Our In-Depth Review
Design
The name for this floor sanitizer perfectly describes the design. The Haan SI-35 is slim and light. It comes in two colors, bright white or race-car red.
The storage tank snaps right into place inconspicuously on the back of the machine. It has a sleek silver wand that attaches to the main unit with an ergonomically designed handle.
The bottom of the Haan SI-35 steam cleaner has 15 small holes for the steam jets and two large areas with a rougher bottom that helps grip the Velcro on the ultra microfiber pad.
One stranger part about the design is Haan recommends you turn on the machine without the microfiber pad attached.
Instead you rest it on “Floor Protector” first, plug it in, turn it on, and then wait for 20 seconds while it heats up.
Then you lift it off the Floor Protector resting pad and set it onto the ultra microfiber cleaning pad.
To test how effective the Haan Steam Mop was, we used in a variety of surfaces. It did well on tile, hardwood flooring, and linoleum. It also can be used on laminate surfaces. There is a carpet glide attachment too.
Using steam to sanitize the carpet fibers is a good idea because the temperature of the steam is hot enough to kill dust mites. We found this to be a nice feature, but not really a sufficient way to totally clean your carpet.
We didn’t find many problems with this floor sanitizer. Some minor issues that might bother a user include a relatively short cord, and the steam mop micro-fiber pads are a little bigger than the bottom of the machine.
One other thing is the floor was a bit damp after having been steamed, so you might want to plan your cleaning route accordingly.
Start in the corner and work your way away from the wall so you don’t have to walk in areas that have already been steam treated.
This way, your feet won’t get a little damp, and you won’t leave footprints on your sparkling clean floor.
Performance: Using The Haan Floor Sanitizer Vacuum
The first and most important thing that a steam mop should do is produce hot steam easily. The floor felt very warm and much cleaner after one pass with the Haan SI-35 Slim and Light.
The steam comes out at 212 Fahrenheit / 100 Celcius (the temperature when water boils and turns to steam). It also continues to steam effectively for over 20 minutes. We could clean a large area without stopping to fill up the water tank.
The machine glided across hard surfaces very easily. Even for it’s smaller size, it cleaned nicely. The flooring was a little damp to the touch after we went past an area.
We suggest starting at the end of a room and moving backwards so you don’t have to walk on the areas that were just sanitized. The shorter cord was a bit annoying because you can only clean one room at a time without having to unplug and move to another outlet.
Our testing involved cleaning up a dull and foggy floor to see if it was cleaner and streak free. The Haan SI-35 floor cleaner did a nice job here. We also tested it on smudge marks, large muddy stains, and juice spills.
In most cases, the Slim and Light cleaned all these problem areas with ease. It is a smaller machine though, and when we made larger messes or spills, it didn’t get the entire area clean.
Cleaning Hardwood Floors
Hardwood flooring can get a hazy look after it hasn’t been mopped or cleaned for a while. We were very pleased with the shiny look that the Haan SI-35 gave us after one cleaning.
A few of the stains that we experimented with was dried milk, scuff marks from a black shoe sole and muddy footprints. The dried up milk was cleaned up after about two to three quick passes.
You can always go slower and tougher stains come out easier this way. The scuff marks from the shoe also came off the floor after a few passes. The black marks were removed, and the floor was nice and shiny again in these spots.
We may have gone a bit overboard with the mud test and put down a large area on the hardwood. The wetter spots of mud were wiped out easily.
The only problem was that we had so much debris on the floor that larger chunks of mud and loose dirt were pushed forward instead of being sucked up. We don’t think this is a huge problem with the Haan. In most situations, the Haan wouldn’t be used for such huge muddy footprints.
Sanitizing Tile and Linoleum
On the tile, we poured some grape juice in three different locations. First, we poured a smaller amount on the center of a tile. This smaller liquid mess was sucked up and wiped out easily.
Next up, we poured a small amount of grape juice in between tiles on the grout. Again, the Haan Slim and Light cleaned up this smaller spill with one pass.
Our next test was a little ridiculous because we poured a whole cup of grape juice onto the tile floor. The Haan SI-35 cleaned up the whole mess, and the floor looked clean to the eye. The only problem was the large amount of liquid was actually just pushed around and not all of it was absorbed into the ultra microfiber pad.
After the floor dried up, we touched the area we sanitized. This area was very sticky. We had to wipe it down again to get all the juice totally off the floor.
In a situation where you spill a whole cup of liquid on the floor, the proper way to clean would be to throw a towel down first to suck up most of the liquid. The Haan Floor Sanitizer works better if there is just a little sticky residue left over to get totally clean. Don’t use it for the whole spill.
It did clean up the spills right on top of the grout, but this steam cleaner will not remove deeply encrusted stains on tile.
The manual addresses this concern and it suggests that you hand scrub these stains with the microfiber pad first, then clean them with the floor sanitizer. We don’t recommend this strategy at VacuumWizard because this will damage the pads and you’ll have to buy new replacement ones prematurely.
