What and how does a Karcher steam cleaner clean?
Answer: The Karcher steam cleaner works on the principle of a steamer. In a closed boiler, the poured water is heated to boiling, resulting in the formation of steam with high temperature and pressure of up to 4.0 bar. A distinctive feature of cleaning with a steam cleaner is that steam does not leave streaks on the surfaces being cleaned, effectively cleans stubborn dirt and does not require detergents. The Karcher steam cleaner will be an excellent assistant in cleaning the kitchen and bathroom (cleaning plumbing fixtures, tiles, stoves, hoods, shower cabins, mirrors, windows, etc.), it will wash floors without streaks in any room, it will easily refresh and remove odors and will give an excellent look to fabric products (carpets, upholstered furniture, curtains and other products). If you have an iron connected to a steam cleaner (if this is provided for in the design of the steam cleaner), you can easily iron and iron clothes and other textiles.
Question:
Price issue
When purchasing a steam cleaner, it is important to strike a balance between the options you actually need and the price. So, having spent:
- from 1000 to 3000 rubles you will become the owner of reliable and practical hand-held steam cleaners. They have a basic set of additional attachments and are great for one-time cleaning and cleaning of small spaces.
- from 3,000 to 7,000 rubles you can get fairly powerful hand-held steam cleaners with a spacious tank, as well as simple floor-standing models with a basic set of nozzles. This is the best choice for the home - such devices combine excellent performance characteristics and small size.
- From 7,000 to 15,000 rubles you can buy floor-standing steam cleaners from well-known brands. They have a steam pressure of 3 to 4 bar, a spacious water tank of 1 to 1.5 liters and various attachments that make the cleaning process easier.
- from 15,000 rubles you will receive a multifunctional steam cleaner with a large steam boost (more than 4 bar). Such devices have various brushes and attachments, an extension hose and a steam iron for caring for clothes.
To summarize, I would like to note that a steam cleaner is not a magic wand that will turn an old and dirty thing into a new one; it will not restore enamel or return an erased pattern. But it copes with the issue of cleaning and disinfection “excellently”, and the cleaning process with such a device becomes much more exciting and interesting.
Can I use a Karcher steam cleaner to clean mirrors and windows? How to do this correctly?
Answer: Yes, of course you can. If the glass surface is small or is divided into small sections by some partitioning slats, then you can use a nozzle in the form of a point nozzle. To prevent the glass from cracking from hot steam, treatment should begin from a distance of about 30 cm, gradually bringing the nozzle of the steam cleaner nozzle closer to the glass. To clean normal-sized windows and mirrors, use a proprietary window cleaning nozzle, which is equipped with transverse nozzles and a rubber tie, with which you can easily remove traces of steam and collected dirt.
Question:
How does a steam cleaner work?
The steam jet is able to penetrate even the smallest particles of contaminants. Thus, she destroys them from the inside. There is no noise during operation of the device. And steam does not pose any threat to health, since it has a loose structure.
IMPORTANT ! How to prepare equipment for operation? The surface to be treated does not in any way affect the preparation of the device for operation. The procedure is always the same. And it involves some stages. It is necessary to decide at what time the work will be performed. Then clean the surface to be treated. There should not be any objects on it. And then all that remains is to pour the required amount of cleaning solution into the device.
Which Karcher steam cleaner can be used for ironing textiles?
Answer: You can iron and smooth a garment well with a steam cleaner only using an iron attachment. When using a nozzle for textile care, you can simply treat the textile product with steam, while the product is not so much smoothed as it is refreshed and various kinds of odors are eliminated. Be careful! Not every steam cleaner model has the ability to connect an iron. For example, the popular model SC 1.020 does not have this feature, but models SC 1.030, SC 2.600 do. If the name of the steam cleaner contains the letter B, then the iron is included in the delivery package (for example SC 1.030 B, SC 2.600 CB).
Question:
Clean cracks: radiators, seams, hood
There are many bottlenecks in cleaning: the seam between the sink and the countertop, baseboards, radiators, rubber on the refrigerator door, grout on the kitchen splashback. Furniture causes a lot of difficulties: dust gets clogged in the wooden grooves and behind the sofa cushions, and it is impossible to get it out with a cloth.
A narrow nozzle penetrates into the space between the batteries, and the steam washes away the dust so that many owners change their mind about updating the color of old radiators. The same thing happens with the hood: the non-removable parts remain dirty, even if the filter can be cleaned. The steam assistant penetrates into hard-to-reach places; you just need to wipe it with a cloth, because the steam destroys dirt, but does not absorb it.
Even a hand-held steam cleaner with a long nozzle with a power of 1200 W or more can handle this.
Can I use a steam cleaner to clean carpet?
