Steam cleaner - what it is, device, principle of operation, how it can be used, advantages and disadvantages

To quickly and efficiently clean the entire house, you can use only one device - a steam cleaner. Such a device was quite recently a curiosity on the household appliances market, but is now in high demand among many advanced housewives.

What is a steam cleaner?

Any woman dreams of cleaning her home quickly, efficiently and environmentally, and some men are just as zealous in their desire to keep their car clean. In such a situation, buying a steam generator for your home is a profitable investment in the comfort of all family members. This device is a compact device that heats water to steam and supplies it under high pressure through special nozzles. Thanks to the steam boost, a variety of surfaces from carpets to plumbing are cleaned of dust and dirt.

Initially, the device was developed for disinfecting medical institutions, but over time it became widespread in everyday life. A steam cleaner is used by many cleaning companies, which are famous for their thorough and quick cleaning. Their secret often lies in the use of this miracle of technology. However, before purchasing a device for home use, it is important to understand the design features, types and nuances of application.

Steam cleaner device

Having decided that a steam cleaner is a useful cleaning device that cleans with steam, it’s worth taking a closer look at its design. There are dozens of models in different price categories on the market, but the design of all devices is approximately the same:

1. The body, often made of plastic, houses a water tank of various sizes.
2. A heating element is located next to it.
3. A tube is connected to the device to release steam, onto which various attachments are put on. Their number varies depending on the configuration of the device.
4. Steam temperature and pressure regulators are necessarily located on the body or tube.
5. The trigger for supplying steam is often equipped with a special protective mechanism against accidental operation.
6. The device is connected to the network using a standard power cord or runs on a battery.

How the steam cleaner works

A home steam cleaner operates according to a simple scheme:

1. Water is poured into a special tank.
2. After turning on the device, a special heating element heats the liquid to the desired temperature.
3. A nozzle suitable for the selected type of cleaning is put on the tube.
4. Once the ready indicator lights up, the steam cleaner can be used.
5. When you press the trigger, steam under pressure is released outward and out of the nozzle hole, which is directed towards the contamination.
6. Hot wet steam softens plaque and dirt, kills pathogenic bacteria and viruses.
7. After treatment, the surface should be wiped with a dry, clean cloth.

Steam cleaner - what can it do?

You can use a steam generator for cleaning throughout your home and beyond. The device will be useful for:

1. Washing kitchen cabinets, countertops and appliances: hob, oven, refrigerator, microwave and other devices.
2. Cleaning sinks and taps.
3. Plumbing cleaning.
4. Washing floors, windows, walls and mirrors, radiators and tiles in the bathroom.
5. Cleaning carpets and upholstered furniture.
6. Removing stains and unpleasant odors from curtains and clothes, straightening fabrics.
7. Caring for house plants.
8. Tidying up the car interior and car rims.

Areas of equipment use

Despite the fact that the device has received such widespread use, it was originally intended to disinfect surfaces. That is why such equipment was often purchased for healthcare institutions. In hospitals, it has become the most effective remedy in the fight against a wide variety of pathogens.

However, now it is for these purposes that a steam cleaner is often purchased for the home. It copes well with germs and bacteria, which means having a steam cleaner in your apartment is very useful.

IMPORTANT! As a rule, such a device is purchased for a specific type of cleaning. However, a steam cleaner has much more potential than some might think. It has many more possibilities for application. It is capable of processing any surface from any material. Moreover, the cleaning will be deep.

We list some areas of use of devices of this type:

— Cleans floors made of any materials. — All kitchen surfaces are thoroughly cleaned, right down to the hood. — Clean washable wallpaper. — Remove dirt from stoves (both gas and electric), as well as from the oven. — Clean glass, mirror surfaces, tiles. — They clean radiators and batteries well. — Removes unpleasant odor from clothes. - Remove old grease from dishes. — Clean carpets and upholstered furniture, remove animal hair from surfaces. — They can clean not only the interior of the car, but also the wheel rims and the engine. — Removes mites and allergens from mattresses and bedding. — Returns the original appearance of soft toys for children. - Use attachments to iron clothes. — Clean the internal surfaces of the microwave oven and refrigerator.

Pros and cons of a steam cleaner

Any steam cleaner for windows and other surfaces has both its obvious advantages and some disadvantages that not every potential user is aware of. Among the visible advantages:

1. Quick and easy cleaning
   . Hot steam under pressure effectively breaks down the most difficult stains in a matter of seconds, and special nozzles allow you to clean even hard-to-reach places.
2. Disinfectant properties
   . The steam cleaner was originally developed for sanitary cleaning of medical institutions. High temperatures kill most known pathogens.
3. Environmental friendliness
   . The device allows minimal use of household chemicals when cleaning the house, which is very important for families with children and allergy sufferers.
4. Air humidification
   . Steam not only cleans, but also humidifies the room, as a result of which floating dust settles and air parameters improve.

