How long a "clean" pad will last depends on how dirty the floor is that is being cleaned. The pads can be washed in your washing machine, and will probably last though a minimum of (8) cleaning-washing cycles. On a floor considered average "dirty" we would use one pad for 300-400 sq-ft.

It gets our whole downstairs clean and we have just about everything but hairspray mess up our floor! I don't see why it wouldn't get hairspray too. It even gets scotch tape and stickers up!

Yes, I have and although it cleans well I too felt it left too much water and not enough steam. I thought about returning it but felt it was priced good enough not to return it. I read alot of reviews before purchasing anything and I felt that all the reviews did not mention anything about leaving too much water and not enough steam. I mentioned it in my review. I left it plugged in for about 3 minutes before using it and it worked a little better since it gave the heating element more time to heat up the water. Hence it produced a little more steam than water.

Steam will loosen it, but you may have to wipe it up with a cloth if the grout is lower than the tile surface as the mop surface is flat.

The directions say it can be used on all floors except unsealed hardwood.

I do not have linoleum. Sorry.

Yes, I think you'd need to careful about not using too much water however.

We used the steam mop on all of our ceramic tile floors without damage. "good" grout/tile sealer lasts 8-10 years. Less expensive grout sealers will last 1-3 years.

I have vinyl in my kitchen and bathrooms and have had the steam mop for about a year now and have had no problems with the vinyl coming up or anything like that.

This hole is a pressure relief valve. The valve is designed to release steam if something is blocking the steam path inside the unit. (**CAUTION: This area may be hot**)

- Unplug the machine and check for clogs at the spray tip with mop head removed by taking off the single screw at the base of the unit. (**CAUTION: The spray tip may be hot***). Clear any clogs from the spray tip by inserting a paperclip into the spray tip opening.

- Check the filter for cracks. If the filter is blue in color (or has a solid rather than speckled appearance) it should be replaced.