Steam cleaning: five portable steam cleaners for the home

Along with a full size household steam cleaner Clatronic DR 3536 the German brand's model range includes a compact hand-held device made in a similar orange-grey colour. The extraordinary appearance of the device makes the public turn their attention to it.

The device cleans and disinfects surfaces by exposing them to steam, the maximum pressure of which at the outlet of the working nozzle reaches 3.5 bar. Accessories from the steam cleaner package can be used as nozzles: 2 brushes, crevice and angle nozzles, as well as a nozzle for cleaning windows and wet cleaning.

Before starting work, it is necessary to fill the tank of the device with water. According to passport data, its capacity is 300 mL, but in fact a little more than 200 mL of liquid is placed in the tank. There is enough water in the tank to clean a room with an area of about 15-20 m² (depending on the level of surface contamination).

No matter how safe household chemicals are (according to the assurances of its manufacturers), it is better to limit the use of cleaning products in everyday life. And together with Clatronic DR 3535 you can forget about chemistry at all — steam effectively softens pollution and destroys their structure. In addition, in parallel, it destroys the lion's share of pathogenic microbes. At the same time, the device takes up a minimum of free storage space and has a minimal impact on the family low-cost, both in terms of purchase and during operation.

Karcher SC 1 in the range of hand-held steam cleaners of the German brand is like the basic equipment of a car among many different versions of the same model. But despite the minimal equipment, the device is still very versatile and successfully handles with pollution on many types of surfaces.

The compact bright yellow body of the steam cleaner with dimensions of 19x32x13 cm makes it easy to find a place to store the machine. However due to the small size, the engineers had to cut the capacity of the tank (0.2 L), as a result of which the cleaning process will need to be periodically suspended while the tank is being filled with water. The heating of the liquid in the tank is carried out in about 3 minutes, and you need to rely solely on the clock, since there is no indicator of steam readiness in the design of the device.

The steam model is supplied by pressing and holding the button on the handle, which may be somewhat inconvenient. Especially when you need to get to hard-to-reach places. For these purposes , an angle nozzle is included in the package of the device. Also in the box with the steam cleaner are a pinpoint nozzle, a fabric nozzle and a round brush. You can use them to clean both in the kitchen and in the bathroom or in the living room, as long as the surfaces that are treated with steam are resistant to high temperatures.

The model has protection against children and curious adults — you can open the lid of its tank only after the end of the reserves in the water tank, which reduces the risk of getting burned by hot steam. Only the small length of the power cord (4 m) does not please many owners of a steam cleaner. However, taking into account the fact that Karcher SC 1 is not focused on general cleaning, it will not be the slightest difficulty to adapt to the length of the power cord for cleaning small surfaces from dirt.

For a compact steam cleaner with a Premium attachment, there are practically no barriers to cleaning surfaces from dirt — the device effectively removes dirt and grease from tiles, tiles, windows and mirrors, hobs, furniture and even floors.

Mopping your floor with the Karcher SC 1 Premium Floor Kit is very easy as it transforms from a handheld steam cleaner to a steam mop in just a couple of strokes. An additional extension hose provides a comfortable posture during floor cleaning. Questions are raised only by the white colour of the rag, which very quickly loses its presentation.

The cold start time of the device is 3 minutes. However, the steam readiness indicator is not provided in the equipment of the model, so you will need to personally detect this time period. In the future, steam is supplied under pressure up to 3 bar, which is more than enough for domestic cleaning conditions in the vast majority of cases. The device handles with persistent pollution, if not the first time, then the second or third attempt.

Complaints from users of the model relate to the short length of the mains cable (4 m) and the inconvenient steam supply button, which must be kept pressed all the time. You can put up with these shortcomings, especially since the rich equipment of the device provides many nozzles for cleaning various types of surfaces and a practical bag-case for storing accessories. At home, there are almost no impossible tasks for the Karcher SC 1 Premium Floor Kit, making the steam cleaner an indispensable cleaning tool for many families.

The creation of the American company Black & Decker is easy to confuse with an upright vacuum cleaner. But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the device is deprived of the suction function and has a removable middle part, in which a compact steam cleaner is disguised.

In the role of the Black&Decker FSMH1621 mop, it attracts with its noiselessness and the flexibility to adjust the steam supply depending on the type of flooring. The steam intensity regulator is located on the handle of the device and allows you to switch between carpets, tiles and parquet along with laminate. Also, the mop is completed with two high-strength microfibre cloths that retain their integrity even after a year of active use.

To transform into a handheld steam cleaner, you will need to remove the module with a built-in tank with a capacity of 350 mL from the middle part of the device. In this role , the device shows itself from the best side when it is necessary to clean the joints between tiles, wash plumbing and household appliances from dirt, or thoroughly wash windows. A set of appropriate attachments is included with the device.

Black&Decker FSMH1621 generates the first portion of steam after just 15 seconds. after switching on. But what is missing in the design of the device is the indication of the water level in the tank. Often in the product reviews there is another minus — due to the thickening in the middle part of the body, the steam mop does not always pass under the sofas. However, you can safely close your eyes to this drawback, because against the background of the rest of the advantages of the model, it is negligible.

Not the most compact solution compared to portable models, but as a steam mop with vacuum cleaner functions, the Hotpoint-Ariston VS S15 AAW cleans everything and everything without requiring a lot of storage space.

In parallel with the fulfillment of the main mission — generation of steam to soften and clean dirt — the device has the function of suction of dirt, which is then collected in a dust collector with a volume of 0.55 L. Similar in capacity is the tank for water used for steam preparation. The device shows readiness for operation in just 20 seconds. after launch.

The intensity of the steam supply can be adjusted using a mechanical rotary switch on the body of the machine. The strength of steam exposure is selected depending on the degree of pollution. With average loads on one tank of water, the steam cleaner can clean continuously for about half an hour.

Due to its design features, Hotpoint-Ariston VS S15 AAW is more suitable for floor cleaning. The meager number of complete nozzles also clearly hints at such an orientation of the device — the first of the two is designed for flooring, and the second cloth nozzle is suitable for cleaning other surfaces. But in washing the floor, the steam mop shows a decent result both on carpets and on parquet, passing dirt only in the corners due to the shape of the nozzle. Finally, it is necessary to mention the mobility of the device — a 7-metre power cord with an automatic winding system does not restrict movement around the perimeter of the room during its cleaning.