Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Product tests

Here's where users test and review products and give their feedback. If you'd like to run a product test please email [email protected].

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

Kärcher SC1 Steam Stick - Review thread - non testers - chance to win one of your own! NOW CLOSED

561 replies

KathrynMumsnet · 23/12/2014 10:21

This thread is for the 30 Mumsnetters who are currently testing out the Kärcher SC1 Steam Stick.

Kärcher say "The SC1 Steam Stick is the UK’s first handheld steamer that can also be used to clean floors. The Steam Stick cleans deeper without chemicals killing 99.99% of all bacteria just using tap water, making it an environmentally and family friendly alternative to chemical cleaners. It’s an innovative new way to help you effortlessly clean the most difficult and frequent household hotspots; whether it’s cleaning everyday dirt from floors, limescale from bathroom tiles, spot cleaning stubborn carpet stains or eradicating tough, dried-on oven grease."

Non-Testers: If you’re not an official tester but you’d like another chance to be in with a chance of getting a Steam Stick (RRP: £99.99) for yourself then please share on this thread where in your house could really benefit from a deep steam clean? Is there a task or area you always avoid? Where would you most like to put it to use?

Testers: We'll be asking you to add feedback twice - we'd like your first impressions now and once you've had a bit of time to test out your Steam Stick, we will add some more questions.

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

  • Where have you used the Steam Stick?
  • What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using the Steam Stick?
  • What were your impressions from the first few uses?

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
miljones1 · 12/01/2015 19:51

I would love to try out the steam stick! My house is plagued by a muddy dog - the dirt is everywhere...

Bex174 · 13/01/2015 09:53

Non-Tester
With a nephew with allergies to many common cleaning products, I would love to try this steam stick in my house to see if this will help him when he visits, especially on the wooden floors throughout my downstairs and the kitchen hygiene areas. As I have twins due in July, it would be fantastic to finally find a product I have confidence in before their arrival.

peterboo · 13/01/2015 11:24

non tester: the bathroom around the shower and oven door as last tenants were not the best cleaners

iwantavuvezela · 13/01/2015 11:36

Non-Testers:

I would love to have it to use on our shower door, and those niggly little bathroom corners that are hard to get into. . I also have this huge stainless cylinder shaped extractor fan which hangs in the middle of our kitchen - it is impossible to clean, and I would love to be able to use something like this to be able to clean it .... all my attempts leave it streaked, and I would love it to be shiny and clean!

I have read some of the users posts who have said they have used it on their ovens - I would definitely be up for this!!!

ImCatbug · 13/01/2015 12:20

I'm a non-tester:

I have proper tiled floors and walls in my kitchen and bathroom and would LOVE to be able to properly clean them off, and clean the grouting between the tiles. I'd also love to properly clean the extractor fan, which gets hideous on top regularly and is such a faff to clean. And our shower screen, which has the most hideous and hard to shift water marks.
It would make life a million times easier for me, cleaning wise, as I have a chronic shoulder problem and can't really do any hard cleaning like scrubbing without being in pain. I just want a shiny, clean house!

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 13/01/2015 13:20

Non tester. The oven! I hate all the chemicals you need to use normally.

EddieVeddersfoxymop · 13/01/2015 16:11

Tester back again. Not so impressed with the machine today, I'm afraid. I wanted to use it to steam clean a wool coat bargain that I picked up for an amazing £2.50 in a charity shop. No time to dry clean it before the event I need it for, so thought I would give it a whirl.

I left it to heat up for about 4 mins or so (the lack of light, or beeper, or SOMETHING to tell you it's ready is mighty irritating) and used the long flexible nozzle with the brush head on the end. It dropped an amazing amount of water everywhere - all down the wool coat, all over my floor, the walls, my pictures on the wall (it was hanging in the doorway of my ensuite so I could let it hang while I cleaned it). It was literally a flood of water. I also discovered why some people have mentioned it would be nice to have a trigger on the nozzle end - between holding the unit, and the pipe, and operating and trigger I couldn't manipulate the coat to steam it all over.

If it had come with more cloths, I would have then cleaned my ensuite.....but they were still in the wash after the last use so I had coffee and cake instead. Blush

nowitsenough · 13/01/2015 22:44

Tester again:

I tried cleaning the badly stained carpet in dds bedroom today for the first time, not with much success. Stains are still very visible. I'll have another go tomorrow though.

Ohwhatfuckeryisthis · 13/01/2015 23:34

Tester again. I agree it's not great on stained carpets, more a case of livening up the pile. As well as extra cloths (though microfibre cleaning cloths are ok)what I'd like is more little scrubby brushes. I used it on something nasty and greasy, took me ages to get IT clean. Used on cooker hood-came up a treat.

IneedAwittierNickname · 14/01/2015 01:16

Non tester. I'd like to use it everywhere. My whole house needs a deep clean Blush but in particular the oven which is apparently self cleaning bit definitely doesn't Hmm

DifferentNow · 14/01/2015 10:17
  • Would you recommend a Kärcher Steam Stick to a friend or family?

Yes.

  • What are your thoughts of the Steam Stick after continued use?

Much the same as other testers. More cloths, more attachments, a bigger tank and a more detailed instruction booklet would be good. I find the machine a bit awkward and heavy to hold and I don't know how you lock the Steam on without 3 hands. Am I doing it wrong? It really needs an indicator light so you know when it's ready to use because if you go to soon, it seems to pour water everywhere.

I do like the simplicity of it though and having just deep cleaned the bathroom with it, it is great for blasting grime from all the little fiddly nooks and crannies that I usually spend ages trying to get to. The kitchen's next up for a good scrub and I have high hopes.

  • Has your cleaning routine changed since using the Steam Stick?

