Haan Multiforce SS20 Steam Mop

I have been doing this job, I mean writing reviews for a very long time and for these purposes I buy different devices. This time it was the turn of the Haan Multiforce SS20 steam mop. Having started using it, I was shocked but shocked pleasantly. It was the biggest surprise I could buy for this money. I absolutely didn’t expect it as it is one of the average-priced models in this line made by this company, and of course when you buy something of an average price, you expect the worst. But that is not the case with Haan Multiforce SS20.

The steam mop is of a red and black color, the same are all the steams of this line. The most interesting thing is that they all have a terrific feature – CR-Motion. But what is that? CR-Motion – is a feature, thanks to which the mop heads are rotated (2 heads), cleaning and scrubbing better as if it does it twice.

Among all the appliances I have tested and used, this one became my favorite and I hope for a long time. It is one of the most efficient and best in the line, proposing a variety of multiple features and options and perhaps that’s why the cost for it is little higher than for other models. But trust me, the price is worth its great job and performance.

I want to remind you that some time ago I have written that it is impossible to find a stick mop that would clean the grout but having said that I made a huge mistake as I found one. But even the stick mop I found, needs some help when cleaning the grout, nothing too complicated but still.

The stick mop, which I have found can be used both indoors and outdoors. Using such kind of devices outside makes people surprise but it is true. One reason of using it outside is its availability of an attachment, called – scrubbing brush. Exactly this scrubbing brush is able to clean the grout that is as hard as cement. Moreover, this CR Motion feature lets the grout be cleaned even without steam. Due to its feature we can even call it something like a long-handled electric scrub brush.

Some people immediately start thinking that if it can clean the grout then it should be very heavy. That’s not true, the stick mop is extremely light.

Below I have written all the possible means of using the Haan Multiforce SS20 due to which you can see its great job:

steam with mop pads – it is an easy cleaning of hard floors

CR Motion without steam – can clean the grout even without using steam. This is a big advantage as steam may damage the floors. But anyway during the cleaning process you will have to spray water or some cleaner to make the floor wet.

CR Motion + steam – makes the cleaning even more comfortable as you almost will not have to do anything, except moving the stick mop time to time.

CR Motion+steam+scrub brushes – cleans very hard and aggressive parts of grouts mainly outside.

Steam+ scrub brushes – cleans not hard to remove concrete as well as dirty floors in the shower.

CR Motion+polishing pads – assemble the pad on the head of the stick mop and you will get a machine which will clean hard floors and make them more shiny.

CR Motion + scrub brushes – cleans very hard surfaces, where the heat isn’t advised to be used. For example: when you want to use some chemical to clean the spot, that might react badly to steam.

Carpet glider – gets rid of smells and odors and makes the carpets stay fresh

This stick mop doesn’t work as a vacuum cleaner and, therefore, can’t vacuum as well as it can’t deal with vertical surfaces: windows, doors, mirrors etc.

CARPETS AND TYPES OF FLOORS

The Haan Multiforce SS20 was specially created for cleaning hard surfaces. Being a very attentive manufacturer, they warn their customers about the types of floors it can be used on (for example cement, tiles, hardwood, marble or stone). Whereas other manufactures are not that careful with their buyers and don’t let them know what heat can this or that floor withstand while using their steam mop. That’s the reason to always check the manual, and if nothing if written there, don’t take any risk and just ask the manufacturer.

But the Haan Multiforce has a “step forward” pro as it can be used without any steam at all. But nevertheless it does have many attachments and applications to clean a variety of different floors just perfectly. In the manual you will find this list of applications.

I believe that if you have not one type of flooring at home but a few, like I do (2 rooms in the basement are laminated), then this stick mop is the best solution. If you also have a laminate, you can repeat the way I clean it – you can use its feature CR Motion+microfiber pads but without steam – in this way the mop will just scrub the dirt and in no case damage the floor. In this situation microfiber pad saves you from applying pressure during the mopping process. But don’t forget to wet the floors before the start. When you move to cleaning some hard floors, you can press the steam button and all the hard job will be done for you. The one movement you have to do is to move your hand back and forth.

When you use usual vacuum cleaner it is good but sometimes it doesn’t help to avoid odors which the carpet absorbs. That’s why it would be good if you used carpet glider function on it. That would make them fresher.

BRUSHES, PADS AND MOP HEAD

Many steam mop versions have triangular or rectangular head shape, whereas the Haan Multiforce SS20 has a squire one. And it was done on purpose – if the head wasn’t of a squire shape, there would be no CR Motion feature. The only one and little disadvantage of a square-shaped head is that it will not let you clean behind the toilets, because it simply will not reach there.

