When you read any review about different kinds of equipment, you can be affected by the comments, which people leave or by looking at the rating. When it comes to the Eureka Enviro Steamer there is so much more to tell about it, both advantages and disadvantages which you definitely should know before purchasing it.
As you know I have done many reviews about a big number of steamers and each of them has its rating. Looking at the Amazon site, I have found out that the Eureka Enviro Steamer is on top of all steam mops – it is a winner and number 1. And as I have a list of the best and most efficient steamers, I have included this one too as it definitely worth paying attention to.
And here my research began, I read so much information that my head was full of interesting ideas and overloaded with a variety of small details. That’s how my review started.
I didn’t know this fact, but Eureka Enviro Steamer 313A appeared about 5 years ago and as the old reviews say it was quite popular among customers. But the technological process is getting better and better and, therefore, old versions are being changed into new ones as they have more features, characteristics, and interesting designs. So if choose to buy Eureka, perhaps you will lose some modernity and innovations. Also, the design of Eureka Enviro Steamer was quite strange and I guess a little hard to use, and I noticed and understood it no sooner than I saw its picture.
I’m not aimed at saying that this model is bad. No, under no circumstances. I’m just trying to explain that it looks like manufacturers took the best what they learned from Eureka and used in the newer models, which they sell, called the 2 in 1 steam mop. What they had to do – is just to stop selling the old version and take it off from the market.
But anyway I took a decision to write this overall review as it seems exciting to know what the differences between “now and then” are. And I do really hope that my analysis will help you to make the right decision and soon the right purchase.
What is Enviro 313A? It is an electric stick steam mop, thanks to which you can clean the dirt/mud and dust from the flooring as well as sanitize them. This appliance was made for horizontal kind of cleaning only, whenever you wish to tidy up something vertical (mirrors, doors, windows), this mop will not be at your service. Plus there are no attachments, thank to which you would cope with this task.
But it has its pros too: the device offers an adjustable height handle that is an enormous plus for tall people. Though for short ones it is still comfortable to use.
Buying Eureka, you will get the following:
- an adjustable handle
- measuring cup for filling the tank
- 1 specific pad for heating and cooling processes
- funnel
- 2 steam mops
TYPES OF FLOORS WHICH ENVIRO 313A CAN CLEAN AT ITS BEST
There are several kinds of floors that you should distinct: sealed and not sealed. So the Eureka manufacturers say that this steam mop can work with the next type floors:
- granite
- laminated floor
- marble
- hardwood
- ceramic
- parquet
- stone
- linoleum
But whatever the manufacturers say, you should always and first look and read what the floor manufacturers say. Because in case if you do some damage, your warranty might not cover it. I consider, the best solution would be to talk to both and make a decision
SHAPE AND SIZE OF THE MOP HEAD
There are rectangular and triangular shapes of the mop heads, but we are dealing with the Eureka Enviro 313A. It has a 12,5-inch wide mop head of a rectangular shape.
It is also includes 2 cloth mops. But here arises the question if you can clean them in the washing machine or not? Some Eureka owners say that they washed it in the washing machine but without drying functions as the pads might shrivel. The video on the Eureka site also says that you can wash them without any worries. If you read the manual you will find the following information – you can wash the cloth pads by giving them a rinse in cold water. The tips differ from each other, that is why you should always do it yourself to understand what the best way is.
There is one little problem with pads. To be exact – it is the process of attaching them to the head. You should bend down to the floor, then spend some time by trying to hook the cloth under the clips (there is 1 clip on each side). At some point, it upsets me, as with my steamer, I simply take the pad, throw it on the floor, press the mop and it is automatically assembled. Maybe it is again a “coming back” or “step back” to the past.
The size of the head shape is average and rectangular, that means it can reach some difficult places but not the tiniest ones. This is obviously not a disadvantage as the steamer which can get everyone hasn’t been found yet.
STEAM AND WATER TANK
Working with Eureka steamer you will see that it doesn’t offer a steam control. Unlike many other modern versions do have high, medium and light steam flow. That’s actually not the biggest problem as the recommended time for sanitizing compensates it. It takes only 8 seconds to make the steam hot and that’s a very high figure.
But that’s not all, as we move from pros to cons. Go on reading the review and you will find some even funny moments.
When you are in the mopping activity, you expect the steam to come out of the unit but nothing of the sort. “The steam simply doesn’t wish to do it” – said some of the frustrated reviewers. Furthermore, even the videos on the Eureka site don’t show the steam. What can be the reason for that? I guess it is the way the pad is assembled to the head; it absorbs all the mist.
Coming to the tank – it is pretty good but should be refilled often as it can keep the water for 15 minutes only and then it runs out of it and you will have absolutely nothing to do but to refill. For me, it would be perfect if it lasted a bit longer, let’s say 30 minutes. That would be great.
