Getting Clean: Shark Steam Mop

With my first baby, we had a small junior-four in NYC. Maintaining a tidy floor was much less daunting of a task when we had a mere 100-300 square feet to keep clean. I didn't even feel so bad about using chemicals because we needed to use only a minute amount! Living in a house, however, has changed the game. Now that I've got another full-on crawler who will eat and (yes) lick anything off of the floor, its cleanliness has climbed slightly higher to the top of the priority list. And with much more surface area to cover, I'm not so thrilled about using a ton of Clorox (many a grandmother's best friend!).

But fear not! The Shark Steam Mop is here (and being promoted left, right and center) to close that generational gap simply using reusable micro-fiber cloth, tap water and "super-heated" steam to annihilate dirt, spills and even e.coli. Weighing a mere 5 pounds with a nifty swivel head and ergonomic handle, this child and environment friendly product will run you about $100. Two top models are not cordless and carry only a one-year warranty, which might turn you off to this product.

Reviews for the product seem mixed. I, for one, would love to test drive it. Anything that could turn my grey-ish kitchen floor back to its original white without completely destroying my ability to smell anything would be worth its weight in gold.

Check it and its handheld version out here.