Yewrrite 5 Pack Karcher Steam Cleaner Pads, Karcher Steam Cleaner Accessories, Compatible for Karcher Easyfix Sc2 Sc3 Sc4 Sc5 Series Karcher Steam Cleaner Cloths

Product Information

Key specs – Type: Steam mop; Water tank capacity: 400ml; Power: 1,550W; Max steam pressure: Not supplied; Accessories provided: Filling jug, 2 x microfibre heads, carpet glider; Cord length: 6m; Dimensions: 21 x 29 x 130cm; Weight: 2.5kg; Warranty: 1 year

The Polti Vaporetto Smart 100_B has a large 2 litre water tank that feeds the boiler, but you can pop out the tank at any time for a refill without waiting for it to cool down or even disrupting cleaning. The other thing to watch out for is pressure. The higher the steam pressure, the faster the steam jets out and the better it is at dissolving dirt and grime. For this reason, a steam cleaner that can put out 3.5 to 4 bar of pressure will have a lot more cleaning power than a handheld cleaner with less than 3 bar. Are there any practicalities worth thinking about? We’d like the Neat even more if you could refill it during cleaning – you have to wait for it to cool before you can open the tank – but, as it is, it’s a great all-rounder, on surfaces, sinks, or shower trays, and just as fabulous on floors. The power of the boiler also has an impact, simply because it can take time to boil and pressurise the steam. Newer cleaners have got much better at reducing that wait time, but it can still be several minutes before you get a usable head of steam. What’s more, many steamers need a breather now and then while they get steam together before they can continue. Certain cleaners are better at minimising this than others. Carmel absolutely loved using the Polti, even if it is a bit on the pricey side. The controls are excellent, the design is practical and it feels weightless in the hand, so much so that you can lift it to clean windows, curtains and more. Use on a tiled wall was particularly easy too, so if you hate cleaning your bathroom, this is a great cleaner to consider.Then you can attach various tools. There’s a large, rectangular floor head which comes with two Velcro cloths and a clip-on carpet glider. This steam cleaner also has a large square brush with cloth and large round brush – with space on the Kärcher to stow. The only thing it’s missing that we care about is a window squeegee. However, Kärcher offers a wide selection of accessories if you care about this or other tools.

You can use each feature independently but the Bissell Vac & Steam is at its best when you use both at once to save time. You can whizz around the house at double speed if dirt isn’t too ingrained. How we test our steam cleaners Carmel used this with the floorhead and carpet glider to clean the tide marks on an old, colourful rug. It worked to great effect and she only needed to switch to the brush a few times. Uniquely, the Shark’s floorhead and cleaning pad are double-sided, giving you twice the surface area for more cleaning. It comes with a second cleaning pad, too, which our Ecommcerce Editor Molly thought was excellent value for money during testing. If you only want to steam clean floors, consider a simple machine that doesn’t convert to a handheld. It will be light, easy to manoeuvre and you won’t have to store fiddly tools that you’ve no intention of using.

The Steam Shot is also more versatile than you might think, with an extension hose and an accessory nozzle, three detail brushes and a special brush for grout, plus tools for mopping, scraping and cleaning glass – ideal for mirrors and shower screens. Go bigger if you need to get floors and carpets clean, but this is a good, affordable option for spot cleaning or the occasional deep clean. Our Ecommerce Editor Molly oversees vacuum and cleaning content at Ideal Home. She has tested out a number of these steam cleaners in her two-bedroom London flat, including the Bissell PowerFresh SlimSteam and the Shark Klik n' Flip Automatic Steam Mop. The body boasts variable steam control and an anti-calc collector. It comes with a squeegee with cloth cover for cleaning upholstery, plus concentrator, scraper and two sizes of nylon brush. These are all great for cleaning, but might be a bit much if you're tight on storage space.

The best steam cleaners and steam mops you can buy in 2023 1. Bissell Steam Shot: Best handheld steam cleaner Key specs – Type: Handheld steam cleaner; Water tank capacity: 0.36l; Power: 1,050W; Max steam pressure: 4.5 bar; Accessories provided: Jug, extension hose, 3 x detail brushes, concentrated steaming tool, window squeegee, flat scraper, microfibre cleaning cloths; Cord length: 4.8m; Dimensions: 21.6 x 24 x 13cm; Weight: 1.5kg; Warranty: 2 years

Using steam to combat viruses* and bacteria**

It’s bigger and heavier than many steam cleaners, and more expensive than most, but, if you have a house full of kids and pets where the floors and surfaces frequently need some major cleaning, it’s a price you’ll be more than happy to pay.

Key specs – Type: Steam mop; Water tank capacity: 380ml; Power: 1,200W; Max steam pressure: Not supplied; Accessories provided: 2 x microfibre pads; Cord length: 8m; Dimensions: 10 x 11 x 119cm; Weight: 2.7kg; Warranty: 2 years

Take a good look at the accessories you get with the cleaner. The more brushes, nozzles and scrapers, the better, while a gliding mop-head cover for doing carpets is another big plus. Also watch out for the mains lead and the length of any steam hose, as nothing’s more frustrating than not being able to steam-clean in the corner of your shower because it won’t quite reach without an extension cable. It builds up a good head of steam in around 15 seconds, with enough welly to sort out areas of stubborn grime, though it can leave floors and surfaces pretty wet. And if you need to shift attention to sinks, shower screens and worktops, you can just pull out the handheld cleaner, attach the appropriate nozzle and get to work. It comes with three brush nozzles to cover different surfaces and dried-on grease and gunk, along with a squeegee to handle your windows, mirrors and more. With a 350ml water tank, you’re good for around 20 minutes of solid steaming, which is more than some hybrids can manage. We’ve yet to meet a 2-in-1 that can match the cylinder models when it comes to serious cleaning, but the Steam Capsule 2-in-1 comes very close. You’ll have to wait around eight minutes for the button to change from glowing orange to green, but the wait is worth it as the Neat just keeps on dishing out hot steam until the 1.6L tank runs dry, giving a good 30 to 40 minutes of cleaning in our tests. What’s more, Dupray throws in a full set of accessories, including a fantastically effective shower/window squeegee, a triangular brush for tight corners, and six nozzle brushes – five nylon, one brass. With that lot and the Neat’s steaming power, you’re equipped for some seriously in-depth cleaning. A.k.a. 2-in-1 cleaners, these are upright steam mops where the steam generator can pop out from the middle to be used as a smaller, handheld cleaner. They come with various tools for steam cleaning smaller stuff. However, some models now include a separate feeder tank that you can refill while the cleaner is in use, or even an inlet you can keep tipping water into while the machine is up and running. With those cleaners, you’re more likely to run out of steam than the cleaner is and you can keep on going until, say, the downstairs floors are clean or the bathroom is free of any hint of dirt or grime.