As it was mentioned above, the machine goes with a measuring cup and a funnel both for pouring the water into the tank. Here is the issue – the water tank is of an average size, but the measuring cup is twice smaller, so you need to use the cup twice in order to fill the tank. That means, you take a measuring cup, go to the sink or tap, pour the water into the cup (don’t forget about the supplied funnel), then get low with this cup and fill the tank. And this procedure you have to do twice. And what profit or benefit will it bring you? 10 minutes of steam? Definitely not the best feature.
I believe, the makers could easily make the measuring cup of the same size as the tank. That would make it so much easier, save the time and the person will not be stressed.
Once we are ready with the water tank, we should pay our attention to the steam mop, which will require another 3-4 minutes for steam. All this is a very time-spending or time-wasting. You wait so long for the heating up process and then when you hardly start, you should again fill the tank. And this process will go on and on until you give up.
Comparing with newer versions of steam mops they do everything times faster as well as have the tank which is removable, so you don’t need to have a measuring cup and a funnel at all. Just use the water from the tap. Or if you are careful with your steamer you can think of a distilled water.
And the last thing – the tank is placed on the base, which makes the whole device wider at the basement. Whereas in other models the water tank is built-in into a handle. This is the reason why the Eureka Enviro 313A will not be suitable for under furniture purposes.
CONTROLS
Let’s start with advantages:
- On the Eureka steamer, one will have only 1 control button and that is an off and off push button – located on the base of the appliance, so you can start it even with your foot. I guess it is quite comfortable.
- One more plus is that it runs at 800 watts and will not eat much of your energy comparing with other competitor models.
- Operates very quite. If you listen to the radio or watch TV while mopping, you will almost not hear it.
- It is easy to control and direct to different sides.
- On the base of the mop, you will have 2 lights, which indicate the readiness of the appliance to work and the second indicator shows when the tank must be refilled due to the lack of water.
Disadvantage:
– Maybe one but little con (personally for me) is that there is no trigger. You should just know that after 3-4 minutes it is ready to start the job.
ATTACHMENTS
As it was mentioned above, this device doesn’t go with any kind of attachments. Moreover, you will not have a choice to buy some of them separately. Except the pads, which will cost you only a few dollars.
CLEANING SOLUTION OPTIONS
It is not advisable to use any powders or chemicals to wash the floor. By doing this action, you might damage the machine which leads to a breakage. All this information is said accurately in the manual.
STORAGE AND DIMENSIONS
Height: 49 inches
Width: 12.5 inches – the widest place, which is at the base
Depth: 7 inches
Weight: 7.5 pounds ( if you read the description on the Amazon site – it will be 5.5 whereas the Eureka site states 7.5)
One more misunderstanding happened with the length of the power cord. People’s reviews and comments, descriptions on different sites mix, and perhaps that the reason why such things happen. Amazon states that the cord length is 25 feet and moreover some potential consumers say that it is too short for them. Actually 25 feet long is a very good and comfortable length. The Eureka site shows the cord length of a 20 feet long.
The mop can’t stand upright, that is why you should either lean it into the wall or place on the cooling pad which is quite strong as made of foam. For storage purposes, you can be sure that it will not take much space. Also when storing don’t forget to wrap the cord up on the hooks.
ADVANTAGES
- adjustable handle
- light weight
DISADVANTAGES
- lack of carpet glider
- measuring cup is small
- the tank holds the water only 15 minutes
- only 2 buttons (on and off)
- uncomfortable to fill the tank
- no steam control for a number of different floors
- takes 3-4 minutes to be ready to start the job
PRICE
The price for the Eureka Enviro Steam mop 313A is average. And comparing it with other models of an average price, you really start realizing the difference. As with Eureka, you will not get some new features which are present in newer models etc. That’s why I consider that Eureka is a little bit overpriced. And for this money you’d better opt for something more modern and efficient.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
Set yourself a goal and you will find everything you want on the internet. The same thing is with the reviews and comments about Eureka. But reading them, be attentive, as most probably they were written 4-5 years ago. And if you start digging now to get to know more info, you will be very surprised of the people’s opinions but nevertheless you will have a clear picture.
Some people give it a 5 star rating whereas others only 1-2. For those who rate it as even 4, I guess they had/have nothing to compare it with. And in their case it is perhaps even better to use the bucket with water and mop. It will even cost nothing.
CONCLUSION
I guess, you have already understood from the whole review that I would not like to recommend buying Eureka Enviro Steamer 313A as it had better days a few years ago. But you can easily buy newer models of this brand. They have all modern features and a variety of options.
Video Review
https://youtu.be/s_uiJrT4Dx8