How To Fix It- Shark Steam Mop Not Steaming | Troubleshoot 101

Shark steam mops are excellent at their work. In fact, they’re currently one of the best steam mop manufacturers  around the world.

But there’s a catch- A common complaint among the shark steam mop users is that ‘shark steam mop not steaming’.

Well, the most common reasons for this are blockage and pressure leakage. And the most common solution to blockage is to put vinegar in the tank for a night.

Another solution is to use a descaling pin to clear up mineral deposits in the machine. There are some other problems with the shark steam mops and we’re here to guide you to those solutions.

So, let’s not waste any more time and mop our way towards troubleshooting your steam mop.

Troubleshoot Shark Steam Mop:

Before you throw away your shark steam mop, hold on a minute. Your mop isn’t completely broken, and this can be fixed.

Let’s begin with detecting where the problem is. And with every solution, we’ll provide the way to fix it.

Reason 1: Blocked Nozzle

The topmost reason behind your shark steam mop not heating is that you have a blocked nozzle.

How does it happen?

Did your mop come with an instruction to use boiled or distilled water? If the answer is yes, then our next question is-

Did you care about the instruction?

If not, then you have calcium clogged up in your nozzle. When normal water is heated up inside the steam mop, then calcium gets released.

Simply put, normal water contains hydrogen, oxygen and other minerals in it. When you boil it, the water becomes vapor and the minerals stay as remainder. These minerals shoot up with the pressures inside and get clogged up at the jets that steam shoots through.

How to fix your shark steam mop?

You can fix this problem by decalcifying the nozzle. For this you need-

• Cotton swabs
• Vinegar
• Paper Clip or similar objects

Here’s the 6-step method of decalcifying the nozzle-

1. Unplug your mop and let it cool down
2. Empty up your water tank
3. See if the spray tip of your shark steam mop is blocked
4. Insert a paperclip into your mop’s spray tip and move it back and forth. This will loosen debris.
5. Pour some white vinegar onto the mop head. Then rub it with a duster or rag. This will clear up further buildup in the mop head area.
6. Turn it on and try to use it as usual.

Another time consuming but an easier method is to put vinegar in the tank. Here are the six steps-

1. Make a solution with 50% vinegar with 50% water.
2. Put it inside the water tank of your shark steam mop
3. Let the solution sit overnight. Some people call it marinating.
4. In the morning, plug it in and hold it over your sink.
5. Set the steam setting at the highest.
6. Get ready for a loud burst of steam and sediments.

After this burst, your mop should be working just fine.

Reason 2: Leakage

The second most probable reason for steam mop not steaming is leakage.

How Does It Happen?

The mop releases steam due to pressure. If this pressure gets cut off or leaked somewhere, then steam won’t get released through the mop head.

This might happen due to several reasons. One of those is a poorly filled bottom cap. Because of this, your mop might not produce any steam at all. If it does, then the pressure would be reduced.

How to Fix It?

First, figure out where the leakage is. Here’s the leak test method-

1. Fill the tank with water
2. Check your mop’s bottom cap tightness
3. See if it’s secured in place
4. If you see a problem, then call up your manufacturer
5. If possible, fix it. If not, replace it.

Other Reasons

These two are the main reasons for steam not coming out of a shark steam mop. Some other reasons might sound ridiculous, but they actually happen. One reason might be that you have no water in your mop tank. Another might be, your water isn’t fully heated.

People tend to overlook the recommended level of water intake. So, when they start with the cleaning the mop stops midway. Moreover, plugging in an empty mop might damage it. When this happens, some people jump into conclusion super quickly and start blaming the device.

Prevention

Prevention is better than cure. It doesn’t matter how good you know the fixing methods. Fixing a mop will surely take up some of your valuable time nonetheless will give you the extra hassle.

Use Distilled Water

Almost all manufacturers recommend using distilled water in steam mops. Distilled water doesn’t have minerals in it. So, your nozzle won’t get blocked from time to time.

Clean your Mop Regularly

Even if you use distilled water, still you should clean your mop once in a while. Marinate your mop in every six weeks. Besides this, it won’t hurt to scrub the inside of the mop after every use. If that’s not possible then scrub it once a week.

Bottom Line:

A clogged shark steam mop might be dangerous. If the steam doesn’t come out and you keep it plugged in, then you might face blast. Steam expands with more heat. With this expansion, steam creates more pressure on the mop wall. Once the steam becomes super pressurized, the probability of mop wall crack increases. If the pressurized steam gets any opening, then within seconds it will blast off like a bomb.

So, don’t think that keeping it on will solve everything. If you think there’s a problem, then turn it off and detect the problem. Fix the problem as soon as possible and follow instructions to prevent the problem from happening in the future.

Good luck.

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