Answer: Carpets, upholstered furniture, including carpet, cannot be cleaned with a steam cleaner, since the steam cleaner does not have a suction function. For these purposes, a steam vacuum cleaner (or steam vacuum cleaner) is more suitable, which has the functions of a steam cleaner and a vacuum cleaner at the same time. However, treating carpets with a steam cleaner does an excellent job of removing stains and softening dirt, which can later be removed using a napkin, brush, rag, etc. In addition, steam treatment will refresh the appearance of the carpet and eliminate odors from it.
Question:
How to steam a sofa
Upholstered home furniture consists of a dense layer of inner filling and upper upholstery. Stains from juice, food, and watercolor paint remain on the fabric and penetrate deep inside. After some time, greasy stains, hair, and dirt are found in the area. A steam cleaner can easily restore the cleanliness and original appearance of your sofa. It is necessary to carry out cleaning correctly, following the instructions.
Which nozzle to choose
For high-quality processing of upholstered furniture, different types of attachments may be required. Sofas can be angular, straight, and everywhere you need to remove dirt. For smooth surfaces, rounded, flat brushes are suitable. They have a large steam supply area and help to clean faster.
For hard-to-reach places, it is necessary to use narrow cone-shaped nozzles.
Selection of detergent
If there is visible dirt or greasy areas on upholstered home furniture, you can use specialized detergents. Select chemical products strictly according to the type of fabric.
There is a wide range of cleaning products for carpets and sofas. Powders are diluted to a paste or foam, applied to the stained area, and left for some time to act. Remove residues with clean water, then steam.
You can use a steam generator to clean upholstered furniture only after the moisture has completely dried. For the device, you must use the products specified in the manufacturer's manual.
Will cleaning with a steam cleaner damage parquet flooring made from expensive wood?
Answer: Parquet and laminate floors are cleaned using a floor cleaning attachment. It is recommended to fold the napkin placed on the floor nozzle in half. When cleaning, you need to moisten the napkin a little with steam and wipe the floors with it. The steam generator cannot be turned on for a constant supply of steam! This can actually cause damage to the parquet, which can become unusable over time. When cleaning parquet and laminate flooring with a cloth soaked in steam, no streaks remain and the floor covering retains its original appearance for a very long time.
Question:
Testing the Karcher SC 2 steam cleaner
I've been hearing about steam cleaners for the last eight years. I heard a lot of rave reviews, but I couldn’t understand why this thing was needed, so I couldn’t decide to buy it. But since the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain, as they say. And I am very glad that the Karcher SC 2 steam cleaner came to me for testing 
Well, let's figure out whether this is a necessary thing in the household or not?
As I understand it, many people use steam cleaners to avoid using chemicals at home. Since several years ago I replaced all the chemicals in the house with eco-friendly products, let’s see if there is a need for a steam cleaner and what is more effective. 1. This is what the steam cleaner box looks like. At first, the children constantly called it a vacuum cleaner. In principle, this unit looks like a vacuum cleaner
2. Open the box - everything is compactly packed.
3. Assembling the steam cleaner - everything is easy and intuitive. We attached wheels. Includes two cloths (terry cloth cover and terry cloth for cleaning the floor) Instructions. Lime remover.
4. Fill with water by unscrewing the “safety button”
(IMHO, the instructions have an incorrect translation, it doesn’t look like a button at all, I would call it a
“safety valve” )
. At first I was surprised that there was no separate container for water (like on my vacuum cleaner and steam generator, where I pour water), but I found a way out - I fill it with water from the Water Filter (1 liter). I'm closing. I plug it in. There are no switches on the steam cleaner; the water immediately began to heat up. Time - approximately 6.5 minutes. Interestingly, until the water runs out or until it cools down, this safety valve
will not open to prevent you from getting burned. I love the Germans because they have everything thought out
5.
The steam gun
also has a safety mechanism - protection against activation by children. Yes, and for adults while working. After finishing work, we always put it on defense. When we start working, we switch to medium or strong steam.
6.
BATHROOM.
LIME SCALE. CERAMIC TILE. TILE JOINTS Everyone praises the fact that steam cleaners clean tile joints. To be honest, the seams didn’t bother me; I didn’t see much effect from cleaning. The tiles also didn’t see any changes in appearance (because they were already clean :). But if you need to wash the walls in the bathroom and toilet, this is a great option. Thanks to the extension tubes, you can clean tiles at any height.
(There is a child’s hand in the frame, because it was inconvenient for the mother to photograph herself while working.
Child labor was not used while writing this post :))) But
pay attention
the curb I didn't notice, but there is a coating on it (on the left). And on the right is the result of how I cleaned the steam cleaner. True, I can get the same effect from an eco-cleaning product. But not everyone likes to tinker with the product and rags. And some generally try not to use household chemicals at home.
