Handheld Steam Cleaners

[~Megan~]

Do any of them actually work as well as they appear to on the infomercials?

It seems like a great idea especially for my really old home as it could help me reach the deep down grime that has been here since we moved in in the hard to clean places.

But before I drop $100-200 I need to know if any of them actually work? The Shark, Scunci, and Mc Cullough are some I'm looking at currently.

amazon has some reviews but I'm not really convinced.

[staceychev]

I like my Bissell Little Green (used with BioKleen Bac-Out), but I've only used it for upholstery. Works great for that. It never occurred to me to use it for the scary corners in my circa 1885 house, though!

[JD5351]

I had the Scunci, and I liked it..When it worked. I used it one day, then put it away and a couple weeks later went to use it again, and the power comes on, but it won't spray. Read some reviews online that said the same thing.

But when it worked, it was awesome. I used it to clean out my car even. And it was great inside the fridge.

[hopefulfaith]

I just have a Hoover hand-steamer, and I LOVE how I can clean the bathroom with it. I steam the heck out of toilet & the area around the toilet, etc., and it really does well. Amazing how much gunk is blasted out when you have it on high (I have two preschoolers, one of which is a boy who gets distracted when he aims).

If I could steam my kitchen floor, I'd have a Shark in a minute!

[LaughingHyena]

I don;t have a hand held one, mine is the size of a small vacuum. However I've not used it as much as I thought I would. It is great at little spots, and tight corners but I find cleaning larger areas with it a bit of a pain.

I like it for round the bottom of taps, the hinges of the toilet seat and those sort of places but I've never had success cleaning the oven I just seem to move the grease around. We did use it to get LOADS of dust and grime out of the radiators when we moved and it's great for playdough stuck in the carpet. Ours also has a floor attachment which works well but I can't be bothered to get it out that often.

My parents have a hand held one and it works OK, I don;t think it is quite as powerfull as our bigger one. The biggest downside though it that it runs out of water so fast, you can only use it for 10 minutes or so before you have to refill it and since it has to be cold to refill you spend quite a lot of time waiting for it to heat up/cool down/heat up.

[chimomma]

I have what I think is the cheapest steam cleaner available. It's a shark that I bought for like $35ish. Not the best for cleaning upholstery, carpet, or anything, but I have steamed my couches with it and it got cleaner, although I never bothered to keep cleaning those as long as I should. I really love using it in grimy areas like in the kitchen and bathroom. Works well in the bath tub and toilet area. I even use it to blast the corners of the high chair once in a while. I love cleaning windows with it. It is not the most convenient for every job, but it is fun to use and you can do a lot of deep cleaning with no chemicals! That is a big plus for me. Just seeing all the junk that I sprayed out from under the pedestal sink in the bathroom when I first moved into my new apartment was more than worth the price I paid for me.

[sunshineafterrain]

I have this one
http://www.amazon.com/Conair-SC11L-M...pr_product_top
only I got mine at a Big Lots store for $20

I think it does well for what it is. It is true about the ready light not working properly, so I just use common sense and try it when it seems ready~ you can tell.
It is a bit tempermental, sometimes you pull the trigger and the steam comes out when you let go, so I just went with it lol
The steam is not always burning hot- and I actually preferred that.
I did hold it too close to the paint on my stove and it removed some paint! so be careful about that (I held it way too close, practically touching, and for too long obviously)

It was so cheap that I cannot really complain- plus just the novelty of using it, got me to clean corners and other areas I would not usually bother with lol

The cord is heavy and a nice length.

I don't use the attachments or lysol with it, I just use it with plain tap water. My house smells clean after using it

One complaint with other hand-helds, which I read again and again, was that people had to wait to refill it til it cools off like 15 minutes- that does *not* happen with this one. When the water gets low, just refill the cup and you are ready to go again.

The reviews at amazon weren't great for this one, but my experience was reflected by the review of the person who gave it 4 stars (and I only paid half the price.)

Good luck!