As a mother of a nine year old boy, my floors have seen it all! I have spent the last nine years trying to find a mop that fit my needs. I decided to go with a steam mop over the traditional mop because steam mops offer a greener alternative to cleaning. I didn’t want my child to be around all of the chemicals that are needed for other mops to clean thoroughly. Steam mops are 100% chemical free. Steam mops sanitize your home with steam. They kill many invisible germs and bacteria with the simple use of water. I’m also all about convenience, steam mops are easier to use than the traditional mop. There is no pail of water to deal with, no wringing out anything, no dirty, mold smell that other mops leave behind. Steam mops are especially good at getting out tough stains or dried on food in a matter of seconds; while using a regular mop one could spend thirty minutes or more scrubbing that same type of stain. There are many different kinds of steam mops out there; offering many different qualities. Some steam mops are cheap and some are very expensive. Some are very basic and some have a high-tech feel with lots of attachments. I have personally had 3 steam mops in the last nine years. The first one I had was the cheapest, with a cost of about twenty dollars; and the second one I had was very expensive with all the extra attachments, with a cost of almost two hundred dollars. Neither of which did the job to my standards. Before getting the third steam mop, I decided to sit back and think about what exactly it was I was looking for and how I could find it. Then, I came across the Bissell Steam Mop Select, and let me tell you, it is exactly what I have been looking for all these years! Very simple, user-friendly, lightweight and most importantly it CLEANS! The Bissell Steam Mop Select, when compared to other steam mops, is very affordable. It is not the cheapest steam mop out there but is certainly not the most expensive either. At most stores it is about eighty dollars, give or take. This is a great price, especially since there are no other chemicals to buy—just add water. Bissell does recommend the use of distilled water over tap water to prevent mineral build up; however, if you have access to filtered water that will work too. I personally use a Brita water filter and I have had no issues. This particular steam mop comes with 2 reusable mopping pads, so there is no need to buy anything extra. This mop is capable of cleaning all sealed hard floors: vinyl, tile, sealed wood and laminate flooring. It is not suitable for cork flooring, unsealed wood or waxed floors—these floors require a special kind of cleaner and the steam could potentially ruin these types of floors. The Bissell Steam Mop Select is very lightweight. It only weighs six pounds and is very easy to carry around the house. The water canister holds approximately two cups of water, which doesn’t really add any weight to the mop. Some people think that if the mop doesn’t hold much water, it will not clean very many rooms, without having to stop and refill. I thought this too; however, since I have been using this steam mop, I have been able to clean my entire 2 bedroom apartment—all rooms—with one filling. Actually, I probably only use about half of the water the canister holds. This steam mop does require the use of a plug in order to work. It offers an eighteen foot power cord, which is longer than most corded steam mops. This allows you to be able to clean a bigger area without having to stop and plug it in