If you’re looking for a powerful and effective way to clean without using chemicals, you could be in the market for a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners work on almost all household surfaces – tile, carpet, and furniture – and they can be ideal for people who suffer from allergies, especially if you have pets in your home. The strength of a good steam cleaner is not only that it gets the house clean, but also that it kills bacteria and disinfects even the smallest crevices. Most people agree it’s a smart investment, but you want to make sure you know enough about the product to choose your steam cleaner wisely, and to find one that meets your individual needs.
What Do You Need to Clean?
Deciding how you’re going to use your steam cleaner is the first step in deciding which kind you need. Steam cleaners can be full size or hand held. If you have carpet in your home, you need one that is designed to clean carpet, but most of those models also come with hard surface capabilities. The smaller steam cleaners are good for getting into tight spaces, and they might work better if you have a home with multiple stories and you don’t want to be lugging your steam cleaner up the stairs all the time. But if you have several large rooms or areas that need to be cleaned regularly, a larger steam cleaner will be necessary.
Features and Accessories
Your steam cleaner will need an adjustable nozzle so you can control how much steam a particular room or area needs. Many steam cleaners also come with attachments to clean sofas and other furniture. Look for a model that comes with a variety of accessories and ways to let you customize how you clean your home. You should find out how easy it is to get replacement parts for your steam cleaner, including new brushes and handles. A good quality machine should be capable of adequate pressure and make hot enough steam. More expensive models will typically get the water hotter, but about 240 degrees is all you need.
Steam Cleaning Safety
Many steam cleaners come with built-in safety features that can be very important, especially if you have children or pets. If the steam cleaner is left on, it will automatically shut itself off, preventing steam burns on your floors or even worse, on you. Other models will also shut off if you try and run them without water. And most good steam cleaners have a safety cap in case there is too much pressure in the boiler area of the device. Steam cleaners can cause damage if not used properly, so it’s best to be familiar with the right way to clean, even with the built-in precautions on your side. Some of them even come with instructional videos so you know what not to do.
Most people find their steam cleaners indispensable because they can work on so many different kinds of surfaces. They also kill dust mites and even mold – giving huge relief to allergy sufferers and saving you a lot of money on cleaning products. Even if you splurge on a larger and more expensive model, you might find the investment pays off, because you don’t have to worry so much about the toxins in your house, bacterial or chemical. And keeping things easy can be the most important motivator of all.
See Also:
- Appliance Repair or Replace: To Buy or Not To Buy?
- Restaurant Night at Home: A Great Saving Technique
- Best Money Advice: 5 Everyday Items Which Are Worth Investing In, and 5 Which Aren’t
- Extreme Couponing for Beginners
- Tips on Eating Right on a Limited Budget
Amazon:
- MR-100 Primo Steam Cleaning System With Lifetime Warranty
- McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner
- The Cleaning Encyclopedia
Photo credit: Dyson DC26 by Robert Scarth, on Flickr
