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The best steam mops for laminate floors in 2023

Laminate floors have become massively popular among home-owners in recent years. You can install laminate floors at a fraction of the cost of installing natural hardwood floors. Better yet, despite the much more affordable price, you would still be able to get the organic, natural beauty of real wood.

Unfortunately, laminate floors aren’t without flaws of their own. Any home-owner knows that maintaining and cleaning a laminate floor can turn into a nightmare without the proper cleaning tool. Its high sensitivity means it’s very easy for you to damage or ruin the floor’s aesthetic.

In the product roundup today, we have some of the best steam mops for laminate floors available for you to pick!

Why you should get the best steam mop for laminate floors

A steam mop is a great way to sterilize your floor and take out stubborn gunks and debris. The combination of heat and moisture will kill any bacteria on the floor. It will also loosen up any dirt or stuck-on debris, allowing you to sweep them off of the floor more easily.

As such, a steam mop can be an extremely valuable tool to add into your cleaning arsenal.

Is It Possible to Steam Mop a Laminate Floors?

Beware that not all laminate floors are going to be compatible with a steam mop.

Depending on the structure of your floorboards and how they’re installed, a steam mop could either work perfectly and lengthen the lifespan of your floor … or it could damage it.

If the top lamination layer of your floor is rated for a steam mop, it will do fine under the heat and moisture. However, if it’s not, there’s a chance that the boards could warp or buckle. Furthermore, if the floor is waxed, using a steam mop could make it lose its luster.

Therefore, after you’ve gotten yourself a steam mop, test it out on an out-of-the-way patch of your laminate floors. For example, try the spot behind the couch where no one would look and see. If the floor remains undamaged after you’ve steam mopped it, you can then proceed to clean the rest of the room with the mop.

If not, return the steam mop.

The Best steam mop for laminate floors: TOP products roundup 2023

1. Shark Steam Pocket Mop, S3501

The Shark Steam Pocket Mop S3501 is going to be a good purchase for those who want an affordable and compact steam mop. At the moment, it’s one of the best steam mops in the sub-$100 range.

True to its name, the Shark Steam Pocket Mop possesses a very lightweight and compact profile. The entire mop — fully assembled — weighs only around 5 pounds. Its body is slim, which makes both storing the mop and maneuvering it around the house an easy task.

The mop uses a microfiber steam mopping pad to scrub the floor. Soft and non-abrasive, the mop is safe for use on laminate floors. We didn’t notice any scratch or visible mark on our test floor after we wiped it down with the Shark 3501.

To produce steam, the mop draws water from a 15-ounce water tank and heats it up using a 1,500-watt heater. The heater takes around 30 seconds to produce the first wave of steam.

The intensity of the steam is controllable. For cleaning laminate floors, you must only use the lowest heat setting to avoid damaging the lamination.

2. PurSteam Therma Pro 211 Steam mop Cleaner 10-in-1

The PurSteam Therma Pro 211 is just as affordable as the Shark Steam Pocket Mop and can be a great alternative to the Shark.

It is lightweight at around 2.2 pounds fully-assembled. The mop is also compact enough to be able to weave into tight corners and around obstacles. Overall, when it comes to dimensions and size, we’ve got nothing much to complain about.

The Therma Pro 211 comes with a 340ml water tank. You can adjust the in-built heater to produce steam at three different levels (for laminate floors, the lowest setting is preferred). At the lowest steam setting, the Therma Pro 211 can work for around 30 minutes before its water tank runs dry and you have to refill it.

Mopping pads are made from soft microfiber, which are safe for use on laminate floors. They’re machine-washable and replaceable.

One feature that we particularly like about the Therma Pro 211 is that it is convertible. You can detach the main body from the rest of the machine and use it as a hand steamer. So, besides floor cleaning, you will also be able to clean shelves and other surfaces around the house.

A few useful accessories are included with the Therma Pro 211 in the box. You’ll get a window squeegee, a straight nozzle, a bent nozzle, and different nylon brushes.

3. POLTI Vaporetto Smart 100 Continuous Fill Steam Cleaner and Mop

If you want the best that money can buy, the POLTI Vaporetto checks all of the right boxes. This model comes with everything that you would expect from a high-end steam mop.

First, let’s talk design. Instead of having the same stick-like design of earlier steam mops, the POLTI Vaporetto comes as a wheeled canister. Wherever you go, you can just tug on the elastic hose and it will roll up behind you.

Thanks to this design, this steam mop is significantly less fatiguing to use than either the Shark S3501 or PurSteam Therma Pro 211. Your arm doesn’t have to bear the full weight of the steam mop all the time.

The wheels on the canister are non-abrasive. It can roll smoothly across laminate floors without scratching it up.

Inside of this canister is a large 67.6-ounce water tank. Since it is so large, the heater needs around 4-5 minutes to fully heat up the water and produce steam.

You have the option to control the steam intensity via the control panel on the steam mop itself. As always, pick the lowest setting while you’re cleaning laminate floors.

As expected from such an expensive steam mop, the Vaporetto comes with a multitude of accessories that you can use to enhance your cleaning performance. The box includes a standard floor brush, a carpet tool, a small brush, a steam concentrator nozzle, a grouting accessory, two round brushes, and extension tubes.

Conclusion

Steam mops only work on a select few laminate floors with the proper finishing to handle the heat and moisture. But with that said, if your floor is part of this club, investing in the best steam mop for laminate floors is well worth it. A steam treatment can keep your floor clean and shiny for years to come.

Next up … ever wonder how to cut and install your own laminate floors? Here’s our guide on how to cut laminate with simple methods!