Kärcher SC2.500C review thread. Non-testers: Tell Kärcher about the cleaning tasks you avoid for a chance to win a SC2.500C Steam Cleaner! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the 15 Mumsnetters who are currently testing out the Kärcher SC2.500C Steam Cleaner.

Kärcher say "The Kärcher SC2.500C Steam Cleaner makes light work of grease, dirt, stains and even limescale, delivering deep cleaning results with no chemicals or scrubbing. It kills 99.9% of bacteria with just the power of steam, and can be used on most surfaces around the home"

Non-Testers: What cleaning tasks do you have trouble with? Maybe you avoid cleaning the oven or dread scrubbing the bathroom? Are there any tasks that you think a steam cleaner could help with? Whatever your cleaning woes, Kärcher would love to hear about them.

Everyone who leaves their response on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win their own Kärcher SC2.500C!

Testers: We'll be asking you to add feedback twice - we'd like your first impressions now and in a week we will add some more questions.

So, for your first impressions, Kärcher would love to know:

• Did you find setting up the Steam Cleaner easy, were the instructions helpful?
• What were your impressions from the first few uses?
• Where have you used the Steam Cleaner?
• What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using a Steam Cleaner?
• Did you you use this for more functions than you originally planned?

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Anne. I used the small brush with the elastic acted cloth over it for the mattresses

Yayyyyy mine has been located at last (delivery cards had gone to wrong address and was about to be returned to sender), I'm off to UPS depot to collect later, and will try and catch up!!

First job: kitchen floor tile grout
Second job: manky en-suite
Third job: conservatory

That's brilliant news, Rhino!

Thanks, Hermione, think I'll give that a go.

Tester here, finally had the chance to get some cleaning done this weekend!

Did you find setting up the Steam Cleaner easy, were the instructions helpful?

I felt that the instructions were easy to follow, but it was a faff on flipping back and forth from the diagrams to the page with the key on! I would have loved a separate pamphlet with suggestions for uses of the attachments on too!

What were your impressions from the first few uses?

It is brill, I had a great time blasting steam at dirty grout and dusty corners. It's quite easy to use, and once you get the hang of it - nice and easy to change attachments.

Where have you used the Steam Cleaner?

I cleaned the upvc window frames, the windows, windowsills, the skirting boards and the front door in the hall. I have also cleaned the bathroom mirror, the living room window and some mildew that had decided to pop up on the bathroom ceiling!

What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using a Steam Cleaner?

I managed to shift the melted wax from my windowsill! It's been there for ages and I was worried I'd have to get a knife and scrape it and risk scratching the paint - this melted it away and I just needed to blot the melty bits with a j-cloth!

Did you you use this for more functions than you originally planned?

Yes, I only noticed the mildew when I was steaming - so it was great that it just got rid of it straight away without me needing to bleach it.

I hate cleaning the oven, which means I rarely do it, which means it gets harder to do, which means I hate cleaning it more, which means ... I'm sure a steam cleaner could break the cycle!

Non-tester

Tasks I avoid are oven cleaning, windows and floors. A steam cleaner could sort out all of these for sure.

Well mine would be cleaning the oven but the last time I had my kitchen done I made sure I bought a pyrolitic one so that all you have to do is wipe a bit of dust out the bottom after the dirt is burned off at high temperatures. So now its cleaning the hob, the cooker hood and the sink. The hob is awful I have a ceramic one and you have to use a fine scraper thing which takes absolutely ages and its very difficult to bring the black glass like hob back to that mirror finish and it looks awful and spoils the look of the hob if you don't get it perfect. The hood is awkward to get to its a long stainless steel one that requires a ladder to reach most of it. It gets really greasy quite quickly and sometimes you feel that all your doing is pushing the grease around not really cutting through it. Lastly my sink is Silgranit a composit material in a cream colour and it stains and looks awful really quickly and requires more elbow grease than I've usually got to spare to restore it to how its supposed to look. I seem to have fixed problems I've had in the past and discovered new ones as I have embraced new materials/designs in my kitchen, well I know some more things I will be avoiding the next time my kitchen gets an overhaul!

Hi everyone, just in answer to the question about oven cleaning from a few days ago, Kärcher have said:

“Steam cleaners can be used to clean the oven hobs and both the inside and outside of the oven doors. However steam cleaners should not be used to clean internal section of the oven due to the steam coming in direct contact with electrical components of the oven.

This applies to all steam cleaners and not just Kärcher.”

I've done the glass door of my oven this morning with a wee silver scrubber thing over the little brush. Amazing. Just amazing. I can see through the glass and everything. Only thing is this happened to the small brush :-(

I haven't had a chance to use mine yet (life got in the way) but we will this weekend, promise.

Oven door after, no before pics, you'll just have to take my word for how minging it was!

Non-Tester here :

I find cleaning the kitchen top and the oven time consuming. I had to scrub hard to make sure that the place looks good. Also, one place that needs everyday cleaning is my kitchen floor.

If there is a steam cleaner, I would like to see them help clean greasy floor, kitchen tops and of course the oven. A multipurpose vacuum cleaner is what I look for doing the tough jobs and the product should last long without any issues.

Non Tester here as well
I'd be very interested to know whether those in hard water areas achieve the same results i.e with sparkly shower screens/ limescale being removed easily. Is there anyway, please, that could be an extra question?

I've just done the patio doors, clean but very streaky, have had to use some major elbow grease to buff them up so may as well have just done them the traditional way!

toldmywrath Hard water area here. Mine has blasted the limescale right off the taps, even the bits I couldn't see properly underneath. It was quite disgusting how much had built up. No shower screen to test, but all the shiny bits of my shower are shiny again (lifted all the water marks). I found slightly better results if I gave them a quick wipe with a cloth afterwards, just so no water drops remained, but the difference was marginal. I just wanted to see how clean they really were.

I had a pop at cleaning the mirrors, I won't be bothering with that again. They looked fab, then when the air had dried out, they were really streaky. The black, glossy, streak-magnet tiles however, looked like new. Odd.

My final bits of video are to follow btw. Only part way through doing them, mainly because I go "errrrrmmmm" whenever I face a camera.

Non tester: For me, it's cleaning up the result of the marriage made in hell that is a high gloss kitchen and an especially mucky toddler. I was so diligent at first, buffing away constantly. Now I might just do it for Christmas. Can a steam cleaner help with this? If it can, then I want one!

Tester- I have just put a live link to the Karcher on my blog .

preciouslittleworlds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/review-on-karcher-sc2-500c-steam.html

Non tester. I have a problem with limescale which has built up on my bath. I have tried every product available but no product and no amount of elbow grease will shift it. It's frustrating. I always put off cleaning the inside of the oven because it gets very dirty very quickly and if I keep the oven door shut then I can't see it!

Oh yes, definitely the oven. I used to know a lady who cleaned out her oven regularly each Sunday after lunch - not normal!

Hedera I must be an utter freak, I wipe mine out every day whether I've used it or not!

With a family and pets there are always so many cleaning jobs, the bathroom shower screen and tiles, the bathroom, kitchen and conservatory floors, and the conservatory roof, which I need a ladder to do, so I'd love to be able to clean that without the fear of wobbling off and falling to the floor.

i cannot stomach cleaning the oven, it makes me physically ill. if not for the dc i wouldn't use the oven because using it means eventually having to clean it.

Wow, the pictures on here are impressive! I totally avoid cleaning the oven door glass (except for Christmas) but the results with the Karcher, particularly since there isn't any strong chemicals being used, is amazing.