Shark Steam Mop S1000 Review
A basic and cheap steam mop for simple jobs
Verdict
It’s very basic but the Shark Steam Mop S1000 is super simple to use. Manually pumping to get the steam flowing is a little more fiddly than with a steam mop that pumps automatically. Still, once going, the mop can clean well, although without the steam boost it’s better for more lightly soiled floors.
Pros
- Cheap
- Simple to use
- Two microfibre cloths in the box
Cons
- No steam burst
- Needs regular pumping
Availability
- UKunavailable
- USARRP: $69.99
- Europeunavailable
- Canadaunavailable
- Australiaunavailable
Key Features
- TypeThis is a steam mop, which you manually prime by pumping the handle.
Introduction
Steam’s a great way to clean without chemicals and, as the Shark Steam Mop S1000 shows, cleaners don’t have to be expensive.
Costing little more than a dumb regular mop, this model comes with two microfibre cleaning cloths. It’s relatively simple to use but misses out on automatic steaming and steam burst options, so it’s a steam mop that’s better on hard floors that don’t need a lot of deep cleaning.
Design and features
- Needs some basic assembly
- Pump-to-steam design
- Two washable cloths in the box
The Shark Steam Mop S1000 is just about the simplest steam mop that you can buy. Out of the box, it needs a small amount of work, clipping the wand into place to get it ready.
On the front of the cleaner is a 0.375-litre water tank, which holds cold water for the cleaner to make steam from. It’s not the largest of tanks, but it should last to clean a room or two, and it’s easy to remove and refill.
Shark provides two microfibre cleaning cloths in the box. These attach to the velcro bottom of the mop. You can just lay a cloth flat on the floor and drop the steam mop onto it to attach.
Shark also has hands-free removal of the cloths. Just put your foot on the label where it’s marked, and lift the steam mop up to remove the cloth.
Operation is simple. Once you’ve unwound the power cord from the tidy at the back and have plugged the steam cleaner in, it’s ready to go. Unlike more expensive steam cleaners, such as the Shark Genius Steam Pocket Mop System (known as the Klick n’ Flip elsewhere), there’s no automatic steam pumping.
Instead, you have to pump down on the wand to get water into the steam generator; how much steam you get depends on how much you pump, so there’s a degree of trial and error in getting this right. And, you have to remember to pump regularly to keep steam flowing through the system.
Once steaming, the Shark Steam Mop S1000 is easy enough to push around, thanks to its lightweight body, and it’s small enough to move around furniture, such as chair legs.
Performance
- Cleans basic stains well
- Needs some effort to shift tougher stains
Without a steam pump to keep water moving around, the Shark Steam Mop S1000 needs a bit more manual care to keep steam coming out of it. Provided you get a good flow up, the combination of steam and the microfibre cloth make short work of general day-to-day stains.
It can take a bit more time to get more stubborn stains off as there’s no steam burst feature or option to increase steam flow. I found that a bit more elbow grease worked, sometimes even tackling an area with a cloth alone and some cleaning fluid.
Still, at the end of my tests, my dirty hard floor was returned to its normal condition.
Looking underneath, the microfibre cloth was nice and dirty, too, showing it had picked up the dirt from the floor.
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Should you buy it?
Final Thoughts
Exceptionally cheap, the Shark Steam Mop S1000 can tidy up rough-looking floors and get them clean without the use of chemicals. It’s quite a bit of manual work to use it, particularly pumping the system to get steam flowing. Without an automatic pump or steam burst, this is a mop that’s better used on floors that don’t get overly dirty; if you need deeper cleaning, the Shark Genius is easier to use and you can check out my guide to the best steam cleaners for other alternatives.
How we test
We test every steam cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main steam cleaner for the review period
Tested with real-world dirt in real-world situations for fair comparisons with other steam cleaners
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FAQs
No, this is a steam mop only.
No, it can take water only.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
