The Shark Steam & Scrub uses two microfiber scrubbing pads, and comes with a total of four pads. The pads are composed of Polyester and Nylon which washes clean very easily, and should also be reasonably durable. Replacement pads are also available. The Steam & Scrub also comes with a plastic cup which Shark refers to as a filling “flask”, which is uniquely shaped to accommodate the narrow lid of the water tank. The cup holds approximately 8 ounces of water, and the water tank on the Shark Steam & Scrub has a capacity of approximately 16 ounces. I found that when operated primarily in the “Normal” cleaning mode, 16 ounces of distilled water provided approximately 30 minutes of steam operation. two Power Pads rotate 150 times per minute, cutting through stains and gliding across floors. The rotating action lifts and removes surface dust, grease, grime and bacteria. It's perfect for use on sealed hard floors including hardwood, marble, tile, stone, vinyl and laminate.

Shark recommends using only distilled water, which is clearly intended to prevent the formation of mineral scale deposits which would occlude the steam producing components. Shark does not approve of using any other fluids or chemicals in the water tank, including vinegar. Since vinegar cannot be used, the Shark cannot be readily descaled if mineral deposits resultant from using tap water were to clog the internal components. We have a few thousand square feet of glazed ceramic tile in our home, therefore we hoped that the Shark Steam & Scrub, Scrubbing and Sanitizing Steam Mop Model S7001 would be a new, better method of keeping those floors clean and sanitary. We have other Shark products which perform well, thus we had high expectations for the Steam & Scrub mop. My initial impressions are somewhat mixed, and somewhat less than we had hoped for. Shark also makes the product claim that the Steam & Scrub “Steam Sanitizes 99.9% Bacteria Removal”.

The cleaning efficiency of the Steam & Scrub might be enhanced by spraying floor cleaner / detergent on the floor in front of the Steam & Scrub thereby loosening and dissolving dirt with the floor cleaner which cannot be used in the water tank of the Steam & Scrub. That augmentation might also reduce the offensive odor of the steam mop, and replace it with the scent of the floor cleaner product. Includes 2 sets of cleaning pads. Cleaning pads are reusable and can be cleaned in the washing machine. the pads are machine washable, and you have 4 pads in the box, so if 2 are being washed, you always have 2 ready to be used. The Shark Steam & Scrub Steam Mop requires very minimal assembly. Snap in the upper handle and it is ready for the attachment of the scrubbing pads, filling with distilled water and almost immediate use. The Model S7001 has a few upgraded features as compared to the more basic Model S7000. In our estimation, although the Steam & Scrub has some capabilities, and may be quite satisfactory for some users and applications, we didn’t save any time or effort as compared to conventional mopping. Also, in our estimation the final results were not visibly better than mopping with floor cleaner. Additionally, we found that the Steam & Scrub left the tiles even wetter than a conventional mop.

The S7001 is also differentiated by its mop head having two, four LED “headlights” which are very effective. The following is excerpted directly from the Shark Steam & Scrub User Manual, and explains how sanitization may be accomplished in actual use: The Shark Steam & Scrub is equipped with a very long power cord of over 22 feet, which is very convenient in reducing the necessity to unplug and reconnect at other electrical receptacles. There is cord storage on the handle, but there are no provisions for storage of the scrubbing pads. The unit is very lightweight, and subject to tipping over if left upright and unattended with the power cord dangling.It features bright LED lights that are useful for illuminating hard to see areas. Another great feature is the 22 foot long power cord that minimizes the amount of times that I have to change outlets. The supplied microfiber scrubbing pads are easily attached to the bottom of the unit. They are a large 7-¼” diameter which gives the Shark Steam & Scrub a wide cleaning path. The scrubbing pads have an integral donut shaped plastic ring with teeth that align with slots in the drive spindles. The attachment of the scrubbing pads to the spindles is completed with four Velcro pads. Even with the integral alignment aid, the scrubbing pads do not center absolutely perfectly, which results in minor oscillation of the mop head while in operation. Shark - Steam and Scrub All-in-One Scrubbing and Sanitizing Hard Floor Steam Mop S7001 - Cashmere Gold Distilled water is recommend and you don’t add anything else (no cleaners or vinegar). The deep clean setting worked great and produced a lot of steam, but required refilling the ~8oz reservoir often (2-3 times to clean a 10x15ft area). If you have a decent sized area to deep clean, I recommend that you have extra distilled water on hand. This steam mop did a great job removing some tough stains on my kitchen tile. We had cleaned the floor with a regular mop last week, but it still felt and looked dirty. We own another steam mop that we seldom use, because it was hard work to get results – the spinning pads on this mop make steaming cleaning fast and easy.