How do you use a steam cleaner effectively around the house?

[Justamumof2x]

Hi all,

ive had a steam cleaner for some time now and i only used it once. Saw videos of people using it in their house leaving this lovely shine afterwards and mine still look the same if not worse.

I tried it in the bathrooms etc I just don’t understand it. Is it supposed to clean stuff or just kill off bacteria.

are you meant to clean first then steam clean as a final step?

also we live in an area with very hard water so limescale is intense in our home. Around taps and shower doors. The steam cleaner did nothing but people still rave about it.

please help? Tips on how you use yours? Thank you

Ive just bought one too and wondering the same...to me it looked like it was damaging my shower screen frame!

Yes exactly! From the website (ps I have the karcher one) I read it leaves polished and limescale free taps for example etc but if I have to clean it first with a spray and cloth then It is already clean and polished so I don’t understand what the steamer is for

Following as I am the same as you OP - can't really figure out how its meant to work.

Same here. Had it for ages, only used once as seemed to do nothing. Would like help too

So I have the karcher one as well. I use it to clean the tiles, around the bath, taps etc. Then the floor cleaner for the flooring, I put the little white covers over the bristles. I would then wipe down with a spray for the smell

I use it to blast our crevices in the bathroom and kitchen. You know like your washing machine has little ledges and gaps where the top fits to the base? Or the rail thing under the shower glass?

Or my cooker knobs. Mine don't come out! So you can't wash them that way, the steam cleaner blasts them clean.

You do often have to scrub first to remove the build up, and then I blast it out with the steam cleaner. Same for around the toilet seat. Anywhere you see a little gap, point and blast and you'll be shocked at what comes out.

For the cooker, I use it to both blast out crevices, and sort of rinse off product.

Also, window tracks.

I have just steam cleaned my new place from top to bottom, it’s so good.

Steam cleaning lifts and loosens dirt. No need to scrub hard or use lots of water, and it reaches everywhere indeed. Spray your cleaning product, steam, pass a microfibre cloth over to dry, for stubborn marks, just go over them a bit harder, and they’re gone. Magic.

But hard limescale is not like dirt, low water content, steam can help make it a bit easier, but you ll still need the right product and to scrub I believe.

I love love my steam cleaners. I have two - one is an old quite heavy duty one, and the other is an attachment on my steam mop.

When I get the big one out I tend to clean everything in sight. As mentioned it’s great for getting into crevices especially things like shower and door tracks. Sometime the steam pressure is enough to dislodge the dirt, sometimes you need to loosen with cleaner. Specifically I like blasting the hinges on the toilet seat, now you know it’s clean and hygienic. Agree you need to use limescale remover first.

Like many things, the more you use it the more you will see what its good more.
Happy steaming!

I bought one a few years ago after people at work raving about them but I think I thought it would be more
of a steam blaster (like a pressure washer somehow!) but it just loosens dirt a bit and then you cleaned afterwards.

I found the hole process quite hot and wet and ended up burning my hand in the process 😂

Any recommendations for a steam cleaner? Many thanks

Mine is good for getting into all the awkward places that can get missed during usual cleaning, the crevices in the shower screen, behind the taps, the inside of window frames, glass wardrobe doors. But for general day to day cleaning it's too much faff.

It leaves a lot of water/steam behind so everything still needs dried off and polished to finish.

I love, love, love my steam cleaner. I use it firstly for floors, but also all the little nooks and crannies such as:
cooker knobs
door handles in the kitchen- they’re a bit fiddly.
All the crevices around the shower.
I discovered a new place this week. When deep cleaning the bathroom I remove the toilet seat and give it a good soak in the bath. That means I can give the back of the toilet a good wipe which I did and it gleamed. Then I decided to give the two silver discs that the seat connects to a blast with the steamer 🤮🤮 Loads of brown stuff came out, disgusting. I do get a weird sense of satisfaction using my steamer, I’m obsessed, my dc are scared to stand still in case I decide they look a little grubby.

I bloody love my steam cleaner. The stupid wee crevices in uvpc doors, and my favourite thing to clean, the inside of the radiators.

Yes @PlacestogoI would like some recommendations @Springbuckyour gadget sounds amazing can you link it please 🙏🏻

I can’t do links, sorry but I use this one. It’s £50

I've had 2 over the years plus a steam mop and ditched them all they just seemed a faff and easier to clean without them.

@Springbuckthank you

We have really hard water and my last one clogged up, I think because of this.
Does anyone know if there’s anything you can add to the water to stop this happening?
It was great for blasting out all the build up from little cracks and crevices. I’d love another one but don’t want the same thing to happen again!

I think they are probably better in areas where limescale isn't an issue. However I think you have to stick with it a bit before you realise just how amazing it is - at first it feels like a bit of a faff, until you get used to it.

I'm another person who wouldn't be without one. Kitchen, bathroom floors, windows - it's a game changer! When the kids were little and we had those apocalyptic clean-ups after D&V etc it was worth it's weight in gold.

Also, I clean holiday apartments, and when guests leave a bathroom in a state it's great to go in feeling like a Ghostbusters, blast the lot before the cloth even goes near it.

It basically feels like the difference between actually removing dirt efficiently and fast, and just smearing it around.

Mine is a Karcher.