What to Look For In A Steam Cleaner

Steam cleaners, one of the latest additions to the arsenal of household cleaning appliances, have found their way into many homes. If you’re yet to get involved in this craze then you may be wondering what you should look for in a steam cleaner – and that’s where this handy guide comes into play.

While this guide would give you enough idea to shortlist the best steam cleaner in terms of functioning, make sure to use distilled water (you can order a bottle of distilled water 5l or 10l according to your need) instead of normal water to make your tool last longer and provide you with better results.

Portability

While you will more than likely be looking at steam cleaners for floors, portability is still an important consideration. Many modern steam cleaners can be used on upholstery and soft furnishings in the home as well as tackling the ground-in dirt and grime that you find on bathroom tiling.

Being able to wield your steam cleaner around with ease is therefore highly important. Handheld options are perfect for those who want something with the ability to tackle a number of jobs, while those who will be primarily focusing on large areas should look for a bulkier unit with a larger capacity.

Attachments

Attachments can be a key thing to look for in steam cleaners, but try and avoid being dazzled by an array of attachments – if you’re unlikely to put them to a practical use then they’re nothing but a waste of money.

Some common attachments listed on Which? include a squeegee for cleaning glass, an upholstery tool, scrubbing pad and scrubbing brushes (particularly good for cleaning the grout and tiles). A number of steam cleaners disinfect as they clean, if you add the appropriate solutions, so this is something to look into as well. You may want to ask whether you have to use a specific detergent though, as this could impact the cost of the cleaner over its lifetime.

Speed

This may seem a strong thing to mention but steam cleaners take different amounts of time to heat up. This will depend on the type of steam cleaner you buy and the size or capacity of the tank, but it’s worth looking into.

Remember to consider both heat up and steaming time which relates to the time it takes the appliance to be ready and the amount of time you can use it for respectively.