Tester here, but i never got an email telling me this thread was up and running, only noticed it by chance.
Where have you used the Steam Stick?
I have used the steam stick in pretty much every room. I've mopped all my laminate flooring, cleaned my kitchen cabinets and tiles, steamed my ensuite, refreshed rugs and curtains and cleaned grot from around my taps in all three bathrooms.
- What cleaning chore have you been most pleased with the results from using the Steam Stick?
Probably cleaning off the sticky grease from the outside of my cooker hood - no product yet invented can get that final stickiness away, but it's gone after a blast with the steam stick.
- What were your impressions from the first few uses?
Bear with me on this one, it might be long!!
Lots of "bits" when I opened the box, looked a bit daunting to assemble.
More cloths would be useful - 1 of each type feels a bit stingy and also not great if I want to steam the whole house - I'm not going to clean my bathrooms and kitchen with the same cloth, yuck.
Like the accessory bag - great for keeping all the little bits in one place.
A measuring jug would be handy - the instructions state a max amount of water, but nothing to measure it with. Either a jug or a graduated scale on the side like a kettle would be useful.
The floor cloth seems odd - once it's wet, it just flaps about on the "long edge" that's not caught in with clips. Means every time I place the floor head down I have to jiggle it about to ensure that the cloth is sitting correctly and not gathering up under the head.
It produces way more steam that my vax floor cleaner does.
The cord is too short! It won't reach from my bedroom sockets to my ensuite (my house isn't huge, just a regular 3 bed detached property), nor from the hall into my daughter's bathroom. An extra metre would make all the difference!
It's loud in enclosed spaces, such as a shower cubicle, I didn't expect that.
I loved the small brush head to clean my tile grout.
I liked how easily the head on the floor kit moves around, really great for round radiator pipes etc.
The tiny brush attachment isn't going to last long - I used it to clean around my downstairs loo taps and it's all bent and out of shape after just one use - the bristles just don't like the heat!
It can feel a little cumbersome to press the steam button all the time when mopping floors - it gave me cramp in my hand. I'd prefer an option to lock it down if possible, or else a softer type switch ( my vax has a dead mans trigger on the handle which I use my whole hand to press down as I grip the stem, much easier to use than a stiff little button).
The first floor I mopped was my kitchen, which has black flooring. It left the floor very wet, but seemed better as it was used more - unfortunately the sogginess just left streaks so i had to mop it again. Perhaps I used the machine before it was ready, which leads me to my last point.........
An indicator light of some description would be handy so you know when it's ready - just telling me it's on is of no use!!!
Overall, I like it, couple of niggly things but I'm looking forward to using it more and getting to know if better. Some cleaning ideas would be handy in the book though as I'm not sure of all the things it's safe to use on!