This blog post may contain affiliate links and I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more.
Having pets means cleaning your floors. But did you know some of the chemical cleaning solutions you have been using could be harmful to your pet? Today I will cover a pet-friendly way to clean with a chemical free steam mop. Also, I will include tips on how to use the attachments to clean other surfaces like counters or your dog’s kennel or bowls.
Why a steam mop? Everything about it a traditional mop is gross. Depending on your mop, you’re touching the gross fibers or possibly spreading germs held in the sponge all over your floor. Swifters are leaving chemicals on your floors.
There has to be a better way right? I felt my best choice was a chemical-free steam mop. With washable pads I am not adding to the landfill, steam is a non-toxic anti-microbial agent[10] Wikipedia and because these steam mops do not use chemicals there will not be anything harmful if your pet licks the floor.
3 Steam mops without a chemical cartridge
I’m going to review one stick steam mop and give you 2 options for bigger steam “cleaning systems.” Think canister vacuum but it works as a steam mop. This steam mop has 90 minutes of cleaning and this one will work for 120 minutes.
Chemical Free steam mop
When I first started looking for a steam mop, every steam mop I looked at came with its own cleaning solution that you had to buy. That toxic stuff is not coming into my house. I stopped going to stores and turned to the internet to find what I was looking for. That’s when I finally came across this Non-Toxic Steam Mop with attachments.
After reading the information on the website and lots of reviews, the thing that really sold me was watching a video. This video showed it has:
- A swivel head to help you get into tight areas better
- 12 attachments and showed the various ways you can use them to clean different surfaces or areas
- 3 steam level settings (allowing for different levels of cleaning needed and types of flooring such as wood, tile, and finished concrete floors)
- light to help you see in dark areas
- a black light to find messes like urine
- a vibrate feature
The vibrate feature makes me feel like I’m breaking up the dirt and getting better cleaning results. It weighs 6.6 lbs., so it should be easy for anyone to use.
Toxin-free ways to clean your house using the steam mop attachments
It’s not just for cleaning floors! It comes with a strap so you can easily carry it around when using the attachments. The attachments allow you to scrub areas such as grout, and sanitize areas where germs may be prevalent like counters & door handles, it comes with a carpet glider to freshen carpets and a squeegee attachment to clean glass doors.
Guys, this is for you too! You can clean various things like clean your rims or bbq grill using the attachments. If you want your own toy, they have a bbq grill cleaner!
Steam will kill bacteria in pet food bowls
I found some “out of the box” ways to use it too. I use my steam mop attachments to sanitize my dog bowls. Why? I had been rinsing them out daily and washing them regularly, but then I came across a post that talked about the “slime” that could be looming in your dog’s bowl it grossed me out. ?
I did some more research and found out that most water heaters are set to approximately 120°. This temperature will not kill all bacteria.
The fact is that you would need water that’s between 140° and 150° to kill germs and viruses. The more I thought about this, it made sense. How could it kill all of the bacteria? If the water was set to a higher temperature, I would burn myself.
This Steam Mop heats up to 212° making it capable of killing pathogens such as salmonella, staph, e.Coli and viruses such as norovirus.
Non Toxic ways to disinfect dog crates and dog kennels
The chemical-free way I clean my dog’s crate is with steam. When my dog eats a raw bone, he eats it in his kennel. While I’m fine with him eating them, he likes to hang out in the kennel sometimes. It’s his personal “fort,” so I want to make sure it’s clean and sanitized.
If you transport pets or are buying/selling your dog kennel, sterilizing it could be a good idea to prevent giardia and parvo. The CDC says you must use water that reaches 212° for one minute to kill these bacteria. The good news is this steam mop with attachments does reach 212°.
2 steam mop cleaning tips
When I first got my mop a year ago, I went steam-mop crazy. I quickly used the two pads that came in the box. Tip 1: buy extra Replacement Pads (4 pack). Not only can you get more cleaning done at once, but I also won’t feel guilty about running the washing machine since I will have more pads and rags to fill it.
Tip 2 – Safety tip: Watch out for that steam! That seems obvious, right? While I was cleaning my dog’s crate, I thought my other hand was far enough away. Wrong! Even with my hand a few inches away, I still felt the steam. Ouch, that’s hot! After my outburst, a movie clip ran through my head. It was from the movie, “The House Bunny.” It was the scene where Anna Faris was standing over the steam coming up from the manhole. Thinking of that quickly made me forget about slightly burning myself. Thank you, Anna!
I loved this blog. It was well written. I might consider buying one. I’m headed to Amazon right now.
I hope you get one. You’ll will save so much time and money in the long run!
I do not write very many blog comments, but since it was your blog post that sparked my curiosity, I think it’s a fair deal. Like most people, when I heard about a steam mop, I thought, “Yeah, great concept, but does it actually clean like traditional chemicals?”
After years of investing money in traditional cleaners like clorox, 409, etc., I had decided that this area of my life needed to be a bit more ‘green’. That said, I read this blog post and I purchased the big black one. It was important to me to purchase this bigger unit because time is money. I didn’t want to have to unplug the unit from room to room or to refill the unit during my marathon cleaning sessions.
All I can say is that this piece of equipment absolutely changed the way that I look at cleaning my home. It does a much better job than traditional cleaners, as there is no residue left behind. There are no allergy concerns, because there are no irritants-steam=water. One of my personal favorites aspects is that my children, who used to complain constantly while I had to clean the house, now want to be involved. The little steam gun is fun for them to point and shoot, so now it is more of a family activity than a chore.
It’s just an all around good switch to make; reduce your carbon footprint, use a green alternative, cleaner home than I ever had before, no irritants or allergens, no more buying expensive cleaners, and I am teaching my children to clean green. I know it’s just a steam cleaner, but for our family, it has just turned out to be a lot more.
Thanks for writing a blog that got me to jump the fence and purchase a steam mop. I would highly recommend this type of product to anyone who thinks they may benefit from any of the things I mentioned above. Sometimes when a product just truly rocks your world, you just have to take a moment to tell the world about it.
Raphaela. Wow, thank for taking the time to write such a detailed comment! I’m sure if anyone was still on the fence, your comments should help them take the leap. That is awesome that your kids want to help you clean. Good job!
Using a steam mop sounds like the best way to clean & disinfect without having to use any harmful chemicals.
I too a steam with just vinegar and water… I never thought to use it on their bowls. I will for sure use it on their bowl going forward. Thanks for the great info.