Steam cleaner - what is the best ?

property.advert

I want a steam cleaner but it has to work and reading a lot of reviews, it seems as though a lot of them just don't work property.

Primarily it will be used to clean bathrooms, so good on tile grout, limescale and shower glass is what I want.

I see Karcher 1020s on offer from the Karcher outlet at £70 against new at around £100/120 but do they work ? Some people say yes, others say no.

property.advert

No-one use steam cleaners then ?

andygb

Just seen this, and I am thinking of the same thing. I am surprised that nobody has replied yet. I would assume that the Karcher is a good buy, but as I have no experience either - who knows?

anotherbaldrick

We had a Polti and it worked well for a long while but is playing up now with the trigger release .

juliettet

Love my Polti.

London50

Hi

We have two steam cleaners and have had for a number of years, one a "floor cleaner" the other a "hand held". We get on well with both but I personally would say not to believe the "hype" that they will clean "everything". They are great for floor cleaning as well as cleaning furniture,windows cooker tops and work places but I am sorry we have not found them a lot of good for cleaning the inside of an oven,yes once you get the burnt on grease off they will help to keep it down but any programs that have shown a filthy oven with badly burnt on bits steamed then with just a quick wipe brought them back to "shiney new" I would strongly disagree happens.
Do not get me wrong we would not be without ours it cuts down cleaning time greatly and as they all state they sanatize as well {good thing with winter germs,young children or pets} just remember be realistic in what you hope it will do and it will be another tool in the fight to keep your home clean and germ free

Jaynne

I agree with London50, our vax floor cleaner is great but in the end it doesn't do anything you couldn't do with a big bucket of water, a mop and a tin of elbow grease.

For floors they're simply easier work, they get stubourn bits off the tiles easier and for me the big advantage is I hate that big bucket off horrible water. A steam cleaner you can quickly push over is much better and you can just toss the dirty heads in the washing machine. As a bonus they're probably a bit more hygienic but realistically that's only going help for a little while so unless you mop every day ignore that claim.

pineapple

I came to this thread looking for advice too. My 'kitchen' and lounge are all one. A previous occupier tiled the whole ground floor. I have carpets in the lounge part but the kitchen is just the original tiles - which could do with a deep clean then a sealer. I have a dog with allergic bronchitis and need to keep the place as clean as possible but use of chemicals to a minimum - hence the interest in a steam cleaner. I was wondering if the cheapies - ie supermarket ones at around £40-£60 are any good. It's not a lot of money as steam cleaners go but it's a lot of money to waste
The main issue for me is - if they are as effective as claimed - I can see them needing several heads to clean the average kitchen otherwise you are just pushing dirt around.

Jaynne

pineapple wrote: »

The main issue for me is - if they are as effective as claimed - I can see them needing several heads to clean the average kitchen otherwise you are just pushing dirt around.

Here's the one we got. Only £50 so hardly breaking the bank. We got ours shortly after getting a puppy as those little muddy paw prints made the cleaning job occur that bit more frequently.

Generally I would say in terms of visual cleanliness they are no different to a mop - the floor comes up looking nice and clean. I only know about human not canine allergic bronchitis but that's triggered by things like pollen and pet hair (I suspect your dog isn't allergic to its own hair) and a steam cleaner won't do anything to these that a mop won't.

HOWEVER the big advantage of the steam cleaner is they have re-usable washable covers to the head. They pick up dirt like a mop does and you can simply wash them every day actually removing the dirt from the house. A steam mop also puts less water on the floor so it dries quicker which would be a help if you're having to mop every day.

Between hoovering before mopping and washing the heads of the mop (you could buy a few extra as ours only came with two but they're cheap) I think you'd end up with significantly less allergens. You could though just as well attain the same result with a thoroughly cleaned mop after each use but that would take a lot more time.

devildog

I have a Polti but it is seldom used. TBH I think steam cleaners powers of cleaning are over rated. The only thing I use mine for is cleaning kitchen and utility floors.