Anyone got/recommend a steam cleaner?

[NuttyKrafts]

I've been thinking about getting a steam cleaner - mainly for upholstery, kitchen floor, maybe carpets although I suspect when I do get one, everything cleanable will get cleaned!
Will be grateful for any help / advice please.
Thank you everyone.

[bluebedouin]

I wouldn't use a steam cleaner on carpet but I can highly recommend a hot water extraction cleaner.Most of these are pretty expensive though & don't get used that often so hiring one for a day would probably work out cheaper.Most diy stores hire them out.


Extract from Wikipedia:
Although there is an industrial cleaning process that is in fact steam cleaning, in the context of carpet cleaning, "steam cleaning" is usually a misnomer for or mischaracterization of the hot water extraction cleaning method. The hot water extraction cleaning method uses equipment that sprays heated water (not steam), sometimes with added cleaning chemicals, on the carpet while simultaneously vacuuming the sprayed water along with any dislodged and dissolved dirt. Many carpet manufacturers recommend professional hot water extraction as the most effective carpet cleaning method. Actual steam could damage manmade carpet fibers or shrink natural fibers such as wool.

[buttons-and-bows]

I had one and would not get another as I found it to be a waste of money, but I do have a pro press steamer for pressing clothes, sheets etc and a vax for cleaning carpets and furniture etc and am happy with that. but thats only my opinion of them

[madelaine]

I had a penguin - it furred up. The instructions usually say "do not use deliming products" but the instructions speak with forked tongue. If you have hard water you must.

[astral276]

I bought a hand-held one, and found it useless. It didn't seem to do anything. The only thing it did do well was wreck my freezer when I tried to defrost it with it.

I think they come under the classification of Garage Ornaments (along with the likes of exercise equipment), things you buy, use a couple of times, and then spend the rest of their life cluttering up the garage.

[bluebedouin]

Just found a picture I took on my phone at the time.I was cleaning a house & the carpets & rugs were filthy.This is a before & after,the dark patch isn't a shadow it's the dirty half of the rug!The picture doesn't show the real colour but it gives an idea of how good the Kerstar Robin is.

[madelaine]

I like the concept of "garage ornaments" - I recognise the classification.

[buttons-and-bows]

So do I but ours get to be house orniments to trip you up and such

[crafters_corner]

Just a word of caution before hiring any cleaner:

I hired a Rug Doctor for the bedroom carpet. It WAS pink - ended up a dirty beige after cleaning - removed all the pink dye.

And, no, I didn't do a patch test first

Bought a hand-held one with the greatest of intentions. Rubbish on the oven; not worth the palaver on the kitchen floor.....

Don't bother.

[meebo1]

Thank you all, this has helped me too. It's been on my mind to give one of those steam cleaners a try, so now I won't bother