7.
LIME SCALE. CHROME SURFACES. GLASS. MIRRORS the mirror
with a steam cleaner, then wipe it with a cloth.
You can do the same thing simply with a microfiber cloth. Chrome surfaces
- I started cleaning them with a steam cleaner, but then I cleaned them with a cleaner (faster, more effective).
For those who want to do without household chemicals in their home, a steam cleaner will replace these products. But the joints between the wall and the tiles
well.
And the sink
in a circle (the junction of the sink and the glass surface).
Conclusion - it is very good to clean those narrow places where a rag cannot cope.
And under the sink on the tap below there were some limescale deposits (a lot), everything was also removed well.
8.
SOAP SCALE
It’s clear that people don’t buy a steam cleaner to clean a soap dish, but I needed to understand the effect, what kind of “dirt” it helps with
The result is fast and excellent.
Although you usually have to rub it with a cloth. In general, I don’t really like washing this soap dish. Just wash it - beauty, shine... Put on soap - and it’s as if beauty never happened. Some of you in the comments will say that you need to use liquid soap. But my husband loves bar soap
9.
TOILET
In order not to offend your aesthetic feelings, I won’t show you a clean, shiny, sparkling toilet. What I liked is that it perfectly cleans all the gaps that didn’t seem to be an eyesore before, but after cleaning you realize that the toilet is like new . The only thing inside the toilet is I I didn’t clean it with a steam cleaner, but everything is done with almost the same attachment; I use an eco-friendly product.
I’m even wondering if anyone cleans the inside with a steam cleaner or not?
10.
WASHING MACHINE
I was very pleased with the result. I cleaned everything around the switches (it’s inconvenient to use a regular rag) and the gaps. Usually women use old toothbrushes in such cases, but I never had enough energy for this
11. BLACK MOLD?
There was a small black coating on the rubber circle (gray cuff). Is it mold or not? I never even thought about fighting this plaque, it seemed to me that this was already something eternal. Voila - the rubber is clean
12.
KITCHEN FLOORS
The apartment has laminate flooring, I didn’t dare wash it with steam. But the tiles can be easily washed. Pay attention to how to put the nozzle on correctly. The cloth needs to be folded in half along the long part and pinched at the sides. I looked at reviews where some strange ends were sticking out. Nothing should stick out.
Using a steam cleaner, soap the floor already washed to see if it makes a difference or not.
I didn't see the difference with my own eyes. But cleaning the floor with steam will be relevant for those who value disinfection (destroys 99.99% of bacteria)
13.
DISHWASHER
Found the “right” places Let’s check it out!
Yes, the steam cleaner cleaned everything perfectly.
Again, those places where it’s not very convenient to work with a rag.
14.
CERAMIC PLATE
I started cleaning with a steam cleaner, then I took out an eco-cleaner and quickly did everything with a cleaner and a napkin. Conclusion - the means are faster. But if you want to do without household chemicals at home, a steam cleaner can replace the products.
15. Moving to
the LIVING ROOM
In the living room we have 6 curtains-blinds hanging. I've been thinking about what to do with them for several years now. It’s unlikely that it will be possible to wash it, or take it to the dry cleaner... In general, their day has come! At the same time I saw some kind of stain (the stain, however, I think, I would have simply washed off if I had rubbed it with a wet cloth, but here I didn’t rub anything and the stain disappeared
the curtains
perfectly using a nozzle with
a terry tank cover.
The only thing, out of ignorance, I pressed and at first there was a stream of water - and there were stains on the brown material (as I understand, the fabric is delicate and could not withstand boiling water). Therefore, now I first press somewhere to the side (or on a rag), and then, making sure that only steam is coming out, I direct it to the material. (Attention! this is stated in the instructions - read more carefully
It's time to remember the words of Elena Letuchaya from the Revizorro program: “Dirty”! Yes, this is how to live in the center of Moscow... Now I’m even more glad that I cleaned these curtains :)))))
16.
LEATHER FURNITURE
A child drew with a pen on a leather sofa. By the way, let's talk about children. Some mothers are surprised that someone’s children are drawing somewhere (they almost reproach other mothers with this). As a mother of three children, I can safely tell you that children are all completely different. I used to wonder how other mothers’ children draw on furniture and walls. Until our Matveyka was born :)))
The steam cleaner did not remove the ballpoint pen at all (no one promised, it’s true, it was checked. But I’m not worried, because I know what to do with it. But on upholstered furniture, I read in reviews, the steam cleaner removes the ballpoint pen.
But the sofa and armchair itself were cleaned
perfectly
.
Outwardly, you cannot see the difference. But when I moved a brush over the sofa, there were black stains - I wiped everything on top with a damp microfiber cloth. Because The leather has such a complex texture that it takes a long time to rub it with a rag, but a steam cleaner quickly copes with this function. In this case, using a steam cleaner is much more convenient and efficient!
