This week in safety: Mop recall may have owners steamed

If you're like most people, mopping the floor is one of your least favorite chores. But to add injury to insult, just imagine getting shocked or burned while doing it. That's what happened to at least 18 people using the H2O Mop Steam Cleaner made by Thane. This week 580,000 of the steam cleaners were recalled because the power cord can unexpectedly wear down and expose the wiring, posing a shock and burn hazard.

The recall involves a certain series of reference numbers, which you can find on the recall notice. The souped-up mops were sold directly to consumers by Thane through television infomercials; on the Web at www.thane.com; by QVC through its televised shopping program; and by retailers nationwide from June 2007 through December 2008 for about $100.

Everyone who bought a unit directly from Thane is being sent a repair kit. Those who bought it elsewhere should contact Thane at (800) 485-0017 or visit the firm's Web site. Of course, there's always the old reliable rag mop.

More safety news
Opinion: Chemicals and our health
The New York Times
However careful you are about your health, your body is almost certainly home to troubling chemicals called phthalates. These are ubiquitous in modern life, found in plastic bottles, cosmetics, some toys, hair conditioners, and fragrances -- and many scientists have linked them to everything from sexual deformities in babies to obesity and diabetes. Read more ...

Congress seeks CPSC funds above Obama's request but still below CPSIA figure
Product Safety Letter
Under appropriation bills that passed House and Senate committees last week, the CPSC is set to get more funding in fiscal 2010 than requested by President Obama. Nonetheless, those bills would fund the agency below the $118 million called for in the CPSIA. Read more ...

How safe are carnival amusement rides?
The Examiner.com
Summer is the season for amusement parks, fireman's carnivals, and county fairs.  Many children attend several such events each year.  Parents may never stop to think about the safety of amusement rides until they hear about an accident where a child is injured. Read more ...

Pool safety even more of a concern with foreclosures
The Sun Sentinel
The foreclosure crisis has pounded South Florida, leaving many neighborhoods dotted with abandoned homes. Not only are these vacant properties an eyesore, and a potential risk from debris in a hurricane, but many come with murky, unsupervised pools that prove irresistible for some curious little ones not under the watchful eye of adults. Read more ...

Bathtub accidents injure 43,000 kids each year
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
More than 43,000 children are injured in slips and falls in bathtubs each year in the U.S. researchers report. Earlier studies of bathtub injuries concentrated on burns from hot water and drowning and near-drowning. This is the first study that looked at injuries caused by slips and falls, according to the report published in the July nline edition of Pediatrics. Read more ...

Fire retardants and baby products: This isn't kid stuff
The Los Angeles Times
For decades, California has been the only state in the nation to require the use of highly toxic fire-retardant chemicals on cribs, infant carriers, strollers, nursing pillows, changing tables, high chairs and other baby products. But there is a complete lack of evidence that using the chemicals saves lives, and a growing body of research suggesting that exposure to fire retardants is dangerous. Read more ...

Safety news from the CR blogs

• Cars: Choose the right car for your student
• Cars: Test driving vehicle history reports
• Cars: Bad road conditions contribute to crashes
• Home&Garden: Don't drink and mow
• Babies&Kids: Video report on how to fit a bike helmet
• Babies&Kids: Can I skip a convertible car seat?
• Health: Are sunless tanning products safe?
• Health: Skinny jeans can have some unattractive side effects

Recalls
We really hate to make light of recalls because they are serious business. But this week two recalls, taken together, conjured up an image of a cool singles pad gone badly awry. The first was of 500 leather butterfly chairs with a tendency to collapse.  The second was something the chair occupants might collapse onto -- a leather shag rug. The problem with the 400 rugs is that they do not meet federal flammability standards. Enough said. Here are some other recalls made this week:

• 25,000 Evenflo Switch-A-Roo telephone toys (choking hazard) [See image above]
• 7,000 Propac Distributing youth hooded sweatshirts (strangulation hazard)
• 4,400 hooded jackets with drawstrings sold at Meijers Stores (strangulation hazard)
• 3,000 pairs Rossignol cross-country ski boots (fall hazard)
• 3,000 Energizer Light On Demand wallplate nightlights (fire hazard)

Comments

[Patty]

I would like to see information on steam mops.

[Cathy]

I want a steam mop for Christmas, so I went to the library to read what Consumer Report had to say about them and was disapointed to find nothing about them. Are you testing now so I can get one for Christmas??

[Audie]

Yes, I agree with these other posts. Will you please rate "steam mops" and "steam cleaners" for us?
This is the rage for home cleaning right now and we rely on your ratings before we make major purchases. I'd like to see how you rate both the expensive and inexpensive machines. Thank you.

[Pat]

I am also not happy that you have not reviewed steam mops. What is the problem?? You review so many things, why not this??

[Bernie Crandall]

I would like to see a review of steam mops also. My wife saw an add for a Bissle and when she went to the store she saw the Shark and now has found the Haan online. I am a long time subscriber and have been in the online community for over 5 years, Consumers Reports does a fair job on the reviews they do, but some times you need to follow market trends in a quicker time frame so that the consumers that rely on your advise can get it when needed. I would like some guidance on this purchase and see if they do what is promised by the ads. Could you please review these quickly.

[nancy]

i'm also dissappointed that you haven't reviewed steam mops yet. i keep renewing my annual membership with you so that i can read unbiased reviews conveniently, in one stop, yet lately i find myself having to go to amazon more and more to read their customer reviews.

[RB]

CR posted a comment that they would be testing the steam mops in the spring of 09. Well it's almost winter now and still no review. What's the hold up CR? How about a response to your subscribers?

[Kathy]

I am also unhappy that you have not rated the steam mop. This is a very popular item, and I am disappointed that you are not on top of this. Please ... move on this one!

[Francie]

I am very "steamed" about the same issue!! NO STEAM FLOOR CLEANER REVIEWS!!!!!!! I mainly subscribed for just this item!
So, fellow blind shoppers, I to will today buy blind and forget about this uninformative site!! Which by the way, doesn't test EVERY model like you would expect it to or every brand!!! VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THIS!!!

[Jane]

I'm waiting for steam mops too - for months. When will there be a response - letting us know when a steam mop review will come out. At least test the obvious choices like the Stark and the Haan.

[Raymond Powell]

I bought a Haan steam mop from Amazon for $83.00. Consumers Report has no data on steam mops, so I had to rely on the reviews from other buyers. Don't know how true they are. I wished Consumers Report had tested them, then I would not be buying blind. I hope I made the right choice. Raymond Powell
rpowel21@verizon.net

[Janet Nelson]

I subscribed to this website to save myself the time of constantly going to my public library to look up info in magazines. So far just about every product I have tried to research has turned up with no information on it, the steam mop is on the top of my list. I'm going to try holding my steam iron over my floor and see if steam actually works. For the comsumer report website, you should try rating yourselves. :( Janet

[cheri wu]

I agree with Sandra - I just paid $15.00 to learn about steam mops and there is NO info on them. For I consumer magazine that I trusted this is just unacceptable. If you don't have the info please do not mislead your public and ask for money on advice you do not have.

[Sandra Sandy]

I just paid $5.95 to get a review on steam mops and it appears I wasted my $5.95 because you do not offer any information on steam mops!!