I've been intrigued by the idea of a handheld steamer for quite some time and finally decided to bite the bullet since buying a new home. I initially ordered a model by Steamfast. It was horrible! The steam was more accurately a cool mist, the parts were cheap, and nothing got clean!
Skeptical of handheld steamers, I somewhat reluctantly decided to order this one. I could not be happier with my decision! The attachments are high quality -- especially the microfiber cloths. I also like the Hoover model since it has the option of using _nontoxic_ cleaner with the steam. The previous owner of our home didn't bother to clean anything before leaving (!), so having that extra disinfectant power in the bathrooms and kitchen was quite appealing.
I started by using the cleaner on the kitchen counters, sink, and stove stop. There was a lot of grease around the electric burners... the kind of stuff that would have taken me quite awhile to clean up with spray cleaner and paper towel. But with the steamer and a quick wipe with the paper towel, it was gone in less than a minute or two!
I then headed to the bathroom where we have an old 1950s tile floor that had suffered some abuse -- mostly dirty grout and a variety of paint stains. I didn't have high hopes for getting much off. The previous owner had left a big scrub brush and bottle of floor cleaner in the bathroom... and that brush looked well worn! The old paint drops and dirt were no match for my little Hoover! All of the paint came off! I couldn't believe it. Our bathroom looks so much better!
Other pros:
- The steam lasts a long time compared to other handheld units -- at least when you're ONLY using the steam function and the disinfectant cleaner is turned off. I noticed the steam ran out much more quickly when the cleaner was used. For average cleaning, I think you could easily get through 1-2 rooms on one tank of water.
- The attachments are truly high quality. I'm not worried about them melting as with other brands
Cons/Things you should know before buying:
- the unit is a little heavy. I imagine some people would find it uncomfortable to hold, but it's fine for the average person.
- the instructions say the unit should be held upright and never tipped forward... It's pretty hard to follow through on that if you're trying to clean with one of the nylon or wire brushes. As far as I can tell, the only downside is that the surface you're cleaning gets a little wet.
- there's no indicator on the tank to tell you how much water is left... but that's a problem with nearly every brand I researched
- when the tank runs out, you have to unplug the unit and let it cool before the safety cap can be removed. It's kind of a buzz kill, really --- just when you get hooked on steam cleaning and want to clean everything in sight, you've got to wait a good 5-10 minutes before the cap will come off. Again, the steam lasts a fairly long time, so this is really only a problem if you're planning to clean several rooms all at once. I found it wasn't a big deal... there's also something else I could be doing around the house while the unit cooled.
In general -- if you've never used a steam cleaner before -- be prepared that:
1. Yes, surfaces will get wet. That's true for any steam cleaner under $300 (the expensive models have "dry vapor" technology). The wetness is really only noticeable when you're using a nylon brush or the unit's nozzle without any other attachments. The microfiber wand leaves surfaces dryer.
2. Steam cleaning doesn't make dirt magically disappear. You still have to wipe away stuff that's loosened by the steam. If you're using one of the attachments with the microfiber cloths, it's less of an issue.
Bottom line: This made cleaning much more fun!
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