The main disadvantages of a steam cleaner include:

1. Most models without suction and vacuum cleaning capabilities do not destroy dirt, but only soften it. That is, after using the device, the surface must be wiped with a cloth to remove all contaminants.
2. When using low-quality water, scale may appear on the device, which over time damages the heating element. You need to use purified or boiled water.
3. High-quality devices with short heating times and high power cost at least $300.
4. When working with the device, it is important to strictly observe all safety precautions to prevent burns.

Which is better, a steam mop or a steam cleaner?

Many housewives use a steam cleaner to clean windows, kitchens and kitchen appliances, bathrooms and upholstered furniture, but for cleaning the floor they also prefer to purchase a steam mop. Its essence is the same as that of a steam cleaner, but it is used only for washing floor coverings. The design of a steam mop resembles a regular cleaning device, only equipped with special cleaning brushes and a steam function. That is, complete wet cleaning with a disinfecting effect occurs. The mop first softens the dirt and then collects it on a special attachment.

You can choose between these two devices based on your needs. A steam cleaner is a multifunctional device that is suitable for cleaning a wide variety of surfaces, cleaning and smoothing fabrics. A steam mop is a more highly specialized device that deals with dirt and dust only on floor coverings.

Types of steam cleaners

When choosing a household steam cleaner, consumers are faced with various models in stores. They all differ in size, power, scope of application and functionality. Professionals divide all steam cleaners available on the household appliances market into:

• hand-held, compact devices with low power;
• floor-standing models that resemble a regular vacuum cleaner in appearance;
• universal devices that combine several functions.

Handheld steam cleaner

When you need to purchase the best steam generator for short-term cleaning in various places, you should opt for a manual model. This device resembles an electric kettle with a flexible hose through which steam is supplied. The advantages of the variety include:

1. Light weight. It is rare that a hand-held device weighs more than 1 kg.
2. Mobility. Many car enthusiasts purchase such a steam cleaner for their car, tidying up the interior of the iron horse.
3. Simple design, thanks to which you can even use ordinary tap water.
4. Low price. Manual steam generators are the cheapest among other analogues.

The disadvantages include:

1. Low power, which leads to a long waiting time for water heating and poor quality of treatment of difficult contaminants.
2. A small water tank that lasts for 15-25 minutes. continuous operation.
3. The gravity steam supply system is inferior to models with pressure injection as a stain remover.

Floor steam cleaner

The floor-mounted steam cleaner has a more complex design. It resembles a household vacuum cleaner and consists of a housing on wheels and a hose with steam attachments. The device has a number of functions that can be used to carry out general cleaning of the entire house. The advantages of the model include:

1. High power from 1500 to 2300 W, thanks to which the water heating time is reduced and steam is supplied more intensively.
2. Large tank volume, which is enough for up to 1.5 hours of continuous operation.
3. Availability of a steam supply system under pressure.
4. A large number of attachments included.

However, such models also have their disadvantages:

1. A professional steam cleaner consumes a large amount of electricity.
2. Relatively large in size, requiring dedicated storage space between uses.
3. High price.

Universal steam cleaner

The most advanced and expensive are universal or multifunctional cleaners. Externally, they are similar to floor-standing models, but have a number of additional functions:

1. Possibility of vacuum collection of dirt and dust.
2. Using the built-in vacuum cleaner, you can carry out professional cleaning of carpets and upholstered furniture at home.
3. A powerful steam cleaner can be supplied with a plug-in iron for steam ironing any fabrics, including delicate ones.

Cleaning your apartment with a steam cleaner: let us do all the dirty work for you

Cleaning an apartment takes a lot of time. It will require at least three devices: a vacuum cleaner, a dust cloth. It is impossible to create perfect order with these tools; they only reduce the amount of dust, dirt and germs. Cleaning your apartment with a steam cleaner will give us the opportunity to achieve perfect cleanliness. This device was originally produced for the purpose of disinfecting hospital premises. Gradually he moved into our apartments and won the love of many housewives.

How to choose a steam cleaner?

Before going to the store, it is better to decide in advance what set of functions the desired electric steam generator should have. Standard list of characteristics:

1. Power. The higher it is, the better the device copes with its duties and the higher the amount of electricity consumed.
2. Steam supply system: gravity or pressure.
3. Temperature range and steam intensity.
4. Water tank volume.
5. Length of the hose and number of nozzles included in the kit.
6. Additional options.

