Steam cleaners for home: how to make the right choice?

Each housewife sooner or later will think about purchasing such a device as a steam cleaner for cleaning the house, because this device is now on everyone’s lips. But to dream to buy it is one thing, but to commit an action is another thing entirely. The main thing is to make the right choice in order not to regret the money spent. Before choosing a steam cleaner for your home, it is advisable to find out what kind of device it is, how it works and what functions it performs. It would not be superfluous to read reviews about specific models.

What is this device?

This device looks quite similar to a conventional vacuum cleaner, but unlike it does not drag dust, but on the contrary, blows it out. And it is suitable for cleaning clothes, furniture, and floors, windows, mirrors and even a bath with a toilet.For each surface in the kit there is a corresponding nozzle. It is not applicable only for delicate fabrics and soft plastic.

Principle of operation

Despite the external similarity with a vacuum cleaner, the internal parts differ radically. A bag or container for garbage and dust replaces a steam boiler here, and the engine is a heating element, the rest of the parts (hose with nozzles) are not much different, but there are differences. On the hose is the trigger gun, pressing which, produces a jet of hot steam. So, with the components figured out. Now a little about how to start the device to work.

Before connecting it to the mains, it is necessary to pour water into the steam boiler. It can be both cold and warm, but always clean, without any chemicals.

If you use cold water, then after connecting the steam cleaner wait for its heating, which lasts about 5-8 minutes. Warm water heats up much faster. After the water is warm enough, you can start cleaning. Bring the device (or rather its nozzle) to the place in need of cleaning and press the trigger gun.The steam coming out of the device copes well with dust, various stains, including fat.

When removing stains from upholstered furniture or clothing, the device should be held at an angle, because when it is directly exposed to the stain, it will only sink deeper into the fabric.

It is also worth noting that when working with him you must use a rag. The principle of operation will be as follows: steam "blows out" the dirt, and a rag collects.

Types of steam cleaner

Steam cleaners for home are divided into two types:

• manual;
• floor standing

Hand held, they are portable, it is necessary in the process of cleaning all the time to keep in hand, which is their disadvantage. The advantage of this type of home appliance is its insignificant cost.

Outdoor do not have any pronounced flaws. In addition, some models have the ability to work with both hot and cold steam.

How to choose

When choosing a steam cleaner for your home, you should pay particular attention to the following details:

• heating method;
• steam boiler material;
• boiler volume.

Water in steam cleaner heats up either in the boiler or as steam is released. It is preferable to choose a device that generates steam in the boiler, since such characteristics as jet head and steam temperature are much better for it.

At making steam boiler Materials such as aluminum and steel are used. When choosing a steam cleaner for your home, preference should be given to aluminum boilers. In them, the water heats up faster, and scum is practically not formed.

Boiler volume for each type of home appliance your own. In manual it varies from 0.175 to 2.5 liters, and in the floor it varies from 1 to 5 liters. From the volume of the boiler depends directly on the time of continuous operation of the device. However, this does not mean that you need to buy a steam cleaner with the largest possible boiler volume, especially for manual models. This is due to the fact that such devices themselves weigh from 1 to 6 kg, and if we add the largest boiler to them, the weight of the device will increase significantly and its use will become quite difficult.

Before you buy a particular model or manufacturer, read customer reviews about it. They will help to best appreciate the device you like. Also in the reviews you can find answers to all your questions.

Select by specifications

Among all the technical characteristics, there are several that deserve special attention. It:

1. Poweron which the steam generation time (from 15 seconds to 10 minutes) and the degree of surface cleaning depend. In the manual models, this figure varies in the range of 700-1600W, and in the floor - 1300-2600 watts. When buying, it is best to choose models with the highest power (from 1000 W).
2. Vapor pressureon which the quality of surface cleaning depends. This indicator ranges from 2 to 6 bar. It should be remembered that the vapor pressure indicated on the device may differ significantly from the vapor pressure at the outlet. For home, it is best to choose steam cleaners with steam pressure above 3 bar.

Conclusion

A steam cleaner is a household appliance with which cleaning a house with the right choice of device turns into pleasure. They can clean almost any surface, including the oven, microwave and hood.

So which is the best steam cleaner for your home? There is no unequivocal answer to this question, since for every hostess the best appliance will be the one that meets all its requirements.

Before buying a device for cleaning and disinfecting a house, you need to follow these guidelines:

1. Decide which of the two types best suits you.
2. Choose models with aluminum steam boiler.
3. Choose the most optimal boiler volume.
4. Pay attention to the power of the device: choose only those models where this figure exceeds 1000 watts.
5. Bypassing the side of the model, which does not indicate the vapor pressure.
6. Stopping at any particular model, be sure to read the reviews about it.

By following these simple recommendations, you can easily choose the best steam cleaner for your home.