Why buy a home steam cleaner?

With these devices, there is no need to add detergent or chemicals.

They only need tap water.

Steam cleaning dissolves grease, softens and loosens encrusted dirt.

The action of heat (100°C) disinfects, sanitizes, kills bacteria, germs, mites, and even certain viruses and insects.

Their design is rather simple: a water tank connected to a pressurized steam unit carries it through a conduit to the mop attached to the mop head.

You just have to connect them to the mains for them to work.

A control makes it possible to adjust the flow of steam according to the type of floor to be cleaned.

The power of the device, expressed in watts, gives an indication of the maximum steam output available.

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Monotasking or multitasking?

The advantage of a steam mop compared to a simple mop is to slightly wet the floors, while heating them.

They dry much faster after cleaning.

On more sophisticated models, the tank and steam generating unit detach from the broom.

It is then possible to connect various accessories (hoses, brushes, nozzles or caps) supplied with the device.

This makes it possible to clean small, hard-to-reach corners, vertical surfaces, taps, etc.

A window squeegee or a small wire brush, for scouring the grill of a barbecue for example, are sometimes part of the panoply.

Some steam mops go so far as to boast of being “15-in-1” products.

The number of possibilities can be alluring on paper.

Nevertheless in practice, it is not always so interesting.

Cleaning the floor with a steam mop after vacuuming is very simple and often gives impeccable results.

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A simple steam cleaner with no gimmicks

For other tasks, it is less obvious.

For example, making windows without leaving squeegee marks and drips requires a great deal of skill.

Similarly, when trying to steam clean the grease deposits inside an oven, you risk ending up with large clumps of bituminous material at the bottom of the walls, which can be difficult to remove with a cloth or 'paper towels.

In addition, the device has more difficulty producing steam properly when positioned head up.

The supplied accessories are not all useless.

Some are even very practical, in particular the nozzles which facilitate the cleaning of the joints of tiled walls.

As with any other device, a simple and effective steam mop is often better than a complicated model full of gadgets.