How to Choose the Best Steam Cleaner for Your Home

For disinfection and removal of even the most persistent dirt from the floor, tiles and glass surfaces a good steam cleaner is needed. With him, you do not have to use questionable chemistry or spend time wiping away frozen fat - just pour water and the technique will give off a jet of hot steam removing any dirt. Of course, the device is very convenient, but it must be able to choose. Moreover, the prices of good cleaners bite, and making a mistake with the purchase would be insulting.

The best producers of steam cleaners - which company to choose

The first thing to look forwhen choosing a technique, it is the name of the manufacturer.

Good steam cleaners produce the following brands:

1. Karcher

2. Philips

3. Thomas

4. Smile

5. Kitfort

You can see the best models of their production in the ranking of the best steam cleaners. The same article for those who want to understand the features of steam cleaners and choose a decent technique yourself.

Principle of operation and device of

steam cleaners In the design of any steam cleaner there should be 3 main units:

1. Steam boiler or water tank;

2. Heating element;

3. Spout or flexible hose for steam supply.

They perform the main job: they heat up and turn the liquid into steam, and then they take it out. In the case of a domestic steam generator, the feeding process must also be controlled, although this function often reduces to simply opening the valve holding the steam. And the accumulating pressure within itself provides a sufficiently powerful jet that copes with even persistent impurities.

Depending on the model of the steam cleaner, the heating of the water can take place in a straight-through way - in this case the liquid from the tank enters the heating element, and, having turned into steam, immediately goes to the outlet nozzle. Steam generators work a little differently. They differ in that the transfer of water to the gaseous state occurs directly in the boiler, where the pressure builds up. When using such a design, it is possible to obtain at the output a more powerful jet with a very high temperature.

Types of steam cleaners for the house

Despite the differences in evaporation, cleaners are classified according to the form of release. It largely determines the characteristics of the device, the convenience and scope of its use.

Hand-held

Differs in small dimensions and, as a result, not too capacious water tanks. However, do not take it as a minus, since keeping the weight on the device with an additional 2 kg of liquid inside is also inconvenient. Such steam cleaners are a good idea if you need to get to some corner or process a small surface.

Pros:

• Compact, does not take up much space on the shelf;
• Rapidly warm( from 15 to 60 seconds);
• Convenient to use in a tight space( car salon, oven);
• Affordable price.

Cons:

• A bulky model from 1 liter is difficult to hold in your hand for a long time;
• Short operation cycle - about 20 min.

A handheld steam cleaner should be perceived only as an assistant for cleaning in different parts of the house - it will not wash everything, but it will cope with the most problematic areas.

Floor Standing

Externally, these models are similar to small vacuum cleaners - the same body on wheels and a hose with a nozzle through which steam is supplied. The water tank is located in the main floor compartment, which greatly facilitates the work. At the same time there is an opportunity to realize many additional functions of cleaning technology. Advantages:

• Good steam jet power;
• Continually work for at least an hour and a half;
• Rich functionality;
• Do not tire even when cleaning large areas.

Cons:

• High price;
• Occupy a lot of storage space.

Floor-standing steam cleaners will allow you to easily put things in order throughout the apartment.

Parameters of steam cleaner

After determining the form of the steam cleaner, the next step is to evaluate its characteristics and functionality. For each type of technology, there are requirements that will help to understand how effective and convenient it will be.

The volume of the tank

The higher this figure, the longer it will be possible to use the device at one gas station. But everything depends on the type of steam cleaner chosen. For example, manual models can have a working volume from 85 ml to 1.5 liters, but to hold in hands a heavy unit weighing 1-2 kg, and even with water, is not too convenient.

In the floor models, the tank is located in a housing that does not need to be lifted, so here a large volume of the tank will only be a plus. In modern household steam cleaners it can have a capacity from 1 to 5 liters - choose a model depending on the area of ​​your apartment and the cleaning time. As a guide, you can take the average: 1 liter of water is usually enough for 30-40 minutes of the steam cleaner.

Power

In this issue, you will also have to take into account the form of the steam device and remember the chosen volume of the tank or boiler.

Manual models are produced with a capacity of 0.7-1.6 kW.It would seem that the higher the power consumption of the device, the faster it will heat the water. However, in portable devices, the volume of the reservoir is small and the gain in time will be negligible( matter of a few seconds).So it makes no sense to overload the wiring and take the steam cleaner more powerful than 1 kW, when its capacity does not exceed 1 liter. But if you chose a more spacious model, of course, you need a more serious heater from 1000 watts.

Floor steam cleaners have an energy consumption in the range of 1.35-2.35 kW.It is already desirable to pay attention to models approaching the upper boundary. And in any case, do not buy low-power devices, if they have a very long hose - this is the most unfortunate combination that reduces the efficiency of the steam cleaner and leaves wet traces on the treated surface.