Steam cleaner attachments

Based on the list above, you can choose a device suitable for your specific purposes. It is worth dwelling in more detail on the fact that a good steam cleaner should be equipped with the following attachments:

• brushes of different diameters for cleaning hard surfaces6 tiles, stone;
• nozzles for steam treatment of carpets and upholstered furniture;
• metal scraper for non-scratch surfaces;
• glass cleaning nozzle;
• crevice nozzle and point nozzle for taps and drains;
• iron for ironing and steaming;
• spray nozzle for plants;
• turbo brush.

Conclusion 1 when choosing a steam cleaner for your home

There is no need to buy an expensive steam cleaner for your home. The steam is the same everywhere. Its temperature is 130°. For steam cleaning, the volume of the water tank plays an important role. A very small, compact steam cleaner has a water tank that is also small, for only 1 glass of water. And how much can you clean with steam from one glass of water? Cleaning a two-room apartment with a steam cleaner will take the whole day. Heating-steam-cooling-filling with water-steam... And so on every 10 minutes, since the steam from one glass of water evaporates very quickly.

But the volume of 1.2 liters is quite enough for steam cleaning. This is the Karcher SC 1122 household model, for example. It also has tubes for extension.

Same with a steam mop. The simplest and most inexpensive one will also make life easier for a mother with a small child, just like a sophisticated model. The main thing is to vacuum the floors thoroughly first. And then disinfect the mop with steam.

Steam cleaner rating

Among the majority of steam cleaner models on the market, there are clear leaders that have earned recognition from experts and ordinary users:

1. Grand Master GM-Q 7 Elite
   is a multifunctional model with an iron included. Equipped with high power and a large water tank. Price is about $240.
2. Kitfort KT-903
   is a powerful, small-sized and multifunctional device. Cost – $170.
3. ENDEVER Odyssey Q-410
   is one of the best handheld models that comes with multiple attachments and a larger water tank. Cost – $15.
4. Smile ESC 1026
   is indispensable for manual cleaning of glass surfaces and fabrics. Equipped with a long power cord. Cost – $26.
5. Karcher SC 2
   . The steam cleaner for the home is equipped with an expanded set of functions, including “child protection”. Price – $138.

What can be cleaned with a steam cleaner?

It is not difficult to answer this question. This household appliance can clean almost everything! Yes, yes, a steam cleaner is a universal device.

Using a steam cleaner you can:

• Wash floors made of a variety of materials: wood, laminate, linoleum, tile.
• Clean the surface of the sofa and carpets.
• Wash radiators and batteries.
• Clean wallpaper.
• Wash tiles and furniture in the bathroom.
• Wash windows, glass, mirrors.
• Clean surfaces from hair and animal fur.
• Remove old fat.
• Clean the inside of the refrigerator, oven, hob, hood, microwave oven.
• Rid your car interior of germs.
• Iron and clean clothes, tulle, curtains.
• Clean soft toys from dust and mites.

Advantages of cleaning with a steam cleaner:

1. Ridding surfaces of harmful fungi, bacteria, germs and mold.
2. Getting rid of unpleasant odors, including dampness.
3. Gets rid of stains on any surface.
4. There is no need to use household chemicals.
5. Increasing the volume of pile when processing carpets.
6. Copes with getting rid of dirt in hard-to-reach places.
7. Cleans greasy surfaces.

1. Wash wooden products that are varnished.
2. Clean soft plastic.
3. Treat surfaces that cannot be wet cleaned.
4. Clean silk and velor fabrics.
5. Wash windows during frosts.

DIY steam cleaner

It is quite possible to make a furniture steam cleaner yourself by correctly selecting and connecting the following parts:

1. Water reservoir
   . This could be a metal canister or a fire extinguisher bottle.
2. A heating element
   . Both heating elements and carbon heaters are chosen. Electric or wood stoves are also used.
3. Steam supply system accessories
   . This is a pipeline with nozzles of the required diameter.
4. Safety sensors
   that turn off the system when the water heats up to a certain temperature and the maximum permissible pressure in the system is reached.
5. Additional accessories
   in the form of a protective casing or wheels for moving the container.

How to use a steam cleaner?

Using a steam generator/steamer correctly, you can not only extend the life of the device, but also efficiently and quickly remove contaminants in a safe way. The operating instructions indicate that:

1. First you need to assemble the device and select a suitable nozzle.
2. Fill the reservoir with water and only then turn on the device to the power supply.
3. After turning on, you must wait until the water is completely heated, as indicated by a special indicator.
4. Select the desired steam supply mode and remove the gun from the safety lock.
5. Treat contaminated surfaces.
6. Disconnect the device from the power supply and open the tank lid slightly to cool it down.
7. After a few minutes, you can drain the remaining water in the container and wipe all parts with a damp cloth.