Steam cleaning recommendations

[jelly15]

I know some of you ladies have been trying out Black and Decker products so it got me thinking that I would like to try steam cleaning, no nasty chemicals etc. Do any of you currently use a steam cleamer? I particularly would like to clean windows and shower doors with it as well as toys and floors. Any recommendations would be welcome.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

I have had 3 steam cleaners in the last 4 years.

The first 2 I got off of pitch tv and whilst they were good the pads were expensive to replace. Last year I got a JML Shark which gets the dirt up but it wasn't as effective.

I got my Black and Decker 2 samples this week and so far so good. There are 3 models. The basic is just that but if all you want is to mop and clean it is good for £89.99 but there is the same one with a longer cord and extra pads for £10 more. The second model has 2 heads, one rectangular and one trianglar, easy to change too at £129.99 I think and number 3 is my favourite. It has a detachable part that you can carry around the house and the attachments allow all sorts of cleaning and that one is £149.99 but there isn't the triangular head as standard on this.

Overall I like the B&D but I have only had it for 2 days... watch this space.

[Lorna45]

Hi I have an Aqua cylinder steam cleaner, bought off eBay for £40 and it is the best thing ever it is very light and has attachments that mean I can use all over the house and cleans toys in seconds. I use it everyday and don't know how I managed without it the only draw back the power lead isn't long enough so have to use with extension lead. :)

[lubeam]

Can u use steam cleaners on laminent?! Thanks ladies :)

[Lorna45]

I use mine on tiled floor solid wood floors, laminate flooring and carpet x

[SammyL]

Will these get the grout between tiles clean. It never seems as clean as the tiles!! :(

[Lorna45]

I clean all the bathroom with it and it does bring the grout back to life, I clean all the inside of the car as well, it's great for cleaning the toys, travel cots and mattresses :)

[smurfette]

Can u use steam cleaners on laminent?! Thanks ladies :)

Only some of them I think.. If it says 'suitable for sealed wooden floors' that is not laminates..
Cos they usually aren't sealed and the steam gets in the gaps and warps it..so I read recently. Best to get one which specifically says for laminates

[lauraring1]

I have got the H20 x5 steamer, it's brilliant, multi uses, tiles, all flooring, windows, carpet, ovens etc! Well worth the money (£100) so quick and easy :0)

[jelly15]

Thanks ladies. I live in a hard water area so it leaves lots of stubborn water marks that even Viakal can't fully shift, does steam work on this?

[AliceK]

I don't seem to get on well with steam cleaners. I love them but they always break quickly, maybe I over use them. I do love to steam mop my kitchen floor. I can quite happily do it 3 times a day, not at the moment though as I haven't got one.
Just a word of warning though, I have ruined a toilet seat and some paintwork with my hand held steamer :panic:

xxxx

[Chatterbox Childcare]

The B&D don't work on unsealed wooden floors but do work on laminate. All of their models have 3 settings - stone/marble - laminate - tiled and it is quick and easy to use.

The others I can tried have steam coming out of the side of them and this was wasted energy. The top of the range one, although expensive, has a hand held attachment that does everything including grout, cookers, defrosting freezer and the list goes on.

[Kiddleywinks]

I've never owned a steam mop before, but have borrowed my mums H2O prior to getting the B&D one
I have laminate floor, tiled in the kitchen, and then lino in the bathroom.

When I used mums H2O, the floor was as wet as if I'd mopped so took about 20 minutes to dry which defeated the object, it also left the floor streaky - particularly obvious on my dark wood laminate floor
Steam spewed out of it which made me think 'Great it's working', but as Chatterbox said, that's actually wasted energy and therefore not hitting the surface I'm trying to clean.

I used the B&D one and the floor was dry within 5 minutes and not streaky :clapping:
It did have a dull, almost dusty like film over it, but I thought that might be more to do with the build up of cleaning products used over the years so, so I used a degreaser on half of an area that has heavy foot traffic, then mopped the whole area again, and that did make a difference.
The treated area was less filmy, so I'm hoping that over a period of time, it will go completely.
TV Advertising gives the impression we'll all get shiny floors using a steam mop, but unless the surface was shiny to begin with, it aint gonna happen :laughing:

I had a mouldy area around the bath, which I've previously used mould and mildew remover on and a toothbrush, and never quite got it clean. Used the hand held steamer on it and it got it much cleaner - I've also discovered that the mould is actually growing on the sealant so am going to have redo that as the force of the steam 'lifted' the edge of the silicone - oopsie! (my fault)

The problem with grout is that it's designed to absorb a certain amount of water (yes, even waterproof grout isn't actually waterproof - it's water resistant!) so when you use coloured shower gels, soap, etc it stains the grout, which no steamer will get white again.
The only way to get grout back to truly white is to regrout and then use a sealer on it, or use an epoxy resin grout which is used in abbatoirs/hospitals/laboratories etc, and extremely expensive to have done.

Testing continues!:thumbsup:

[Tazmin68]

Hi
Bit of a steam buff. I have a hometec steam mop now 7 years from lakeland. I have a hand steam cleaner again about 8 years old from a Shopping channel and last year git the black Decker window one advertised on tv about 45 which I love too.

[sali]

has anyone ever sed the vaxs steam mop or hand held cleaner? i was thinking of getting that bt wanted some feedback on it please?

[Tatjana]

has anyone ever sed the vaxs steam mop or hand held cleaner? i was thinking of getting that bt wanted some feedback on it please?

Some ladies on here including myself tested the vax along with the some others, the vax did well, although it comes with detergent which actually defeats the object of the steam as it's the steam temperature which gets rid of germs so no need for detergents.

Also, apparently some of the other makes do not reach the correct temperature to kill germs.

I've been using the deluxe B&D and am very happy with the results, previousf marks that were left on my floors are no longer there and I keep looking round my home to see what else I can steam! :laughing:

[LauraS]

Will these get the grout between tiles clean. It never seems as clean as the tiles!! :(

Sammy, we bought our steam cleaner purposely to do the grout (white grout, off white tiles on hall and kitchen floor that has outdoor shoes, pram and dogs paws all over it so looked grubby constantly!). Didn't work very well. We have instead sealed the grout with multiple coats of grout paint and about twice a week we clean it by hand, steam mopping every day in between. Grout is so porous its hard to keep spotless :/