As always, we strongly suggest that you check the use and care instructions of your wood flooring manufacturer before using any steam cleaner. Do NOT use a vapor steam cleaner on any unsealed flooring. Use of steam on an unsealed surface can cause warping and other damage to the finish on floors. We strongly suggest testing the steam mop in an isolated inconspicuous area of your wood floor (in a corner, or inside a closet if available) prior to overall use on any floor surface. We also suggest using distilled or filtered water, especially if you have hard water,  to lengthen the life of your steam cleaner.

There are a couple of things to know before you begin cleaning your hardwood floors.

First, what type of hardwood floor finish are you trying to clean? It is the finish on the hardwood floor, not the wood type, that ultimately determines how you clean and care for the floor.

Surface-sealed/pre-sealed floors: Most new wood floors are sealed with urethane, polyurethane or polyacrylic. Surface-sealed floors are stain and water-damage resistant and easiest to care for and clean: Sweep, steam mop and you're done!

Penetrating-seal-treated and oil-treated floors: Also common, a penetrating seal or oil finish soaks into the wood grain and hardens. This type of floor must be pampered and protected with liquid or paste wax.

Just remember, if your floor's finish is in good shape and steam mopping is done correctly, the water won't penetrate even the oil and wax finishes. You're cleaning the finish, not the wood, so don't use a steam mop if the finish is in poor shape. When in doubt, check with the floor manufacturer.

Lacquered, varnished, shellacked and untreated floors: Although technically surface finishes, lacquers, varnishes and shellacs are not as resistant to moisture, spills and wear as the other sealants mentioned. Treat floors with these finishes and floors with no finish as you would penetrating-seal-treated and oil-treated floors.

Second, understand what a vapor steam floor mop cleaner is and how to use it effectively.

Vapor steam floor mops, like the SteamVortex steam floor mop, use steam to clean and disinfect floor surfaces. While the SteamVortex floor steam cleaner is solely a steam floor mop, the VaporStorm steam cleaner not only deep cleans other surfaces, but can also be used to clean hardwood flooring using the included floor brush and floor cloths. These types of steam cleaners emit steam which then penetrates the top surface of the floor killing germs and removing dirt. Floor cloths trap the dirt and after use the cloths can be thrown in the wash then reused. Now every time you mop, you begin with a clean towel. A much better way to clean instead of the old way of using a sponge type mop that is full of germs and bacteria from the last time you used it.

Steam mop floor steam cleaners do not require the use of chemicals when you clean. The heated steam vapor is enough to disinfect and remove dirt and grime. You may notice after the first time you steam mop that you will be able to smell chemicals. What you are smelling is the residue from chemicals that were previously used on your floor. Once you have steam mopped, the residues will be removed. The same applies to streaking.

Before using the steam mop on your floor, we suggest thoroughly sweeping the area to be cleaned. Place a floor cloth on the the base of the SteamVortex steam mop or if using the VaporStorm, secure a floor cloth to the floor brush. Fill the steam floor mop water tank with distilled or tap water. Turn the unit on and within minutes you will be able to start cleaning with steam. We suggest using small bursts of steam and then performing the mopping action back and forth. The steam cleaner does the work for you with high temperature steam. Do not stay in one spot for a long period of time. Use short bursts of steam and continue the mopping action across the floor. This will help ensure that you are cleaning and disinfecting without causing damage to your floors.

So now you know your floor type and understand how a steam mop floor steam cleaner works, you can purchase the SteamVortex floor steam cleaner or the VaporStorm home vapor steam cleaner and start cleaning!