Vapor pressure at the output of

This indicator is even more important than power, because it depends on it, how effective your work will be your steam cleaner. The standard values ​​for household appliances lie in the range of 2-8 bars. However, here it is necessary to keep in mind the possible pressure drop when passing steam through a hose and nozzle - it sometimes reaches 50%.Always take the model with a margin.

Ideally, the home steam cleaner should give out a jet under pressure from 3 bar or higher. But carefully read the characteristics specified by the manufacturer in the documents. If he "forgot" to write the pressure in the boiler, it is likely to be so low that your cleaner can not do any serious work.

It also does not hurt to clarify the intensity of the steam supply, especially if you plan to use a cleaner to remove complex contaminants. In this case, you will need a model that gives out 80 to 150 g / min, that is, it provides a high-temperature wet sink. But those who regularly maintain the cleanliness in the house, enough and low-voltage devices with an intensity of 30-40 g / min.

Temperature mode

The most effective steam is, the temperature of which reaches +135. . + 140 ° С.It has not only the property of cleaning surfaces, but also disinfects them. If the unit produces around +100 ° C( ± 3 ° C), it is only suitable for steaming clothes and restoring carpets - with serious sanitation and mold it can not cope.

Hose length

In the case of floor steam generators, you have to talk about long enough hoses, but do not go beyond the reasonable. A three-meter flexible tube will provide free access to almost any surface from floor to ceiling. If it is shorter, you risk neglecting the far corners, the upper skirting boards and the mezzanine. However, too long a hose too, you do not need to take - as long as the steam comes through it to the nozzle, it will cool down pretty much.

Material of steam boiler

Internal boilers of steam generators are made of two kinds of metal. In the early models, steel is more often used, but we recommend choosing more modern instruments with an aluminum tank. They warm up faster and less build up with scum. Those who purchase direct-flow units do not have such a choice - here the water tank, as a rule, is made of plastic.

Package Contents

The types and number of attachments in the set with the steam cleaner determine how wide the scope of its use will be. But here you need to consider your own needs for cleaning, so that, on the one hand, you can not buy more, and on the other hand, do not limit the possibilities of your new assistant.

We list the most popular nozzles that will be useful in any home:

1. Brushes

Will help clean dirt from any relief surfaces, floor coverings, ceramics and even upholstered furniture. They allow you to combine steam treatment and mechanical cleaning, which gives the most noticeable effect. Allowed and the presence of scrapers, but these combined brushes are better to use on scratch-resistant surfaces.

2. Terry covers

Used for delicate washing of kitchen appliances, floors and windows. They are easily removed from the holder and erased, after which they can again be put to work.

3. Nozzle( nozzle)

A narrow and long tapered nozzle that allows you to reach every room in the house. Some of them are equipped with small brushes for thorough cleaning of small items like a mixer in the kitchen.

4. Iron

Used only with combined cleaners, which have the function of stripping clothes and the ability to adjust humidity.

In any case, the number of complete attachments should be at least 3 - only then it will be possible to talk about the functionality of the acquired equipment.

Which steam cleaner for your home is best to choose

1. If you do not spend a general cleaning frequently and get a steam cleaner 2-3 times a month to wash the problem areas in the bathroom and in the kitchen;calmly take a manual model with a tank of about 1 liter. Great power is not needed - there will be enough standard 900-1000 watts. The main thing is that the device creates sufficient pressure( 3-3,5 bar), and in the kit there are good nozzles: brushes and a terry cover.

2. For those who use a steam cleaner occasionally to remove a few stains from clothes, furniture or windows, a fairly compact hand-held model with a small reservoir of 85-100 ml is quite enough. With a power of 700-800 watts it will be ready in a few seconds and with work will manage quite decently. Here, special attention should be paid to the temperature at the output - still most of these models are not able to heat up steam above +98. . + 103 ° С.These are already steamers for clothes, which unscrupulous producers give out as steam cleaners. Be careful.

3. If there is an allergic person in the house or you are advocating for sterile cleanliness, take a floor steam generator that emits a powerful jet of 4 bar. Be sure to check the possibility of setting the temperature around +140 ° C, for the destruction of all microorganisms and mold. At the same time, make sure that the hose has an average length of 3 m. As for the tank capacity, look at the area of ​​the apartment: the bigger it is, the bigger the tank will be. But for compact housing it is better to choose steam cleaners that contain at least 2 liters of water, otherwise you will often have to fill in a new portion and wait until it warms up.

Cost of steam cleaners

1. For manual model of a steam cleaner in the form of a teapot it is necessary to pay from 500 to 6500 rubles - depending on characteristics and popularity of the manufacturer.

2. Compact "road" devices with a tank of up to 100 ml will cost 600-1400 rubles.

3. Floor standing steam generators with a good output pressure of 3-5 bar cost from 3 to 30 thousand.

4. Professional cleaners that produce a jet of steam with a pressure of more than 5 bar, you can buy at a price of 5000 rubles.