The Haan Multiforce includes 4 sets for mop pads/attachments:

2 scrub brush attachments (for outdoor surfaces, hard to remove dirt and grout/cement)
4 ultra-microfiber pads (for everyday usage)
2 buffling pads (for polishing the floors)

It needs to be paid attention to the fact that the mop head is really 2-headed. So you will always need 2 pads or 2 brushes in order to clean. A good idea would be to buy 2 cleaning pads, the contrary to 2 mop pads on the stick steamers.

Speaking about its size – it is 2.3 inches tall but becomes a little bigger and increases to 3.5 inches progressively. Without handle it is 2.3 but when the handle is assembled its height is 3.5 inches. All the measurements were done, consequently you can decide if it will be suitable for your house or not. All depends on the cabinets. Speaking about me and my house, it is very easy to reach under the cupboards, cabinets and chest of drawers as the mop head is really low enough for these aims.

One should know that the mop pads are wider than the mop head. That’s why from about 0.5-to 1 inch they will stick on each side. But it is not a disadvantage if to think from the right side. When you press the mop against the baseboard, those edges that stick will get into every corner and every tiny edge. Thanks to this, there will not be even 1% of the dirty floor. Also, they are easy attachable to the base thanks to Velcro strips, which are located on the mop head.

Without the brush pads I can simply reach under the cabinets. But when it is time to assemble them it becomes a problem as I can’t reach under my cabinets anymore. What if I have some cement or grout under them? But that’s already not my problem.

The mop head possesses 20 steam jets on its bottom which is a very high figure. Steam jets let the steam come out and its amount could be seen while the heating as well as at working processes.

One of the most significant characteristics, one should always pay attention to in steamers – is their capacity of pads to absorb water or liquids. The SS20 provides, as it was mentioned above, microfiber pad, but these are not usual microfiber pads, they are ULTRA microfiber pads. But what is the difference? The Ultra microfiber pad is tighter and stiffer, which means absorbing an enormous quantity of water that is on the floors or wherever – in a few seconds it will be fully dry and clean. Having read about it in the manual first time, I didn’t believe. Maybe that was the cause to check it. And it appeared that it was an absolute truth.

Also, 2 buffling pads are included. These pads are for polishing the floors. At some point, I began to tell myself that it is not a regular steam mop, it is a Haan Multiforce SS20 with CR Motion feature which lets the floors be cleaned without steam. One should just assemble the pads to the head of the mop, put the polishing agent, turn the CR Motion feature on and, as a result, the job will be done in almost no time.

If you are interested where it is better to use the CR Motion feature and where you shouldn’t do it, I will reply that in 99% of casea I Do use it as it makes the job more simple and comfortable. When you turn this feature off, it seems like coming back to the past and just use a usual mop. The only place in my house where I don’t need this function is at the corners. Somehow it is easier to mop there without CR Motion but still, the stick mop shows great results.

The mop head turns/swivels from one side to another and it doesn’t make it harder to control as in some other models, where people are experiencing problems with that feature.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BRUSHES AND MOP PADS:

– If you try to find some information of how to assemble the brush heads, then you will not find any. Even checking on the manual will not help you, as nothing is said there too. As usual, there are no better way to find out something but to try it. And that’s exactly what I did. I got down to the floor, lay the mop on its side (which I mustn’t have done as the manual states), pushed the brush heads in the correct place and they clicked. That’s it. Don’t worry if you can’t do it perfectly from the first time. When I did it for the very first time it took about a few minutes, now I do as fast as fasten the shoe-laces. Just practice and in less than a week you will become a pro.

– The cleaning pads are just of a very high quality. As I wrote above they are able to hold all the water. Even when you take them off and put on the floor, they don’t “leak”, the floor will stay dry. Then you take them to the bathroom or kitchen to rinse and again you can’t do it, as they start absorbing the water and just become heavier. That’s why the way out of this situation is to squeeze and let some water come out. Then put them outside to dry, or if it is cold you can leave them dry in the laundry. BUT REMEMBER! Do never wash them in a washing machine. The threads might start to pull and that will ruin your ideal cleaning pads.

MOTION SCRUBBING FEATURE

We have already discussed an amazing and excellent feature called CR Motion, but let me tell you about it in its fullest.

The first thing you do when you start the cleaning is turning the button on. If you wish to turn the CR Motion you have to step on a foot pedal which is located on the mop head. Some people worry about the noise and sometimes it can play a big role. As for the device, when you turn this feature for the first time, you will hear the noise, like a sewing machine (that’s not very loud but not quite too).

This noise happens because of 2 parts of the mop head, which make 850 cycles per minute. The head pieces rotate in turn – while one head starts to come into the air, the other takes its place and moves down to the floor making it clean. All this process looks like sweeping, where one head piece changes the other. But it is really a great manufacturer’s invention that is able to clean and scrub the floor.

