I hope I am posting this in the right area.

My wife wants to get one of those Bissell Steam and Sweep deals. I am thinking anything that puts any type of moisture on the floor is probably not a good idea. Is that a correct assumption?

Thank you,

Jeff

I certainly am no expert in flooring (I'm sure a pro will chime in soon) but I do have experience with the pesky little devils myself.

I had in my former home Hartco engineered plank (3/8 x 3 OAK) and the wife one day came home with a SHARK.....

It worked ok for a couple of months as it was dispensing dry steam (I know it's an oxymoron) but in later uses it began to leak water in vast pools. I did some research on these devices and found out that this is a common problem with them especially if you don't use distilled water and use tap water instead.
Minerals in the water, especially hard water, will eventually cause a stoppage in the mop and there's no relief valve to protect the innards from excessive steam pressure.
Mine blew a hose (looked like thick walled surgical tubing), hence the leaking water.

My wife, god bless her sole, sometimes lacks common sense and just assumed the water was ok on the floor.
Thankfully it only damaged a small area of the floor before I saw what was happening and shut her down.....
It did leave the floor clean when it was working properly except some people complain of streaking.

Personally, given my experience, I'd rather use another method of cleaning......

Those will void your warranty.

I'm assuming that means that no, this is not a good idea.

Regarding the warranty, I installed it myself and I'm pretty sure even if the manufacturer's warranty was still in effect, I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle of dealing with the red tape and BS that would have to be done in order to collect on said warranty. I have lost faith in people and processes any more. I will use the motto that many on the Turbo Diesel Registry use and that is "I am my own warranty station."

Jeff

Hey, you don't need to tell them that you used a steam cleaner if warranty is a factor.....I too installed mine but if I had a warranty issue I would never volunteer that information.
The damage I observed was/is water damage (regardless of whether or not it came from a steam mop) and is unmistakable to a professional, and frankly most DIY'ers would know where the damage came from too....

Branded,

I was referring to an actual warrantable issue, not something that I did myself. I would never do something like that and expect someone else to pay for it. I know many people would, but I am not one of them.

Jeff

Thats correct, pretty hard to hide and any claims analyst knows it is not the wood or laminate doing it.

Not implying that you hide the information after having consciously damaged your flooring by using such an appliance.
However, this is a subject that's argued both ways; Steam Mop manufactures' say it's safe to do hardwood floors but flooring manufactures' may take exception to it, especially after filing a claim.
I looked at my current flooring warranty and it says nothing about the use of steam to clean the surface of the floor.
Rather than get into a tit-for-tat with a manufacturers' inspector for some future warranty issue that may be completely unrelated to the use of such an appliance, I personally would never volunteer this information.
I did not submit a claim under warranty for my previous install because, as you said, it was my fault......