Howdy! I want a steam mop because these floors are driving me crazy. Anybody own a particular brand that is "the best"? Anybody know if Kadena's Yay New BX has any in stock or if you can recommend where to order online.

Thanks! 

i like my bissel. the BX usually has it. 

I bought the bissel. Waste of money! I HATE it. If your going to get a steam mop I suggest the Shark. I found it off base at Jusco or order online. I just use mop with hot water and bleach. Works great:) 

I saw the bissel in an ad awhile back but I wondered if it worked really well. And I have seen the infomercials on the steam mop from the shark too...I forgot they sell them at our makeman but with the yen rate, I think I may wait. 

i didn' t know they had it at makeman. i wanted that one but couldn't find a place to ship here.

i like my bissel a lot. if you use it in more than a one or two rooms though, the pad will get too wet and you have to get a new one on it. the BX sells extra pads for it now too. i think it does a great job, and it really doesn't take that long to dry either.

as long as you mop pretty regularly, you shouldn't have problems. it gets all kinds of sticky juice and crap off the floor too. 

Do they work well on the old hospital tile floors? For the housing that is not renovated. I have a hoover floor mate, but since it scrubs and sucks it gets it clean, but there are still like "scratches." It looks like the floor needs to be buffed. Or is there nothing besides a buffer that will really get those off?
I just need to know how hard to try on these floors. Is it possible for them to look completly smooth and uniform, or should I just give up? lol 

I have a hoover floor mate, but since it scrubs and sucks it gets it clean, but there are still like "scratches." It looks like the floor needs to be buffed. Or is there nothing besides a buffer that will really get those off?

A steam mop won't take scratches out of your floor. 

A steam mop won't take scratches out of your floor.


Well they are not actual scratches. I guess skid marks woould be a better word? When looking directly at the floor you cant see it, but say you look across the floor in the sunlight...then you can see them. I just didnt know if the steam mop, since it has the pad flat to the floor, would give it a more buffed surface than a regular mop or hard surface cleaner. 

Is it possible for them to look completly smooth and uniform, or should I just give up? lol


Give up. We had that type of floor in our base housing kitchen in Grand Forks. Nasty looking stuff, no matter what you do. It never looked clean, never looked nice and shiny.

It's a result of people using stuff like Mop'n'Glow and of housing waxing the floors without making sure they are completely clean. Multiply that by hundreds of families that have lived in that particular house and yeah....

My advice is to just get over it-no matter what they look like, you know they are clean and that's what's important. 

Well they are not actual scratches. I guess skid marks woould be a better word? When looking directly at the floor you cant see it, but say you look across the floor in the sunlight...then you can see them.

Buy some wax and wax your floors. That will take the scratches/skid marks out as long as they are not black skid marks and they are just scratch looking marks on your floor. Waxing it will give your floor a more shiny uniform appearance. Steam mop will not help you any on that one.
**By wax I am not referring to mop and glow. That stuff is junk!** 

Buy some wax and wax your floors.


In order for that to be effective though, you'd need to strip all the current layers upon layers of wax off the floor first, clean it really well, and then rewax. 

In order for that to be effective though, you'd need to strip all the current layers upon layers of wax off the floor first, clean it really well, and then rewax

So true! Our floors were apparently "waxed dirty". You can see hair and dirt under the wax...it's quite gross! And if you bleach your floors, it strips the wax off...Buuuuut since these are the cheapest tiles the military can find, they are so pourous that the hold onto the dirt making your tiles look like crap unless you are a mop freak (meaning you love to mop everyday and twice on the weekends). 

I hated my steamer thing in the states. It didn't get the floors clean enough. Swiffer wetjet is the same way, it smells good but just kind of pushes stuff around. I thought it was because we have a dog and he tracked in too much dirt, but I had the same problem here. So I just use a mop and get on my hands and knees and go around the edges now. maybe I just have OCD or something. 

This sounds kind of strange, but my husband's boots always leave scuff marks, and the best way to get them off is with a pencil eraser, like the big pink ones. 

Is it possible for them to look completly smooth and uniform, or should I just give up? lol

I feel your pain. If it were my house, I would have the floors, cabinets, counter tops, tile, etc. replaced. But since its not, I'm not going to waste my money. :) 

I feel your pain. If it were my house, I would have the floors, cabinets, counter tops, tile, etc. replaced. But since its not, I'm not going to waste my money. :)


haha Same here. I wouldn't invest money into something that isn't mine. Especially since even if you do get something nice, housing will just have you rip it out again when you move.

A long time ago, we used to live in the project housing in Cali....I promise, google projects and this is exactly what they looked like...anyways they were the same tiles, only they didn't have the wax. They were super porous. I had to get on my hands n knees with comet and scrub them. Only for them to look like crap in a couple hours.
I think I agree with you Nicole. As long as I know they are clean, thats fine with me lol. I'm not wasting my time on them. Maybe Ill find a nice rug for the living room sometime and it wont look so sterile. 

There are some people on island that will strip and wax all of your downstairs (for new housing that is living room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room ((yes they move out furniture))for around $100) And the floors look great when they are done. Although I have to say if you floors look that bad from it being old tile, I definintely would not waste my money.

if you bleach your floors, it strips the wax off

I must have super strong wax. I have tried bleach, and I have also tried ammonia (not together...LOL) and nothing will take up the wax. I was pondering paying the money to have someone strip and wax my floors for me. 

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