This appliance is definitely different than using just a regular broom and mop but not in a bad way. It is nice to be able to go through and just do it one time instead of doing each thing separately. I will say that it is more for regular maintenance, not for a deep clean. I like the area rug setting for all of my small rugs around the house and in the bathrooms. Haven’t gotten to use the self cleaning part yet so I cannot comment on that but the vacuum is not big, nor is the dock itself. The solution has a very nice, light scent which is great because strong smells give me a headache. Cleaning the dirty water container is pretty gross but that shows me that it got alot more off the floor than my regular mop did. The only reason for the 4 stars is because the solution runs out pretty quick. Overall very good product!