How to choose a steam cleaner

Along with aqua-washing vacuum cleaners, steam mops and other household appliances, steam cleaners are becoming more important today, facilitating the improvement, as well as improving the quality of cleaning in residential or other premises. However, a wide range of steam cleaners, differing in appearance, functionality, cost and other characteristics, causes most buyers to be perplexed: how to choose a steam cleaner from the mass of the proposed options?

Overview of steam cleaners

Relatively recently, steam cleaners were used only for floor disinfection in medical facilities and were quite bulky devices. Over time, a variety of models of steam cleaners appeared in stores that were upgraded to a compact size, which immediately aroused the interest of a large number of consumers.

Along with the previous models, the principle of modern devices is the surface treatment by the action of a powerful jet of hot steam without the use of any chemistry. The source of steam formation is distilled, filtered or ordinary boiled water, which is poured into a special tank of the steam cleaner. When the device is turned on, the water temperature begins to increase gradually, and after reaching the boiling point, it is converted to a gaseous state. When you press the start button located on the body of the device or on the starting pistol, a jet of steam escapes from the nozzle of the tank under high pressure and affects a small area of ​​the surface, the size of which is determined by the area of ​​the used nozzle.

Surface treatment with high-temperature steam contributes not only to the removal of old and hard-to-remove stains of grease and dirt, but also to the disposal of housing from harmful microorganisms, preventing the occurrence of diseases such as asthma, allergies. Particularly relevant is the purchase of a steam cleaner for a home where young children, pets and people prone to upper respiratory tract diseases live.

The ecological cleanliness of the consumable material, the compact dimensions of the device and the ease of operation open unlimited possibilities for the application of steam cleaners in everyday life, offices, medical centers. However, before buying, it is worth considering both the positive and negative aspects associated with the use of steam cleaners, most of which are detected only during the operation of the device.

Advantages / disadvantages of steam cleaners

Like any household appliances, steam cleaners are not devoid of certain advantages and disadvantages, which the buyer learns only after the purchase and direct use of the device.

Among the most significant advantages of steam cleaners are:

• destruction of various kinds of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms;
• removal of old stains from clothes, furniture upholstery, carpets and other surfaces;
• disposal of clothing items from the smell of mold, dampness, old age;
• visual update of carpets under the influence of steam due to the raising of pile;
• cleaning of contaminated sites in hard-to-reach areas through a variety of attachments;
• operating time.

Despite the fact that with the help of the steam cleaner it is possible to wash the interior of the car, the bathroom, the kitchen and cope with cleaning carpets, furniture, clothes and other interior details, the main disadvantages of using a unique device boil down to the following:

• on glass and other transparent surfaces there are small divorces, which are easily removed with a microfibre cloth;
• when handling old stains, it is necessary to apply efforts, because the dirt under the influence of steam will not disappear on its own;
• high cost.

Against the backdrop of all the advantages, the shortcomings of steam cleaners are not of particular importance. However, the list of pros and cons depends largely on the type, model and other indicators of the selected steam cleaner.

Types of steam cleaners

The entire range of household steam cleaners offered today by different manufacturers is conditionally divided into 2 types:

• manual. In most cases, manual steam cleaners are available in the form of teapots and are the best option for carrying out work of small volume. They differ in compactness, minimal set of additional functions, low power( 600-1600 W) and cost. However, the weight of the device without taking into account water reaches 1 kg or more, which makes it difficult to clean the surface of a large area, since one hand constantly has to hold the steam cleaner and the second to wipe the treated surface. In addition, the duration of the continuous operation of hand-held devices does not exceed 20 minutes due to the small volume of the tank( 0.2-0.5 liters).After refueling the steam cleaner with water, you will have to wait until the water turns into steam, resulting in large areas being stretched for a fairly long time;

• outdoor steam cleaners are made in the form of vacuum cleaners and are suitable for both domestic and professional use. Unlike manual, stationary steam cleaners are powerful( 1500-2300 W), multifunctional devices, the time of intensive work is 1 hour or more, since the capacity of the tank varies within the limits of 1.5-3.2 liters. However, the cost of floor steam cleaners, equipped with various additional features, does not always correspond to the budget of the middle stratum of the population.

Thus, floor steam cleaners are devoid of many drawbacks inherent in handheld devices, however their cost remains at a rather high level.

Steam Cleaner Selection Criteria Steam cleaners that externally have a similar design, but differ in cost, have either different design features that affect the performance of the device or are equipped with a number of additional functions that may not be required during operation. And if several are presented, at first glance, there is little difference between steam cleaners, which one should be chosen then and on what characteristics should it pay special attention?

When selecting a steam cleaner it is desirable to analyze the following points:

• manufacturer. The durability of the equipment largely depends on the quality of the materials used in the production of goods, therefore household appliances of well-known manufacturers are worth a lot, but also serves decently. However, from models of famous brands, which include steam cleaners philips and no less popular karcher steam cleaners, you can always choose a budget option that meets the conditions of future operation. Odyssey steam cleaners, which cost varies between brands of producers philips and karcher, have proved to be quite good;
• power - affects the speed and quality of cleaning. The optimum option for home use is a steam cleaner with a power of at least 1000 W;
• tank volume - determines the time of continuous use of equipment. Heating of the liquid in a tank of small volume can take place in 15-60 seconds, while warming up the capacious tank takes 10-20 minutes. For example, a steam cleaner with a capacity of about 1 liter can run continuously from 15-30 minutes;
• iron. Steam boiler is made of aluminum or steel. In this case, the aluminum boiler is less susceptible to scale and more quickly heated;
• vapor pressure( 1.5-4 bar), along with the power of the device, affects the quality of the treatment. For general cleaning of the house it is better to purchase equipment with a pressure of at least 3 bar;
• the maximum vapor temperature should be about 130 ° C.This value is sufficient to remove various kinds of domestic pollution. At the same time, surface treatment with steam, the temperature of which is below 110 ° C, is unlikely to please the owner of the miracle of technology in the fight against mold and old spots;
• The length of the hose( 1,5-3 m) is a necessary criterion when buying an outdoor steam cleaner, since it is quite problematic to get to the interior items near the ceiling or on the cabinet, with a hose length of 1.5 m, and raise the entire device in 5-6 kg and keep it at altitude for a while - not everyone can;
• nozzles. The functionality of the steam cleaner depends on the number and type of nozzles. Most often used nozzles for cleaning the floor, textiles, window cleaning, point nozzle, spray nozzle, round brush and others.

Some additional functions will also be superfluous, for example:

• steam regulator - provides the ability to process clothes with dry steam, and remove persistent dirt on hard surfaces - wet;
• safety valve - protects the user from a burn, preventing the tank from opening when there is pressure in it;
• availability of a removable tank - simplifies the process of filling and releasing the tank from liquid after operation;
• child protection is performed in the form of a button-locking button, thereby preventing the escape of the steam jet without first unlocking the safety button;
• control on the handle - is important for outdoor steam cleaners, because during operation there is no need to tilt each time to switch modes;
• continuous steam function - convenient for cleaning carpets, tiles in the bathtub and other large areas, as there is no need to hold your finger on the start button.

Before buying a steam cleaner, it is worth remembering that powerful devices better clean and disinfect the most difficult surfaces in hard-to-reach places. However, devices with a high power and pressure rating with a small reservoir capacity do not differ in long-term operation under intensive use conditions.

Help better understand certain models of steam cleaners for home feedback from relatives, friends who have been using the device for a long time. However, what to buy a steam cleaner to solve only the future user, since only the buyer himself knows for what purpose this universal device is purchased.