Reliable Steamboy 200CU Steam Mop

The Reliable T1 Steamboy steam mop has been a mainstay in the Reliable line of home steam cleaners for nearly a decade, but with all things, it's time has come. Reworking the look and adding in a few additional features, Reliable has replaced the T1 with the Steamboy 200CU steam mop. It shares most of the features and abilities of the legacy T1, but there were a few upgrades. With large tile, linoleum, and laminate throughout my home, I spent two weeks cleaning with the 200CU, and here's how it compares to not only its predecessor but the Reliable 300CU steam mop.

What I like about the Reliable 200CU Steam Mop

It's fast! A canister style steam cleaner typically takes 7-12 minutes to heat up and be ready to clean. Even certain steam mops, like some of the inexpensive Haan models, can take 3-5 minutes to heat up. The Reliable 200CU steam cleaner takes about a minute or less. Why the difference? By now you've probably heard about "tankless water heaters". The principle behind them is a "flash" heating system instead of a traditional, slower heating boiler. This system generally heats small quantities of water, faster. Typically heat times are measured in seconds and not minutes, and it's this same style of heating that is used in the Reliable Steamboy 200. This also means that if you need to refill the tank, you won't again have to wait for the boiler to heat the water. Instead, you can resume mopping in seconds, and THAT, is convenient.

Healthier type of clean. The fact is, most of the househould cleaning that we do on a daily or weekly basis is for appearances only. If we don't see dirt, grass, hair, or mess on the floor, it's clean right? Nope. Homes, and floors in particular are a hotbed of germs, bacteria, viruses, and allergens. A steam cleaner can neutralize these unseen offenders in your home. The 245° heat of the Steamboy kills most bacteria and viruses, while the microfiber pads dislodges then holds visible debris and allergens. These two things work in tandem to provide a type of clean that goes beyond appearances.

No chemical residues. We've all used them, chemical based cleaners. Unfortunately, all of them leave behind residues, and it's these residues that result in the the harsh odors that linger after cleaning. Even worse, though many chemical cleaners can sanitize and kill germs, we often don't use them as directed (which usually involves "dwell time" - allowing the chemical to sit for a period of time while it works). So most of us who use chemical cleaners are getting all of the negatives and almost none of the positives! The Reliable Steamboy 200CU steam mop uses two ingredients: tap water and heat. That's it. Nothing else. What you're left with is a small amount of moisture that quickly evaporates. Better still, the heat from a steam mop can actually remove the chemical residues and unlock odors trapped in even hard flooring surfaces.

New features. There are a couple features that are new with this model (vs. the T1). You actually have an on/off button. Previously, as soon as you plugged the T1 in, it would begin heating. With both, T1 and 200CU, you have on-demand steam via the trigger, but you can actually turn the new one off without unplugging it. The cleaning cloths/pads are different, but I'll address that below. The cord length of the Steamboy 200CU is five feet longer than the older model. For me, when it comes to cleaning, the fewer times I have to mess around with changing outlets, the better. The last thing is a steam-ready indicator light. Honestly, this indicator is nearly useless, unless you happen to notice the tank is out of water. With such a fast heat-up time, it feels like it's there mainly for aesthetics.

Convenience This touches some of the ones I've mentioned before. It heats up fast. It has a longer cord. It's lightweight and can be hung in a supply closet. The water tank is removable (making it easier to fill). The on/off and steam trigger allow you get steam only when you want it. The cleaning pads (or drawstring cloths) are machine washable. All of these things simply make it easier to clean with this steam mop than a lot of others available.

What I do not like about the Reliable 200CU Steam Mop

I'm not a fan of the microfiber pads. I know it's a trend that's prevalent in home cleaning products, but the microfiber drawstring cloths that used to come standard with the T1 Steamboy clean better. I've used both with a wide variety of steam cleaners, and while the pads have a slight advantage in terms of scrubbing away grime, they just don't hold loosened debris as well as the cloths. Both are washable, and the 200CU comes standard with two pads. I'd opt for a cloth, and see what you think.

Don't expect this steam mop to brighten your grout lines. Yes, it cleaned my tile right up, but for grout you would want either the 300CU steam mop (that comes with a built-in scrubber head) or a canister-style steam cleaner (that can blast grout lines with concentrated steam and/or a small scrub brush).

Lastly, keep in mind what its intended for. It's a steam mop, not a whole home steam cleaners, so it won't take on your counter tops or mattress. While it performs better than a lot of other steam mops, it doesn't have the versatility of a canister steam cleaner.