Vacuum Cleaners and Steam Mops

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I didn't know where to post this so I assumed that cleanliness is health related so this would be the best place to put it. It's a fairly simple set of questions that were spawned by my perusal of Amazon for cleaning supplies...

How often should one wash a vacuum cleaner filter? I usually borrow my parents vacuum cleaner once every week to two weeks when they pick me up for grocery shopping but I'm getting to the point where it's just easier to have my own.

Also, are steam mops worth the money? I realise it would be cheaper and physically healthier to scrub away with hot, soapy water but with my depression, I find it hard to do things that require physical exertion and scrubbing away at a dorm with vinyl and laminate flooring is precisely that.

I use vacuums with filterbags: the filter is integrated in the dust collection bag, so it is replaced every time you empty it (just throw away the entire bag and replace it).
It might be overkill, but that is the standard here.

Steam mops are cleaner, but only if you have carpets, and even then only with long-haired types.
Unless you have long-haired carpets, or shorthaired with pets and/or astma, a vacuum is good enough: getting too clean isn't healthy either.

I use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. You only clean the filter to ensure proper air flow for cleaning. So long as you aren't getting a warning of air flow obstruction, the HEPA filter is still doing its job.

As the old saying goes, the best thing to use is the thing that will actually get used.

I have hardwood floors and use a Swiffer floor duster along with Pledge floor cleaner. I can give my whole place a once-over in the 5 minutes it takes my toaster oven to toast my breakfast. I like being able to just easily toss and replace the Swiffer duster pads as needed.

I also have 2 vacuum cleaners but rarely use either because the Swiffer works so well. (And because the noise of the vacuums makes me dislike using them.)

I once had a rag-type duster floor duster but cleaning it was gross.