One of the most important duties a floor sanitizer should do is fit around a toilet bowl. The Haan was small enough to maneuver its way around the bottom of the toilet to get these areas clean. It was easy to push and turn into these tighter corners for a proper cleaning.
Carpet/Upholstery Sanitization
Take off the pad and snap on the carpet glide attachment. Then run the Haan SI-35 over any areas that you want to be freshened up. This machine is definitely not a carpet cleaner.
Any stains on your carpet or upholstery will not come out with the Haan Slim and Light. All it did was make the carpet look fresh and fluffy after a few passes. The carpeting felt warm to the touch after we ran it over, but it wasn’t overly damp.
Don’t rest the Haan SI-35 over one area for an extended period of time though because the Slim and Light keeps spitting out steam until you turn it off making a spot where you rest it very wet and hot.
For softer upholstery, the Haan didn’t glide easily. It actually stuck and pushed on the loose sofa cushions we tested it on. Also, no stains were loosened or removed on upholstery with this machine. We don’t suggest purchasing this machine to make your carpets that much cleaner. That type of work should be reserved for a SteamVac.
Edge Cleaning
The microfiber pads hang off the side of the Haan just a little bit. To make sure you really are cleaning the edge effectively, you need to attack from the side of the machine.
The 15 steam jets are positioned across the middle of the width on the Slim and Light.
That means if you just go head on at an edge, the edge doesn’t get any direct steam.
It doesn’t do a perfect job on corners and edges, but in most cases these areas were wiped up nicely.
Ease of Use
We liked how easy the Haan SI-35 floor sanitizer was to use except for the quirky way you have to get it ready to clean. When you have to wait 20 seconds for the steam to start, you have to rest it on the Floor Protector and then set it on the ultra microfiber pad.
This is annoying for the simple fact that you have to make sure you store the floor protector by the Haan and not forget it each time you use it.
Getting Started
No tools are necessary to assemble the Haan SI-35. You just have to snap the handle into place once you take it out of the package.
When the machine is all together, fill up the 13.5 ounce water tank and snap it into place on the back of the unit.
Plug it in, press the power button located on the front of the lower part of the Haan cleaner. Make sure the steam cleaner is resting on the floor protector and wait for 20 seconds until it starts huffing and puffing steam.
During the warm up period, don’t be alarmed by any vibrating and humming it makes. This is completely normal. When it’s steaming, pick up the unit and set it down onto the Velcro side of the ultra microfiber pad. Now you are ready to clean up.
Maneuverability
This lighter solid surface cleaner is very easy to move around. It slides on hard flooring very nicely, and it glides right over carpeting. Remember to use the carpet glide attachment for carpeting and not the pads.
Even though this cleaner is light, it is sturdy and solid when you twist and turn to get into different areas on your floor.
Cord Management and Length
The cord is too short. We know it is a smaller cleaning machine, but 19.5 feet isn’t long enough, especially if you are cleaning a larger area such as an entire great room. The cord wraps around the back of the Haan nicely when it is not in use.
Maintenance
The pads have to be washed after each use. Haan recommends that you wash each pad after only 10 minutes of use.
We think you can get by with one pad for one tank of water which is about 20 minutes of cleaning total. To make sure your ultra microfiber pads last as long as possible, here are a few tips when you wash them out.
Hand wash in cold water or wash in the washing machine in cold water on a delicate cycle. Use a mild detergent and don’t use fabric softeners or bleach.
Air dry the pads for 24 hours or dry them in a dryer on a lower heat setting. To get the most life out of the pads hand wash and dry them, but don’t expect the pads to look “ultra clean” after you wash them. They appeared much duller after we washed them a couple of times.
Filling up the water tank is easy, as you just detach the tank from the main unit. You press on the black button above the tank and pull out.
The tank tends to stick in the unit a bit and does take some added force to dislodge the lower part. Once you add water and screw back on the cap, it snaps back into place quick and easy.
If you have harder water, the Fresh Rinse Lime and Scale Remover packets should be used once a month. The Haan steam cleaning unit came with 12 packets.
This will get rid of calcium deposits that can build up over time. This is especially important if you have harder water. You could always use distilled water to avoid this issue.
Value For Your Money
The Haan SI-35 floor sanitizer would be a welcome addition to any home with a larger percentage of hard flooring. It cleans up and sanitizes any hard floor surface easily and efficiently.
There is minimal maintenance and it is a breeze to use. Don’t purchase this to clean or freshen up carpeting. It is much better suited for steam mopping a hard surface.
The price is a little steep at over $100 USD. But the Haan SI-35 should last a long time since it doesn’t have any moving plastic parts.
Final Steamer Verdict
This small, sleek, red cleaning tool by Haan does a wonderful job cleaning hard flooring. Just add water to the tank and the Haan SI-35 Floor Sanitizer can clean a variety of surfaces. It also comes with a carpet glide attachment so you can steam sanitize carpeting.