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

Non-tester.

My most avoided task is the ensuite, not because i necessarily hate it but because noone else sees it so other places get priority not the oven either

The tiles need a good clean, the shower door has streaks on it and the flooring is waterproof stuff. The dust just accumulates in the corners and hoovering it doesn't work.

Well I've had a have to do a bit more today in the kitchen, I found it didn't cut through the grease on the tiles behind the hob very well but a quick spritz of some cleanery stuff and it brought it up a treat.

I assume it's the same for everyone but mine definitely loses heat after the initial blast of whoa that's hot as hell steam.

One thing I will say is there could do with being an extra small brush in the box as mine has taken some battering and is looking very sorry for itself.

I cleaned the mould and grouting today in the shower, oh my word it's disgusting and it's taking a long time, but it looks so much better!

It's not managed to shift the limescale around the shower head unfortunately, but everything else is looking a lot better.

My tiles shine!

Agree with HolidayArmadillo - the little brush takes a battering and you need spares

Non-Tester
I avoid mopping. This is the most hated chore for me. 2 dogs, 2 cats and kids which not always remember to take the shoes off... can you imagine my floors ;-(
Hoovering I can deal with but mopping is a hard job and I wish there was a way to make it more easy and pleasurable.

Did you find setting up the Steam Cleaner easy, were the instructions helpful?
Like others I found the size of the instruction manual a bit intimidating, but on further investigation the English instructions only span 11 pages! I like the fold out diagram on the inside front cover, as I can fold that into the English instructions so I can find them easily. I did find the clothes a bit fiddly to put on, but I expect that will get better with practice. It was very easy to set up and use.

What were your impressions from the first few uses?
My initial thoughts when opening the box was that this didn't look like something which should cost £200+, it seemed a bit "plasticky", however when I actually lifted out the steamer, it felt very solid and robust. Having a Karcher pressure washer already, the colouring immediately identifies it as a Karcher, which (in my opinion) is synonymous with a good quality product.

Using the detail tool, I was surprised at how much water residue was left on the floor, but I don't see how this could be avoided when you are using powerful steam through a small nozzle.

The water did seem to get used up quite quickly, but this was not an issue as it was so easy to refill, and you can carry on steaming straight away after filling.

Where have you used the Steam Cleaner?
I have used it between the tiles in my kitchen to clean the grout - this did take longer than I thought - having to go over it three times, so I only covered a small area, but it did clean them well and the colour is significantly lighter than the uncleaned areas - this now means I have to do the whole floor! I also used it on the cooker hood which was covered in a greasy film, it made short work of this and I was very pleased. I also cleaned the oven door and the splashback tiles.

What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using a Steam Cleaner?
I was very impressed with how it cleaned my stainless steel extractor hood - this gets very greasy and sticky and normally it is a pain to clean and even afterwards can seem a bit smeary and still not clean. The steamer cleaned it very quickly, and has left it shining without smears.

Did you you use this for more functions than you originally planned?
Yes, I cleaned the inside door of the microwave (ensuring steam didn't go inside) as this had lots of caked on spattered food - this was a very good result, and I was pleased.

I also steamed down my plug hole, which was looking a bit grotty with some limescale - a quick steam has completely cleaned it and I intend to do all the sinks and overflows in the bathrooms.

I am yet to attempt the teenagers' bathroom, think I might save that for a rainy day!

Non-tester- I hate cleaning my oven, mostly I hate trying to get the glass clean and worry about scratching it with scourers and abrasive cleaners. Vowed when I got my oven a couple of years ago that I would religiously clean after every use... as you can guess that didn't happen...

Non Tester - Most dreaded tasks are the oven and the toilet, eeeugh the toilet has got to be the worse though, that smell (shudders) x

Thanks for all your feedback so far :)

Here are the final questions for you to answer now that you’ve had a bit longer to use the steam cleaner:

• After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?
• Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?
• If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?

• After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how? I'd say I'm definitely more likely to use steam now for jobs that I would previously have used hot water and a scrubber for due to the ease in which these tasks have been completed with the steamer. I'll never scrub the grouting again.
• Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms? The oven door. I've been raving about it to anyone who will listen and my mum and mil have both asked to borrow it specifically to carry out the task.
• If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not? See above!

• After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?

I had a steam cleaner before so very similar. I guess because it's lighter I might do things like curtains more frequently, and I did use on grouting which I didn't before.

• Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?

The high pressure steam on the oven door and the grouting was good.

• If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?

Would definitely lend it, and it is better than mine, but not sure it's worth the price difference (mine was £80).

Non tester

• Cleaning the oven. Worst job ever!
• tile grouting/seals in shower

Non tester
I avoid the extractor hood and oven and hob, I vowed to keep on top of it a few months ago when a man with a van came but .....

- After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?
I now stem all my worktops at night when I mop the floor, ordinarily I'd've had to get sprays and cloths out but it's just a quick click to change the attachments so I do all different jobs at

• Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?
• If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?

Posted too soon, I shall actually finish typing now lol

• After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?

I now steam all my worktops at night when I mop the floor, ordinarily I'd've had to get sprays and cloths out but it's just a quick click to change the attachments so I do all different jobs at once. - Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms? I really like how it mops the floor, my kitchen has shiny black laminate which shows up every streak and spot, I also like what it does to my worktops, they're solid wood but not oiled or anything (it's a rented house, I'd've just had marble or something else) it marks with any drop of moisture and any spillage leave a big white stain, a quick go over with the steamer evens out all the wood and gets the watermarks off. - If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not? I would and have reccomend it, but I've already told family and friends they're not borrowing it, I use it nearly every day and would be lost without it, I have cleaned mils house with it but I do her cleaning anyway. I might lend it to sil if she's quick!