17.
BEDROOM MATTRESS
I remembered about linen mites, which seem to live in everyone’s mattresses
(or is that not true?
And I decided to clean it too. The mattress itself is clean, there are no stains. I cleaned both sides.
The nozzle was a little gray, but not very much.
I wonder how effective what I did with the mattress is? Did I kill all the laundry mites with the steam? :))) When I changed the bed linen in the evening, I thought that I could have blanket
and
pillows
?
18.
THICK CURTAINS
Another “pain” of mine is thick curtains in the bedroom. I really like them, because with them it’s dark, dark, healthy sleep, if we speak scientifically. But in order to remove them, you need to remove the cornice almost entirely... Brrrrrr... In general, there’s a lot of hassle with them. And I can only do this with the help of my husband. About once a year I decide to accomplish this feat, but every time I wait for the next time. Using a steam cleaner I cleaned everything perfectly.
I wonder if this kind of cleaning will even replace washing curtains?
Or do they still need to be washed at some point? :)) At least the bacteria were destroyed almost 100%.
19. STROLLER
If with my first two children I had dark blue strollers, then with the third I decided to walk like that. Both the cradle and the cane are light. They get dirty quickly. It’s easier to just not pay attention to it. Moreover, now is a dirty period - the child has stepped on his foot and that’s all. Well, shall we try?
I won’t say it was a wow effect; after all, there was already a lot of dirt. Perhaps if you constantly clean the stroller, you can always keep it clean. By the way, when the stroller dried, it began to look cleaner than when wet and dries quickly.
Plus some kind of disinfection
(if you bought a used stroller and just clean your stroller. In principle, I liked this idea
20.
SOFT TOY
This is a lemur (which at first seemed like a kitten to us, but then, thanks to the readers of my blog, it turned out that it was a fox, which we no longer tell the child
walks with us on the street. Well, sometimes it’s easier for a child to let him do something than to explain why he shouldn’t. So yes, this snow-white lemur walked with us along the dirty streets. Shall we try to wash it?
Yyyy... The result is practically invisible.
If only mothers also care about the disinfection
.
21.
CARPETS
We don’t have carpets at home. As soon as the first child was born, all the dust collectors left our house. True, a baby rug recently appeared, but it is still so new that there is no point in even showing it.
And we will look at the doormat.
Before working with a steam cleaner, you MUST vacuum the rug. Then we use a steam cleaner with a brush.
They also collected trash. The appearance is better (in the photo the effect is quite striking, in real life it is quieter, but I liked it). It is very convenient for carpets and the results are visible.
Again I hear Elena Letuchaya’s voice: “Dirty!”
Of course, they walked on it with dirty shoes :))) So we disinfected
!
22. WINDOW
The instructions say that in the cold season the glass must first be heated and then treated with steam to avoid cracks in the glass (in the instructions, however, for some reason it says
“glass break”
- an incorrect translation, it seems to me) due to the temperature difference . I didn't take the risk. I'll wait for spring :)) 23. Where else can you use a steam cleaner (recommendations from the Instructions):
— removing dust from plants
(at a distance of 20-40 cm). Because I have only one flower in the house, I didn’t check it -
eliminating light wrinkles on hanging items of clothing
when processing from a distance of 10-20 cm -
moisturizing the wiping cloth.
Give the cloth a quick steam treatment and wipe down your furniture.
Honestly, I was bothered by the rave reviews on the Internet about steam cleaners (from different companies), because you start to expect a miracle from any action with a steam cleaner.
But don't forget that this is not a magic wand. This is a great unit that helps with certain types of cleaning. I tried to write the review objectively to show what the strengths of the steam cleaner are. SUMMARY information about the Karcher SC 2 steam cleaner:
PROS:
1) good for cleaning:
- carpets
- mattresses (due to high temperatures it kills bed mites, which cannot be added with a regular vacuum cleaner)
- curtains
- household appliances (gaps, small parts)
- plumbing (clearances)
- strollers
2) kills 99.99% of bacteria 3) compact size 4) everything is intuitive (but you still have to read the instructions
5) protection is provided on the steam gun from being turned on by children 6) protection is provided from accidental burns
(in the post I wrote about the “safety valve”) MINUSES:
1) there is no separate container for water (as in other models), but in practice it is not critical.
2) there is no automatic winding of the electrical cable (like vacuum cleaners). Perhaps there are technical reasons for this? CONCLUSION:
I can’t call a steam cleaner an essential item in the home (like a washing machine or a vacuum cleaner), but it performs its tasks successfully and is indispensable for some types of cleaning.
I hope my review was useful to you?
