The Shark Steam Mop S4501D cleans with nothing but steam and water, which makes it safe around kids and pets. Reviewers praised the rotating scrubbing heads that do the scrubbing for you and a heat-up time of roughly 30 seconds. It assembles easily and the large water tank lasts across several cleaning sessions. There are no adjustable steam settings, and steam only comes out while you pump the handle, which gets tiring over a big floor. It fits people who want simple, chemical-free floor cleaning rather than continuous steam or a range of options.
Full review
Water and steam, nothing else
Good Housekeeping's Carolyn Forté describes the mechanism plainly: plain water becomes hot steam that dissolves dirt, dust, grime and dried-on stains, lifted away by washable microfibre pads. No detergent goes on the floor, which is the reason households with crawling children or pets buy a steam mop in the first place. The unit reaches working temperature in about 30 seconds, so it is quick enough for a spill rather than only for a scheduled clean.
Rotating heads instead of scrubbing by arm
The scrubbing heads spin, which Shark rates at more than 150 strokes a minute, and the practical effect is that stuck-on messes come up without the user leaning on the handle. It is the feature that separates this from a flat-pad steam mop. Two textured microfibre pads come in the box, and the pad flips over mid-clean so a dirty face never has to be handled.
Steam only while the handle is pumped
Steam is not continuous. It is produced when the handle is pumped, which gives fine control over how wet the floor gets and becomes tiring across a large kitchen. On a small floor it is barely noticeable; over an open-plan ground floor it is the complaint that comes up most. Anyone who expects to hold a trigger and walk should look at a continuous-steam model instead.
One steam level for every floor type
There is no adjustable steam setting, so a sealed hardwood floor gets the same output as ceramic tile. On tile that is fine; on wood it can leave more moisture than some owners want. Sealed hard floors of any kind are within scope, unsealed ones are not, and the absence of a low setting is the one specification that would most improve the machine.
Lights in the head and an upright park
Two lights in the mop head throw illumination into corners and under cabinet overhangs, which is more useful than it sounds for spotting what has actually been missed. The unit stands upright unaided for storage and refilling, the handle height adjusts, and the head swivels for working around furniture legs. Corners still take a couple of passes to finish properly.
Around sixty dollars against two-hundred-dollar rivals
Forté frames the value case directly: other steam mops sell for up to $200 or more, and this is a sturdy, smartly designed appliance with a set of thoughtful features at about $60. That is the case in a sentence. The published scores back it, clustering at 4.5 out of 5 across the sources that cover this machine, with the reservations all pointing at the same two things — the pumping action and the single steam level.
Strengths
- +Uses only water and steam for chemical-free cleaning
- +Rotating scrubbing heads do the hard work without user scrubbing
- +Heats up quickly, with a 30-second warm-up time
- +Includes two microfiber pads with scrubbing texture for stuck-on messes
Watch-outs
- −Only has one steam setting instead of adjustable levels
- −Steam only produced when handle is pumped, not continuous
How it compares
The S4501D provides rotating scrubbing heads that eliminate manual scrubbing, a feature not found in the Shark S4003D, which requires pump activation. However, the S4003D is lighter and easier to set up, while the S4501D only offers one steam setting instead of adjustable levels like the Bissell Deluxe 1800A.
Rating sources
“The Shark steam mop is ideal for quick cleanups, deep cleanings, and everyday use, too. Its easy to use, heats up quickly, and cleans with the power of steam.”
Our 4.5 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
