If you were going to buy a kärcher steam cleaner...

[Pyrrhagena]

...which one would you buy and why?

[pluCaChange]

Are you sure you want a big steam cleaner, and not a several-in-one steam mop? I have had a few steam cleaners, the sort with the tank in the belly and a separate handle, and have found they are very heavy and cumbersome, so I got very little use out of them. Moreover, the big steam tank has to cool before it can be opened, and the whole procedure is just a bit of a pain. Even though the tank on an upright steam mop/detatchable handheld empties quickly, it can be refilled easily and gets hot again quickly, so the whole thing is just much more user-friendly.

Apologies if you are after a power-washer style thing, as my comments willl be irrelevant!

[Pyrrhagena]

I have never used one before. I don't know anyone who has so am open to all advice! We are moving soon (out of a flat, 80% tiled floors, rest wooden, three walls worth of floor to ceiling windows, tiled balcony, one very hard to clean set of sliding doors in the shower) to a new place which will also be mostly tiled but not so many windows. I shall have to do the hand over clean and am also looking for something that will make cleaning easier in the new place.

I had seen (a slightly more expensive) large one where the water tank is detachable. I almost bought a small hand held one today but stopped at the last minute thinking I don't know enough about them.

DH has agreed I can get one but has said I should look at the kärcher as they are a good brand.

[pluCaChange]

Do a search on MN for steam mop. You can detatch the tank to squeegee windows and melt oven grease! Steam mops are great on tile, and the floor is dry straight away, so really user-friendly!

I have a Shark, but others swear by Morphy Richards, so it's just a question of finding what suits you.

Good luck!

[Pyrrhagena]

I can't get any of those brands where i am. The only steam mop seems to be from Clean Maxx.

Maybe a silly question... What is the difference between a Steam Mop and using a floor cloth on the e.g. kärcher sc2.500?

We have a lot of windows, seriously, three walls of our flat are entirely glass, floor to ceiling with doors in them. Would a steam mop really be practical to clean that inside and out?

[pluCaChange]

That just looks heavy, and I've found it's a pain to refill such a pressurised tank. Are there really no upright steam mops available?

Some examples using Amazon, whose local version msy deliver to you:

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00BW3VYA4?cache=6f3ea28d9625e239217f7dc46f811749&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1403040820&sr=8-1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00DT3Y6FU?cache=6f3ea28d9625e239217f7dc46f811749&pi=AC_SX110_SY165&qid=1403040900&sr=8-4&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21#ref=mp_s_a_1_4

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00HPZK8QO?cache=6f3ea28d9625e239217f7dc46f811749&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1403040969&sr=8-1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

[erin99]

I'm quite attached to my karcher one but I wouldn't know one model from another. I like the fact that you can use pieces of old towel instead of special cloths for the floor cleaning attachment. You don't have to wait for the tank to cool down, you release the pressure by unplugging it and then holding down the handle as for normal cleaning for about 30 seconds.


I've never had to refill the tank mid-task, it's always lasted as long as needed. I usually use just-boiled water from the kettle but I don't think it takes long from cold if you only put in enough, for example, to do the kitchen floor.

I do still want one of those window vacuum things though.

[Pyrrhagena]

A friend of mine has just got one of the window vacuum things and she says it is awesome! I'm going to get one too.

This is one that I was looking at 2.600 here I'm not sure if I'd ever use it as an iron so would probably go for the cheaper one.

plu Does it matter if it's heavy? (it says 4kg, but surely it's just like a hoover in that it just runs around after you. Why would you need to carry it?)

[erin99]

Mine is really not heavy. It looks like a vacuum cleaner but feels more like a toy one than a real one! And as pyrrhagena says, the whole point is it stays on the floor.