Cleaning with muscle power and chemistry
Regular and thorough cleaning is essential to keep your home in top condition at all times. Different cleaning methods and detergents are the right choice, depending on the surface and the degree of soiling.
These can be feather duster, rag, broom, mop or vacuum cleaner. However, when it comes to really stubborn dirt, this cleaning is very exhausting. And it has to be done again and again.
Technology is the best solution for such cases. Only then does the saying apply that cleaning is a man’s business. Otherwise rather not.
A steam cleaner needs to be understood first
But as with all electrical appliances, not all steam cleaners are the same. There are many things you need to keep in mind to find the right model for your needs.
Performance is certainly one of the most important criteria. Rising electricity costs and growing environmental awareness are leading to lower performance appliances. The thought is commendable, but out of place at this point.
Note: Not the absolute power consumption, but the energy efficiency class is important. Low-performance devices have the disadvantage that you have to work on a job longer in order to achieve the same cleaning result. If you get rid of the dirt at all!
The extra time ultimately increases the power consumption beyond the supposed savings. An indication for a good performance is above all a heating time as short as possible.
At the same time, however, you must pay attention to the size of the water tank. Of course, less water gets hot faster. Thus a combined consideration of achievement, heating-up time and water quantity is announced.
What can you clean with a steam cleaner?
Another important parameter is the steam pressure. Particularly in surfaces where dirt can penetrate deeply, this must also be thoroughly removed. A pressure of several bars is usual, but the manufacturers give the value to one decimal place exactly. The comparison is worthwhile, because more is actually more in this case.
So that you get the hot steam at exactly the places where you really need it, you must pay attention to several things. How long is the power cable? How long is the steam hose? What kind of nozzle and padding does the appliance have and can it be replaced? The longer the cables and hoses are, the more flexible you are with the appliance and do not have to constantly look for a new socket or pull a meter-long extension cable behind you.
Good – but what can be cleaned now? In short: All coarse dirt.
- Especially in the bathroom and in the kitchen, where dirt has unpleasantly crawled into cracks and crevices.
- In the bathroom – especially in the shower and toilet, where you simply don’t want to scrape off the lime with a toothbrush.
- Large areas as a workshop, garage, garage door and, of course, your car.
It should be able to decalcify
Apropos bath and shower or garage: a steam cleaner should be able to decalcify. But not every appliance can. So be careful! An important criterion for a proper steam cleaner is the descaling function. With the descaling function, you have the advantage that no limescale is released with the steam into the surface to be cleaned, which prevents the surfaces from becoming dull and stains from forming.
What is also not always available: A possibility to add disinfectant to the water so that the cleaning is not only thorough but also hygienic. But should already be, especially for Bad & Co.
Of course, not everyone is the same and so everyone has their own criteria as to what such a steam cleaner must be able to do. These are compared for you in the test by cleaning professionals. So you have an easy possibility to decide for the right model.