I bought this vacuum cleaner for my new vacuum cleaner. She first used it a little over two weeks ago. We washed and dried the cleaning cloths. Last Friday she came back with pads that we had washed and dried. She had no problem reusing these pads. The machine heats up the water quickly, so there should not be long periods between adding new water and waiting for the steam to come out for an additional cleaning! Thanks for a good product.