Thursday, September 30, 2010

Product Review: HAAN SI-35

We've talked a lot about cleaning including better and less hazardous ways of cleaning your home. Thanks to the people over at Haan (who have THE best customer service of any company I've dealt with in a long time) I have an amazing new product to tell you about.

It's time for a new tool in your cleaning arsenal. Exchange your mops, buckets and cleaning chemicals for the HAAN SI-35 and it's 212° of steam cleaning power. You may never mop again – I'll let that soak in for a moment.

The SI-35 arrived at my house in a medium sized box and was a snap to put together. The design is sleek and efficient, only one button on the whole unit. The SI-35 is also very compact – only 5.10 lbs, which makes it so easy to slide across the floor and stow away anywhere a mop or broom will fit - it lays down almost completely horizontal. It has a 19' 5" cord, and a 13.5 ounce water tank that allows you to clean for about 20 minutes before refilling. Perhaps the best feature of the SI-35 is what it doesn't have – chemicals. This unit cleans and sanitizes the floor with 15 jets pulsing 212° steam, killing 99.9% of germs and bacteria. That's right, water is all the SI-35 needs to give you the cleanest floors you have ever seen. One thing to note is that there are very specific instructions about how to use and store the mop, so pay close attention and even though these things may seem tedious and demanding at first I have no doubt they will just become second nature when using the product.
To clean your floor:

  • Do a good sweep to pick up dirt and debris
  • Fill the SI-35's water resivoir
  • Plug it in and set it on the black rubber mat
  • Press the STEAM button
  • Wait until you hear the steam whooshing (about 30 seconds)
  • Place the SI-35 on top of one of the two cleaning pads (included)
  • Glide the SI-35 back and forth across the floor
Note: For stubborn spots, go over them a few times to loosen from the floor.

In preparation for this review, we let the tile floor in our kitchen get unusually dirty. With a toddler and an infant, this means food stuck to the floor, sticky spots where drinks spill, and waxy buildup. I wasn't sure what to expect, but folks, this SI-35 blew me away. I cannot believe how easy it is to use and how well it works. Usually, one pass is enough to clean, but for the really tough spots, I would hover over them for about 20 seconds and then go over it again. Nothing on my floor stood up to the HAAN SI-35.
My husband even loves to use it – several nights this week, I've gone into the kitchen after the boys are in bed and found him steaming away. He also said that he likes how squeeky clean it feels on his feet, even several days after a cleaning. It's just so stinkin' easy to do, even husbands love it! :)

We need to talk about the cost of a HAAN versus the cost of mops, cleaning supplies, and the extra time that goes into mopping. Before the SI-35 came along, I was a big fan of the Swiffer Wet Jet Starter Kit, which sells for $21.39, theSwiffer Wet Jet Antibacterial Cleaner with Febreze Citrus, and the Swiffer WetJet Pad Refill, 24-Count Boxes. I'll estimate that we use 4 double boxes of refills in a year:

4 x $23.78 = $95.12

Add the $95.12 to the initial Swiffer Wet Jet Cost and your grand total will be $116.51 or only $3 less than the SI-35 and that is just in the first year alone and not to mention if you end up needing more pads! This is to say nothing of how much your time is worth and how much cleaner your floors will be.

One of my absolute favorite things about this product is that for anyone with back problems or disabilities there is not scrubbing or additional effort needed at all. Minimal effort and ridiculously clean floors? Where have you been all my life!? I don't know about y'all, but my floors will never be the same again.

Interested in purchasing a Haan? Macy's has them for you right over here!

I was provided the steam mop by Haan but all comments and opinions are 100% honest and mine.


1 comment:

Tammy Smith said...

Hi, Bethany, my name is Tammy Smith. My address is 2466 Oglesby Road, Sturgis, MS 39769. I would like to enter to win the SI-35 Steam Cleaner. I prefer a red one, but green or white will work fine for me, too.
The only crazy cleaning story I can recall is when we first moved into our new home that we still occupy. My husband was traveling to a meeting with the International Mission Board, I was trying to make sure the new carpet was really clean and was using my parents vacuum that required water when vacuuming. The machine is cumbersome and I managed to spill the dirty water on the new carpet (that is very light in color). I tried to remove the stain from the gross water by spraying it with cleaner that contained bleach. Well, the stain didn't come out but the color of the carpet did!! So I wanted to try to conceal my error from my husband and took a brown marker to replace the flecks that were in the carpet originally. The carpet is still noticeably lighter and the brown stain is still there and the brown flecks didn't help conceal my mess!! Yes, my husband asked me if I had noticed how the carpet had worn and I had to explain what I did. So, I am able to remember my "dumb" mistake quite often!!
I so enjoy The Big Red Pot. My friend, Amy Brown told me about the site. She and I encourage each other with our shopping successes. Thanks for all your hard work to be a blessing to many of us. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!