Research before purchase.
Sep 17 '00
Word of mouth comes to mind first, as with all of my "How to Buy" editorials. In case you haven't read my others, my opinion on the first step in buying any appliance is to ask around. As family, friends, and co-workers. Ask if they have one or have ever used one, what the brand and model is, and if it was works for them. And Read Epinions on them!!!! Other consumers and users give the best information about any product.
I have a Hoover Steam cleaner that I love. It works wonders on my carpets, furniture, and even my pergo floor. The reason for my purchase of the Hoover was because it come with the attachment to do hardwood and pergo laminate floors. The cost was about $30.00 more for the one that I chose instead of the next model below it but to me it was well worth the extra to be able to use it on all of my floors rather than just the carpeted ones.
Evaluate your needs for a steam cleaner. Steam cleaners come in many varieties.
Do you have laminate floors?
Some have basic attachments, and others like mine have attachments to meet my specific needs such as the one that won't scratch hard floors. Some steam cleaners are designed for higher pile carpet and have longer bristles.
Will you be using it on furniture?
What type of furniture do you have? If you have leather or any type of material that shouldn't be cleaned with water, you don't need the furniture attachments. If you have off-white or light colored furniture like I do you will need every furniture attachment you can get :) Such as the rotating furniture brush attachment.
What areas will you be using your steam cleaner?
They also come in many sizes. Will you be using it only on small areas such as spills? The newest steam cleaners are hand held. If you only plan on using it for spills, area rugs, stairs, or just 'high traffic' areas a hand held one would be sufficient. If you have a carpeted house you will want to check the width of the steam cleaner. It could take forever to clean a very large area with a steamer that only does 6 inches at a time.
Larger Steam Cleaners are great if you have kids and pets. The larger water tank saves time and energy when doing entire rooms or dirtier areas. The amount of rotating brushes the steam cleaner has will make a huge difference in how good it cleans.
First shop at a store with a large selection on display. Read the information cards and see exactly what each one comes with and what each one claims to be able to do. After you pick a model you can shop around for the best price or sales. If you buy a good Steam Cleaner and are not happy with the very first perfomence, you should immediately return it to the store for a refund. It should perform exactly what how it says in the description on the box. If it doesn't work well the first time, it won't do any better the second.
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Epinions.com ID:
jenni796
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: hanover, md
Reviews written: 119
Trusted by: 145 members
About Me:
Mommy, Accounting, Travel, and the Internet.
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