Non tester
Cobwebs are a nightmare at our house, we must be overrun with spiders as soon as I clear them there is another one somewhere else. Apart from those it's floors, we have all hard floors downstairs that constantly need washing and the shower, not keen on cleaning that, I always end up getting wetter than expected.

• After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?

I think so, yes. It's still early days, but rather than trying to fit odd bits of cleaning/laundry/cooking etc into nap times, I'm just going to use one nap, one day a week, to blitz both bathrooms and the kitchen, including the floors (and the dining room floor when that's finished!) with the steam cleaner.

For me, it's not something I can use for the odd quick job here and there. With small children, I can't risk leaving it on and getting called away. It does make the jobs quicker though, so I will be condensing my cleaning time down into a block, and freeing up more time elsewhere.

• Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?

The inside of the oven door, amazing difference. And the job it did rescuing my poor pan that I burnt stuff on to. I was impressed with how it cleaned tiles and floors. I can clean the kitchen floor, nip upstairs to do the bathroom, come back 15 minutes later (bathroom sparkling!) and the kitchen floor is completely dry. Having previously used mops for floors, this is a big improvement.

• If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?

Depends on who I'm talking to! DSIL, SkiingGardener from on here, (and others) I'd reccomend, and lend it. My DSis? Nope, I'd never see it again!

I do think it's a good product, but I'm not sure I'd have paid £200 for it. I didn't find it that wonderful on glass, as it left lots of streaks. I also think the cable is awkward, and potentially dangerous. It is very powerful though, and it does a fantastic job cleaning the floors/oven door/tiles/bathrooms. Really quick, very effective, and dries quickly too. If I had non-carpeted floors throughout I might feel different about the £200.

After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?
Definitely, it is great for our tiled floors – it dries really quick, and looks clean and no smears – I will definitely be using the steamer instead of the mop and bucket. Also I think the steamer is more hygienic rather than a mop and bucket. The steamer was really good in the bathroom, particularly on the taps, the shower screens and the limescale in the plugholes, I would probably not use it every time I cleaned the bathroom, but definitely every couple of weeks.

Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?
The inside of the oven door was fantastic, also the microwave door. I was extremely impressed with it on stainless steel – the cooker hood and hob came up brilliantly, no smearing, and hardly any effort needed. I did find it pleasing in the bathroom, the steam gets into all those little paces on the toilet seat you can’t normally get too.
I was also impressed with it on the upvc window frames – they have come up like new.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?
I wouldn’t lend it, as I would miss it too much! I would recommend it although I am not sure what distinguishes this model at £200+ from the lower priced models – I am not sure I would have paid this much for a steamer and may have gone for one of the ones lower in the range. That said, it is very impressive – the speed at which it is ready to use, the power of the steam, and the selection of tools provided.

I used it to clean up the kitchen after making a roast today. Blasted the oven door to keep that sparkling, blasted the counters to get the grease off and it did a really good job.

I'm not sure if it's my imagination but does anyone else's handle have a small gap where the halves meet? I'm not sure if it's coming apart a little but its suddenly quite difficult to change the pieces round and I was getting pretty frustrated yesterday with it.
Although that could partly have been to do with me scrubbing all the outside window frames while everyone else was sitting having a nice cup of tea!

What else is there to do on a BH Monday other than clean, clean, clean ?

After a few uses, has your Steam Cleaner changed your cleaning regime at all? If so, how?
I have given it a proper workout in the last couple of weeks. It is so easy to use and quick too that it is a doddle to get it out of the cupboard and put it into action. Whereas I'd look at the windows and think too much effort was required to get them clean, now a quick whizz with the cleaner and they're done.

Are there any applications that you've used where you've been impressed with the results? For example, was the steam cleaner particular useful for cleaning baked on grease, or whole bathrooms?
It has proved a God send for the tiled floor. We have 30 square feet of tiled kitchen and dog room that requires multiple changes of bucket water. The steamer makes extremely light work of it and contrary to what I had read previously, I don't find that it leaves the floor excessively wet.
The grease baked oven door and splash back was also a job that was particularly successful. The tiles came up looking like new, as did the oven door.

If it came up in conversation, would you recommend or lend the Kärcher steam cleaner to a friend or family member or not?
Yes, I would recommend and have already done so. I think it would benefit my other who finds gripping a mop handle and twisting it with arthritic hands difficult. With the Karcher, she could hoover and then steam the floor, rather than go through the pain of mopping it.
Next time I visit, I am going to take it with me to do her oven doors as it is compact enough to take in the car.

Will answer follow up questions tomorrow. Currently nursing dd through a horrific bout of chicken pox.

Non-Tester

I hate cleaning anything that is grimy. I have another Kärcher model than the one being tested and it is big and cumbersome but it does the job. Once my black and yellow beast is powered up, I often find myself looking for jobs to blast once the obvious one are out of the way. I keep a spray bottle filled with white vinegar on hand and when used with the Kärcher everything gleams.

The Kärcher's real worth is demonstrated on the once in a blue moon tasks like removing green algie from painted exterior walls (small bursts only as it will strip paint if left too long) or stripping wallpaper.