A guide to steam cleaners

Cleaning shower screen with a steam cleaner attachment

Steam cleaners are a great home appliance when it comes to creating clean, sanitised spaces, and getting into those hard to reach corners and crevices. Here, we take a look at how steam cleaners work and what you can use them for in your home.

What is a steam cleaner?

A steam cleaner is a home appliance that sends a concentrated burst of steam out through a nozzle towards the area that you want to clean. Steam cleaners have their own water tanks which enable them to generate steam, and they are perfect for cleaning and sanitising all of your surfaces.

Many steam cleaners come with a range of attachments that make them suitable for a number of different cleaning jobs, and some even come with window cleaning heads to make that chore far easier.

What are steam cleaners good for?

Steam cleaners are good for cleaning a whole range of surfaces, and by having a range of attachments you can be sure that they’ll give you access to those hard to reach areas.

Steam cleaners make cleaning bathroom tiles and kitchen worktops quick and easy, and the use of steam means that this appliance will leave these areas perfectly sanitised without the use of expensive detergents and harsh chemicals.

Other great uses for steam cleaners include cleaning ovens, freshening up grouting, and getting around the taps, as you’re not restricted by a bulky attachment.

What types of steam cleaners are there?

There are a couple of different types of steam cleaner to look out for.

A handheld steam cleaner is a portable, space saving option with the ability to get into all of those tricky corners. They only have small water tanks so may need refilling often if you try to use them to clean larger surfaces, and you should keep in mind that the unit needs to be left to cool before the water tank is refilled.

Hand-held steam cleaner
Quest 4198 Steam Cleaner
A budget hand held option with a set of appliances for getting into every nook and cranny.
Available from amazon.co.uk

Something to consider when buying a handheld steam cleaner is how long the cord is, as a longer cord will allow you more freedom of movement whilst cleaning.

A cylinder steam cleaner is more like a vacuum cleaner in design as it has a main body with a hose attached to it. These are great if you have large areas to clean as they have large water tanks which can usually produce steam for 30 minutes or more, but they can be quite difficult to manoeuvre, especially if you have to take it up and down sets of stairs.

Mobile cylinder steam cleaner
Karcher SC 3 EasyFix Steam Cleaner
A multi-purpose steam cleaner with a large water tank and a range of accessories.
Available from amazon.co.uk

Cylinder steam cleaners tend to come with lots of handy attachments and accessories, so you’ll find that they can help you with the majority of your cleaning jobs if you’re happy to pull it along behind you.

Cylinder steam cleaners are, unsurprisingly, more expensive than their handheld counterparts, so you should consider how much use you’ll get out of it before making your purchase. You’ll probably find that you reach for a handheld version more frequently due to its practicality and ease of use, depending on what you want to use it for.

Now that you know all about steam cleaners, you’re ready to purchase the right one for your requirements today.

See Also
Shark steam mop head
Why buy a steam mop?
Steam mopping under a chair
Black & Decker Steam Mop