I was going to buy a steam mop for my hardwood floors but was warned against it because the steam can over time cause the wood to warp.

I have an older version of one of these that I picked up as a refurb that works pretty good. My dining room floor is laid in terra cotta saltillo tile which has huge grout lines and a very uneven surface rendering things like Swiffers or sponge mops useless. Our labrador spends most of his indoor time in this room and the steamer does a good job of dealing with his mess. The downside with the model I have is the water reservoir is on the small side and needs refilling a few times to get across the largish sized room. It does a great job on the ancient linoleum in our kitchen but I haven't used it on hardwood because I remain convinced that it will somehow damage the floor.

(since my tile link is vigorously protesting being linked, here's another). Huge grout lines.

My mother-in-law has tile floors in her kitchen and den, and she uses a steam mop on it. She has two golden retrievers that live there, and it works well.

She doesn't have any hardwood floors, though. I have a ton of hardwood floors, and I haven't tried one on them.

My experience is that they are bloody useless for actually cleaning the floor. Maybe good for sterilizing it, but who would want to do that?

Ooh, this is a good question. I have been using a swiffer which doesn't do shit, but I don't know what I SHOULD be using instead. Maybe a mop and bucket? That would be better for you than being down on the floor scrubbing wouldn't it, ramix?

Amro, i thought about mop and bucket, but to me it just feels like I'm pushing the dirt around.