It's definitely made my cleaning routine easier and big jobs feels less daunting. DH, who prefers instant results to elbow grease seems to enjoy using it too. I am delighted to have been chosen as a tester and I know it will be used lots in our house.

Tw1nkle · 14/01/2015 11:39

Non tester: I'd love to use it in our bathroom......especially the shower cubicle!

senorita26 · 14/01/2015 12:26

Non-Tester: currently having my loft converted to make room for the children as due to give birth in February, therefore my whole upstairs desperately needs a complete deep steam clean. Having said that the downstairs will need one as well as dust and dirt is constant.

elvisola · 14/01/2015 13:56

Tester

Would you recommend a Karcher Steam Stick to a friend or family?

Yes I already have! I have also lent it to a few friends to try before deciding wether to buy one or not.

What are your thoughts of the Steam Stick after continued use?

I like it. I probably would never have bothered to buy one but now I have it there are loads of uses I have found and it's been really handy. I particularly like it on my floors with a drop of zoflora in the tank! it's quicker than mopping and the floors feel cleaner. We had an incident which involved lots of muddy feet on a pure wool cream carpet and the steam cleaner took them right out, no sign at all now, which I was very impressed with.

I like it on the bathroom, it's good for reaching up to the top tiles and giving them a scrub as they normally get missed during regular cleaning and the little nozzle is handy for getting into places I wouldn't bother finding with a cloth.

I remain irritated by the lack of cloths and the floppiness of them and also struggle with the small tank size although I appreciate it is needed to keep the unit small.

Has your cleaning routine changed since using the Steam stick ?

Everyday cleaning remains the same with the exception that I always use the steam stick on the floors. For deeper cleans I am utilising the steam stick as it is quicker and easier to use and to be honest I am still enjoying the novelty. It remains to be seen if it becomes another item gathering dust but I think it will be useful week to week.

3chewmagna · 14/01/2015 22:45

Definitely in shower - we live in hard water area and have small mosaic tiles and They are a nightmare to try and keep clean and descale. This would be like a magic wand!!!! Next the dreaded oven - oh for the bliss of a shiny oven (one can dream). The kitchen floor - look after 4 little ones aged 2, 3, 4 and 5 so crumbs, dirty feet, paint, play dough etc etc this would make life easier and also know would be germ free. Also would do my kitchen cupboard doors as they get grubby too quickly. Have a go too at steaming creases in clothes and windows -think I am getting too excited now.

Msdj · 15/01/2015 20:11

Non tester

I have chronic long term back pain and am unable to bend down or clean floors on my hands and knees so a Karcher steam stick would be a great help to me and my family to deep clean the bathroom floor which is ceramic tiles and would save me a lot of pain to use it throughout my house

Itiswell · 15/01/2015 20:19

Non-tester:
where in your house could really benefit from a deep steam clean?
My oven and bathroom

Is there a task or area you always avoid?
Yeah, cleaning the oven

Where would you most like to put it to use?
I'll go with bathroom because we use the bathroom more than our oven.

Reubymum · 15/01/2015 21:46

Non tester

Would love this have hyperemesis with dc2 and cleaning has been a nightmare :(. the smell of cleaning products really gets me. We have moved whilst pregnant and hoping I get the nesting intinct soon to make our house a home. At present feel my animals and toddler rule the kitchen so that would be my first place to blitz xx

dannydyerismydad · 16/01/2015 12:23

TESTER AGAIN. Reporting late. Sorry.

  • Would you recommend a Kärcher Steam Stick to a friend or family?
Yes, definitely. In fact I've been recommending it on a local Facebook group. Such a pity it's not in the shops yet so I can't send them a proper link with information on the product.
  • What are your thoughts of the Steam Stick after continued use?
I love it. Versatile, easy to use, easy to store. Instruction manual is huge, bulky and not very helpful though. So many reviewers on this thread struggle with the lock button, because it's not clear that you can lock steam on as well as off. The manual really doesn't explain well which attachments are best for which job. My only real gripe though is the cloths. There aren't enough of them and mine are already fraying and falling apart. I expected better quality.
  • Has your cleaning routine changed since using the Steam Stick?
A bit. We have the builders in at the moment, so I can't really be bothered to clean much because they are so messy. The steam cleaner makes short work of brick dust all around the kitchen though, and for that reason alone it's worth every penny.
scat1985 · 16/01/2015 14:39

Non tester:

I would love to try the the steam stick around my bathroom - particularly the tiles and the taps. We have particularly hard water around here and the deposits mount up.
I would also like to try it on the tiles in my kitchen.

peakypie · 16/01/2015 17:17

non-tester..i'd love to use it on the bathroom and kitchen...and the bathroom, did i mention the bathroom?

colleysmill · 16/01/2015 18:25

N mnrking my place to come back and- hope I'm not too late!!do the final feedback -

colleysmill · 16/01/2015 18:27

I'm having a few Internet issues and can't see what the heell I'm posting nightmares hoping to find it sirted lated

billybear · 16/01/2015 19:02

non tester would love to do my bathroom tiles,and floor,then my long white kitchen floor that never looks clean with a lively messy dog who loves digging and two yound children

glorious · 16/01/2015 19:17

Would you recommend a Kärcher Steam Stick to a friend or family?
Yes, I have to both as it's a really good product that has made cleaning my kitchen and bathroom much easier. Seems well made and is simple to use.

  • What are your thoughts of the Steam Stick after continued use?
Really like it, makes short work of grut in gaps between tiles and I like how quickly it dries. Plus no chemicals but know it's zapping bugs which is more important with a toddler who's always grubbing about on the floor. Agree with pp that it should be clearer you can lock it on as well as off. And more advice about which attachment to use for what.
  • Has your cleaning routine changed since using the Steam Stick?
Yes, doing the floors more and use it on the plastic high chair often too.