Comparing with our grandmothers, unfortunately, they didn’t have such options as we do. They had to sometimes put a lot of forces to clean some places at home. Unlike that situation, we can just hold the handle in the air and direct it to the place we need to clean, more than that we shouldn’t put any efforts. That is what I call the age of technology.

THE GROUT

As you know I decided to write this review as the function of cleaning grout attracted me very much. I have tiled flooring at home, which means I have grout. In order to clean I have used a variety of different steamers but none of them worked as good as Haan Multiforce SS20. It seemed like they just took some little layer of the grout off and that is all. The job was done.

Why SS20 does it better? Because firstly it has 2 special features for that. First one is the presence of CR Motion and second is scrub brush heads. Not every stick steam mop has brushes at all and the ones which have are of a very bad or low quality. The brushes are very necessary attachment for every steam mop. For instance, we need to clean the grout which was accumulating for some time. A simple cleaning will not work here. You will need something like scrubbing motion with steam or water included.

And as I like testing everything I buy, to let you know it is real condition and abilitities – I found grout at my place, took my Haan SS20, put the brush head and filled the tank with water. While the process of heating up was going I was just standing impatiently. Having turned the CR Motion, I directed the mop right to the tile which looked dirty. And what do you think happened? I expected the best but what I saw was just a little puddle of water (as it turns out the brush heads have no cloth on them that’s why they leave water, whereas mop pads almost don’t) and almost nothing has changed with the tile. I was shocked but had nothing to do but to dry the floor and clean the tile with hands.

Disadvantage you might think. But I wouldn’t think so, as it is still times better than any other mop I have tested, and trust me I have tested many of them. Maybe it is not even about the end result but about the expectations. I’m sure that if the manufacturer’s attached some pad to the brush head, it would be just perfect and even would improve the machine.

With Haan, you shouldn’t get low to reach some places to do the cleaning or scrubbing, like in pressurized steam cleaner wand. Haan is electric and you should only hold it in your hand and direct to the places.

The purchase of Haan will make your life simple. Using it is the same as browsing the net or operating your smartphone or tablet.

Approach of cleaning the grout that worked for me:

buy the grout cleaner and put it in a special bottle
spray some of the grout cleaner from the bottle into the place which you are ought to clean (a square of about 2 by 2 feet)
take your stick steam mop, assemble the brushed to the mop head, fill the tank with water, turn the mop on and press the steam button
when the mop is ready to start its job, turn the CR Motion feature and keep the mop in a dirty place (where the grout is) for about 20 seconds
keep moving the mop in the same way at the places where you have sprayed the grout cleaner, keeping it at one place for 20 seconds every time.
After you are done with the grout sections, move to the other parts which might seem dirty to you
If you see any water coming out of the device, just wipe with a paper towel or something that absorbs water. Make sure the floor is dry after these manipulations.
When you finish doing it, take a rest for a few minutes that will let your mop cool down as well. When it is not hot anymore, remove the brush heads and attach the cleaning pad. Clean the surface once again, to make sure that nothing was left on the floor.

But still when the grout is wet after the cleaning, you can’t understand if the job was done good or not. And if you can’t wait for it to dry by itself and need to check it right now and right here, just take you hair dryer, direct it on the place where the grout was and in 1-2 minutes you will see the result.

STEAM AND WATER TANK

The water tank in Haan SS20 is quite “massive” as it can hold 11.83 ounces. With that amount of water, it is possible to clean 2 rooms, doing usual mopping. The water tank can be also simply filled with water from the tap or you can think of distilled water, which I suppose will be better. In order to do that, press the release button (you will hear a click) and the water tank is free. Then take it and fill or refill.

Why is it better to use distilled water? Because Haan SS20 doesn’t have a filter that would refine the hard water from the tap from calcium. But in any case the manufacturer offers 12 packets of a Fresh Rinse lime and scale remover, which you should use once per month.

It takes the tank about 40-45 minutes to heat up. And it operates at 1200 watts, which is pretty good and will not eat much of your energy that you pay for. 1 hour of using the Haan SS20 will cost you about 13 cents.

Unfortunately, there is no steam control, unlike some other models, have low, middle and high steam control depending on the surfaces. You can though turn the steam on and off thanks to CR Motion feature.

The Haan Multiforce SS20 manufacturer says that it deals and kills 99.9 percent of all possible bacteria, germs, dirt and dust.

