)
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner says
Your Pictures are AMAZING!!! Do you use an expensive camera? They look so professional! 😀
xoxo
Kathleen
KathEats says
I do have an expensive camera + lens 🙂
melinda says
I LOVE mine, it makes cleaning the hardwood so EASY. Shark is by far my favorite cleaning appliance. It really makes cleaning fun and easy. My first shark product was the shark steam mop, then i bought the Vac then Steam. I found mine at this great site http://stores.ilikenew.com/-strse-61/Shark-2-dsh-in-dsh-1-Vac-Then/Detail.bok for $84.99.
Kris says
I was wondering if you ever tried using the essential oils in your Shark??
KathEats says
I didn’t use them in but on the pads