I am not sure if this is the best place to put this but it concerns the dogs indirectly. I bought a handheld steam cleaner the other day as other people have told me how good they are for cleaning things. As my house is often covered with mud  splashes on the walls from the dogs and my windows decorated with nose art I thought I would invest.

The blub tells me I will be more environmentally friendly as I wont have to use detergents etc when washing things. I will save money as I wont be buying expensive cleaners and it will clean wonderfully.

I have tested it this morning and I am  struggling to see the advantages of it. I have to lug it round with me and squirt steam at things I want to clean. I still have to wipe everything with a cloth to remove the steam and dirt.  I am just not seeing any benefit to the steam cleaner above washing everything down with a bowl of warm soapy water. As for the environmental benefits I suppose I am not using chemicals but there is a power station out there somewhere burning fossil fuels to make the electricity to make the heat to produce the steam and what I save on the cost of  detergent I will no doubt spend on electricity.

does anyone else out there use one of these and can reassure me that the extra hassle of having to find an extension lead just so I can clean any distance from an electrical outlet is worth if both for myself and the environment

I stopped using them for the exact reasons you state, PLUS the fact that nothing got AS clean as when for instance mopping floors with an old fashioned mop, water and Mistral. I found it a lot quicker and more effective to just fill a bucket of water, add some Mistral and use a mop. This was after several years of using steam cleaners, I had 3 different ones over the years, then when I stopped the relief was huge. :)

I never found it got things other than floors properly clean like kitchen surfaces, cooker etc, either. And the worst thing was, two of the ones I had had the hose come loose during use, which meant boiling steam shot out of the end. I was SO lucky that no animal was nearby and that I was able to quickly throw a towel over the machine. THAT was scary, and it didn't just happen once either. It could have led to serious burns.

Ditto

Right I will package it up again and give it to DD for an extra Christmas present. She might like it and it might just give her some motivation to clean up as she doesnt keep her house up to my standard :)

I paid a fortune for a decent one but found like you that while you get the dirt up you need another cloth to remove the dirt.. Counter productive if you ask me.
I've used it a number of times on carpets and it's good for minor dirt removal

I use mine on floors with the towelling attachments and is really good for real wood floors . I have also used it on my range master cooker.l also good for limescale in bathrooms especially showers

Yes like you I found it quicker to get a bucket and mop. Oh and I like the smell of disinfectant lol. My steam mop is stuck at the back of the cupboard and thats where it will stay. Fortunately my steam mop is only a cheap one, I would not be happy spending a small fortune on a more expensive model that does not do all the tv sales people tell you it does. If you trawl through the many reviews for these steam cleaners you will find a lot of them are not good.

Yep, give it away.

We bought one years ago and it's spent most of its time in the loft. OH bought it and has been the only one to use it as I can't be bothered.

Lucy I have a towelling add on too, but within seconds it's flirt and spreading the dirt around and there are only so many times you can keep changing them, well for me anyway... It works a lot better once mopped and them steam cleaned as I do think they get up the ground in dirt, however I need a lot of time on my hands to do that, which as you're probably aware I don't lol.

X

I like the floor steam mop until I discovered it isnt suitable for laminates or wood floors due to the risk of the floor lifting or the wood splitting. Fine on ceramics and probably lino etc  I stopped using after it damage my amtico

Thanks for posting this,   many of the adverts claim a stream mop is good for wood/ laminates, or imply it, and I've always thought it would be a bad thing for both.

It's good to know that I was right on this.

And it's good to know how useless they are too -  those adverts are cleverly done and very convincing

I would add I do like my karcher steam cleaner but for occasional specific use ie the grouting in particular. It doesn't get an oven clean imo or the ceramic hob and I do clean my oven or at least wipe it over most times I use it and regularly completely clean it so its not as if its filthy and still the steam doesn't do it.
For floors I have now got a vileda 1-2 spray which is just a handle which you fill with water and whatever , often mistral and has a flat bottom to it and a spray on the handle together wither a fitted cloth. £20 and brilliant for every day mopping of mucky dog floors

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8551159.htm?CMPID=GS001&_$ja=cgid:17470725033|tsid:59157|cid:199888113|lid:92279947353|nw:g|crid:55565912313|rnd:492660962274557172|dvc:c|adp:1o5|bku:1   here you go sorry it was £24

Thanks. looks interesting but I dont think it would cope with the mud brought in by 6 dogs on a rainy day. which is why I have never bothered with a steam floor cleaner. You really cant beat an old fasioned mop and bucket. I have tried all manner of different style fancy  mops and still go back to the old traditional one :)

I,caused the 'Flash' spray mop for years.   OH 'doctored' the lid of the bottle and I use Mistral with it :-)    I also have a wide flat sweeper which has changeable pads, two wash pads and two dusting pads.    Both work equally well :-)

My steam cleaner is languishing somewhere.  I got fed up of using dozens of cloths to wipe away the grime.

Like a few (it would seem) it is a case of a mop and Mistral.  I do love my eucalyptus smell.  :-) 

Think you are right smithy for those days guess what I use ? yep the old fashion mop and bucket lol and lots of towels

I bought a steam cleaner recently too and like everyone else really cant see the point in it. Used it once then am back to using a bucket of water. I was told that the steam disinfects the surfaces it is used on but with several dogs running around I am fighting a losing battle with bacteria. Anyway research shows that you need contact with bacteria to make your immune system stronger. My kids all seemed healthy growing up and didnt suffer unduly from bugs so I guess  not disinfecting everything didnt have too detrimental an effect.

Anyway research shows that you need contact with bacteria to make your immune system stronger.

I used to work for a vet who was really worried about germs when it came to her own animals. If anyone wanted to stroke her cat, they had to disinfect their hands with surgical spirit first. Her animals always seemed to be ill! Me and the other nurse would often say to each other that they'd have no proper immune system as everything was kept too clean.

Wow, timely or what! I was about to go and buy one. Now I think I'll be happy to just set fire to the money ;-)

Anyway research shows that you need contact with bacteria to make your immune system stronger.

Don't know if anyone saw it but there was a good programme on Horizon a while back, about a research project that had been done about the increase in allergies, intolerances etc in kids these days and they proved that kids who were exposed to various germs, bugs bacteria and general DIRT in small amount from an early age were far less affected than kids in a 'super hygenic' environment.

All these advert for anti-bacterial sprays and wipes etc that are on TV............who realistically goes round spray/wiping the door handles and stair rails because someone sneezed

>who realistically goes round spray/wiping the door handles and stair rails because someone sneezed

We do at work! And I do the bathroom door handle and the flush. :-)

I bought a portable steam cleaner a while back and thought it was awful.Trying to direct the steam was a nightmare. Recently chucked it out! 

>We do at work! And I do the bathroom door handle and the flush

do you do it at home as well?

> Now I think I'll be happy to just set fire to the money ;-)"

No spend it on dog stuff :)

Never had a steam cleaner, never thought they would do what they say. So I use a mop and bucket too, but I did get the one that has a lever in the bucket than spins the mop head round and dries it out to dry the floor (and to rinse the mop) and I find it brilliant. Couldn't go with anything else now.