- Did you find setting up the Steam Cleaner easy, were the instructions helpful?
My 3 YO DD figured out how to fit most of it together as she was taking the parts out of the box, while DH used the instructions to figure out the rest easily enough. So assembling didn't seem too difficult!
I read the instructions once DH was finished with them and they seemed straightforward enough. I was mildly entertained by the information that I shouldn't use the steam cleaner in an explosive area and the warning that I shouldn't clamp my fingers!
Agree that an extra sheet giving examples of which attachment to use where and the best practice to achieve optimal effect (i.e. dry off with another cloth or leave damp?) would be good for steam cleaner novices. Could even be in picture format, so universal for all languages. Or, maybe a sheet pointing towards some in depth video demonstrations on the website?
- What were your impressions from the first few uses?
Very positive. It took a short while to warm up and the noise initially startled me, but once the light indicated it was ready to go then I was extremely impressed by the power and consistent steam provided. Refilling was very easy as required and I had no problem changing the ends as needed. The pipe got warm (understandably) but never too hot to handle.
I agree with the comments that there could have been a better way of storing the wire, and the wire itself seems a bit short.I have a long kitchen and unless I use the central socket I'm not sure it would reach from one end to the other.
Also, as someone who is very pregnant at the moment, I'd have appreciated the carry handle sticking up further (or having a hinge to allow it to stick up further) so I had to bend over less in order to pick up/move the steam cleaner!
We had two of each type of cloth provided in our pack which has been enough, as the floor cloths are reversible once they get a bit mucky. I might get some of the thicker plush cloths at some point and I'm eyeballing the wire brush with scraper attachment to tackle the BBQ over the summer.
Washing the cloths was easy, just threw them in the washing machine to tumble dry with some other cleaning cloths and towels. They've come out clean, soft and ready for another use. Nice touch by the way that it specifically states that the cloths were pre-washed and ready for immediate use out of the box.
- Where have you used the Steam Cleaner?
So far I've done a complete clean of the master bathroom, which included the sink, tiles, floor, bath, taps, towel rail, mirror and shower screen. I balked at using my lovely new steam cleaner to clean the toilet, so used my usual disposable wipes there.
I was impressed, particularly with the mirror and the shower screen! The screen in particular was a bit scummy with soap, but a blast all over with the steam cleaner than a wipe down with a dry cloth and it came up crystal clean and sparkling.
Aside from that, we've done the lounge and kitchen floors downstairs and they've come up very nicely. In the next day or two, I'm intending to tackle the oven door, the microwave, the hob/splashback and the inside of the washing machine. Will also be taking on the murky floor of the WC... Will report back!
- What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using a Steam Cleaner?
So far, the shower screen. I was expecting a bit more of a battle and some scrubbing to get it to come up clean, but it was shining with minimal effort on my part.
- Did you you use this for more functions than you originally planned?
Not much so far, except that I hadn't initially thought of using it on the towel rail and spontaneously decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did! Came up lovely.
I am now planning on tackling some of the insides of the windows to see whether it can easily budge the sticky fingerprints of DD and muddy paw prints of the cats. For that matter, I might try it out on the cat beds and get DH to tackle the cat flap. (Not sure I could bend down that far right now...)
We're setting up the birthing pool tonight, so once we've given that a trial fill, I'll be using the steam cleaner to clean/sterilise it. I hadn't initially thought of using the steam cleaner on fabrics, but given what other people have described I'm currently contemplating whether to try the steam cleaner on some things like the car seats!