WHITE SPONGE TEST

Before I tell you about the test I should say that I have the Hoover Twin Tank too. And I decided to compare it with the Haan Multiforce SS20. To see which one is better as Haan looks much more serious than any other steam mop. So what I did was – I cleaned one tile with my Hoover Twin Tank and another tile with the Haan SS20. After that I took a white brand new sponge “Magic Eraser” and wiped the first tile. And I saw some dirt. That was quite upsetting for me. Then I took the same but new “Magic Eraser” sponge and wiped the tile that was cleaned by the Haan – the sponge was spotless.

The result is obvious – the Haan Multiforce SS2- coped with this task much better than my Hoover Twin tank.

That’s why cleaning your floor, you will always know that Haan SS20 really doesn’t leave any dirt at all.

CONTROLS

It is very important to feel the handle, and in the case with the Haan SS20 it is true, as it is curved, which means it is easy to manipulate and direct. At the same time, you will not feel or have any tension in your hand after mopping.

There are only 2 ways if controlling the machine. The first one is the on and off button for steam to come out (located on the mop handle on the front) and the second is a foot trigger for the CR Motion feature (located on the base).

There is also one indicator light which glows red when the steam mop is ready to work and there is no light at all when the steamer is off. To make sure the appliance is completely not in a working condition – unplug the power cord from the wall socket.

ATTACHMENTS

Apart from all the above-mentioned attachments such: head brushes and mop pads, the Haan SS20 also offers a carpet glider (helps to remove odors from the carpets or rugs). Also, there is a resting mat for you to put the mop while it is heating up or cooling down.

STORAGE AND DIMENSIONS

There are cases with steam mops when they are wobbly and can fall. But Haan SS20 differs. It stands upright without any problems.So you should not worry about it and think if you need to be ready to catch it or not. Moreover you even shouldn’t lean it onto the wall when placed on the cooling pas. There is also a power cord which can be wrapped up on a special hook, so it doesn’t prevent you from doing the job.

Having read many comments about the Haan SS20 I found an interesting and at the same time, not a pleasant thing. One person said that it is quite easy for this machine to tip over. Believe me I have tested it so much, that no one would even think of. And not even once has it tipped over. I can agree that with some other models you have to be careful, but Haan Multiforce isn’t one of them.

Though it has its disadvantage too – extremely short power cord, only 18 feet long. That’s not enough. It will be an issue if you have a big house, with a lot of surfaces to clean. You will have to move from out socket to another in order to do the business. Plus it is pretty heavy as was designed for outdoor purposes also. It is thick like some thick wires and only a 15 amp gauge is suitable for it.

Width: 10.27 inches

Depth: 9.8 inches

Height: 47.24 inches

Weight: 6.94 pounds

ADVANTAGES

efficient water tank, which lets clean 2 rooms with the regular mopping
CR Motion feature, which lets you use the steam mop without steam in cases when it can damage the floor.
Can clean outside as well as inside the house
Powerful cleaning scrubbing – can scrub grout, cement and other hard to remove materials
Very light weight gives a chance to carry it about and move as much as you want.
Heating process lasts for 30-40 minutes
Ability to see the amount of steam
Attachments of a good quality, such mop pad and brush heads that scrub and remove the grout/cement/dirt.
Mop pads can absorb gallons of water
Carpet glider – helps to remove odors and refresh the carpets
Polishing process
Simple controls – foot pedal at the base to turn the CR Motion
Sanitizes the floors without any powders or chemicals
Easy to fill and refill the water tank

DISADVANTAGES

No water filter (you may need to think of a distilled water in order to not let the clogging appear, but if you don’t want to do that you can always use the included packets of remover with different smell: lime etc)
Short power cord – only 18 feet long
When not using the CR Motion it will require a little more efforts

RATINGS AND REVIEWS

I don’t know why but there are not many reviews about this appliance. Though the reviews and comments that I was able to find and read were positive. Plus online stores and retailing sites show a very high rating.

PRICE

To tell the truth, the Haan Multiforce SS20 is a little expensive. It costs 3 times more than my Hoover Twin Tank. But judging from all the tests and comparisons I have done with it, I may conclude that it is worth it. List:

cleans with the same good quality be it with or without steam
CR Motion feature
Mop pads and brushes as attachments
Variety of surfaces which the stick mop can cope with
Works indoors and outdoors
Does all the job in a short period of time and almost without your participation

CONCLUSIONS

If I start thinking about my favorite steam mop as I have/had a few and tested them all, I would say without any hesitation that the gold goes to the Haan Multiforce SS20. No only can it cope with all my surfaces: tiles, floor in the shower and concrete, but also serves at its best – I have been using it for about 5 months already and I just started loving the cleaning process.

It would be perfect for people, who need such an appliance to work both inside the house and outside, to deal with some hard floors and concrete.

Of course for some people the price does play a major role but think also about all the advantages you will get after purchasing it. It will serve you a life-time, therefore it is a very good investment in the future.