Clean With Steam: Eureka Steam Cleaner
Written: Jul 11 '04 (Updated Nov 06 '05)
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Pros: Does not use chemicals, lightweight, easy to use, multiple uses, long cord and hose.
Cons: Does not vacuum, no easy option for soaps,
The Bottom Line: This is a good cleaning device that uses steam to clean. It just fails do to a lot of the work for you.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Eureka Enviro Steamer 370 Upright Vacuum |
Why I got it
I got sick of my Hoover Floor Mate not working properly, so I just got this for the flooring. And as an added bonus it can work on other surfaces, not just floors.
What is it?
This is a cleaning device that mainly uses steam as its primary cleaning agent. It does not vacuum. It does not apply soap. You also provide all of the manual labor. But it does have several accessories that make life easier.
What it came with
Floor cloth, floor brush, accessory connector, two extension wands, brass round brush, plastic round brush, angle nozzle, cloth for fabric brush, window squeegee, fabric brush, straight nozzle, measuring cup, liquid dispenser and funnel
How it works
You pour about a quart of water into the machine, a measuring cup and funnel is provided. Then you turn on the machine and let it heat up. This takes about ten minutes.
You then put the main extension arm on through a simple clipping mechanism. Then you decide which attachment you need to put on. All you do is slide the attachment on at a 90 degree angle, then twist to lock on. That’s it. When you want to spray you just push a button and you get steam. If you do not want to hold down the spray button then you can lock it in place with a sliding button. The power cord is long enough so you can go completely across a large room without disconnecting the machine.
Major Accessories
Floor brush- This is used to mop a hard floor. It is basically a towel held onto a rectangular surface and steam is applied through it. It requires a bit of pressure, but not too much. Some really sticky surfaces will require repeated passes. This is a great way to get sticky surfaces clean.
Brass round brush- This is a small brush that has brass bristles. It is perfect for hard surfaces like grills, stove tops, or other hard/metal surfaces. This will scratch surfaces.
Plastic round brush- This is the same as the brass one except it has softer bristles. It is good for plastics or other vulnerable surfaces.
Window squeegee- I think this is kind of stupid but it is a squeegee that allows steam to escape. It does not replace your windex or get rid of certain grease.
How hot is it?
It claims to heat water to 200 degrees. This makes sense to me but as soon as it travels through the hose and is sprayed into the air, it cools down fast. I can put my hand in front of the steam without fear of getting a severe burn. But it is uncomfortable over time and will result in a severe burn in a few minutes (sorry, I am not going to test that theory out for you.)
Is much water left behind
Not much water is left. It is in the form of steam and quickly evaporates. The exception is the floor pad that absorbs the water. But over time you will have moisture that accumulates at the spot you are cleaning. It usually is not a problem, unless you are spending 10 minutes cleaning one burner on a stove.
Does it really kill bacteria
In order to kill bacteria and viruses you need to expose the organism in very high heat for a long period of time. My dishwasher has this setting, but in order for it to work it will prolong the wash cycle about 20 minutes. This gives the washer the time to heat the plates to the proper temperature for the required time.
Now this will kill most bacteria, the jet is hot enough. The problem is you will be required to hold the steam on the object for around 12 minutes (This is only a guess based on experience.) Imagine if you wanted to disinfect your baby’s entire set of toys, it would take hours to do it properly.
The directions do not say how to properly disinfect items. I was shocked by this, at least tell us the truth so we can make our own call. All it said was that it was possible to use this device for this disinfecting items.
I do not recommend buying this for disinfection purposes. In my opinion, only chemicals or a special machine (dishwasher) will do it properly.
A word about grease and oils
Water will not get rid of grease, it will only push it around. What you need is a soap (usually a base) that will bond to the grease and break it up. Then when water contacts the soap, the soap bonds with the water and pulls the oil up with it.
This machine does not take care of grease, it only takes care of water based substances. A lot of food products are easily taken care of because of the limited amount of oils in the foods. But not all. The rest will need to be taken care of by hand.
How well does it works on …
The grill- The brass bristled brush works great for this. It still takes a lot of elbow grease, but it is a lot easier than normal methods. (still, the best method is throwing it in the oven self cleaning cycle.)
The sink- Using a sponge or cloth with the steamer works fine. No chemicals needed and it does come clean.
The stove top- Another job that is easier with this device. It did not completely clean off my stove, but it did work well.
The windows- Use windex, the squeegee is a waste of time in my opinion.
Plastic- Works ok, but a cleaning agent on a cloth works better.
Blinds- Works well, but a damp cloth can work just as well.
Wall- Works great. My wife tried to scrub the wall and was not very successful. I steamed the same wall she worked on and most of the marks came out. Both of us were impressed. The problem is that it requires a strong arm and a bit of work.
Hard tile floor- Although is requires elbow grease, I thought this worked better than the Hoover floor mate. The only problem is you need to vacuum the floor before you use this device (same recommendation as the floormate.) What a drag.
Steam away wrinkles- Works ok, but you might as well just take the clothes out of the dryer and hang them immediately.
Adhesive on a plastic plate- All it does is gets the adhesive hot and the adhesive moves all around the device. The only way to get it off would be with “goop”. This steamer sucks on adhesives.
Problems
-The first problem that when you first push the button all of the water in the hose is pushed out as ordinary water. So make sure you do this over a sink until all of the water is expelled.
-The second problem is it does not have a soap option. This is needed for some substances.
-There is no spinning brush. This really does need to be on future models, it would make life a lot easier.
Dimensions
Body length: 13 inches
Body width: 8 inches
Body height: 9 inches
Hose length: 85 inches
Boring Stats from Costco.com
Sanitizes and cleans with steam
Kills E-Coli and Salmonella
Boiler system steamer
Stainless steel tank
200°F water temperature
Eliminates the need for mops, buckets and detergents
Cleans bare floors and above the floor surfaces
Multiple accessory tools for any cleaning need
Use ordinary tap water
No chemicals required
Steams wrinkles away instantly
Disinfects hard to reach areas
Cleans grease with heavy duty scrubbing brush
Ideal for cleaning shower doors
Accessories (included):
Floor cloth, floor brush, accessory connector, two extension wands, brass round brush, plastic round brush, angle nozzle, cloth for fabric brush, window squeegee, fabric brush, straight nozzle, measuring cup, liquid dispenser and funnel
Weight: 15 lbs.
Summary:
This is not the ultimate cleaning device. It does a poor job with heavy greases and oils, light oils are generally not a problem. It does not pick up the water it left behind and you will need to use a lot of elbow grease when you are working. But it does work and it does clean. If you are a clean freak, then this machine will be a welcome addition. For the rest of you, just stick to a vacuum and a cheap mop until they make significant improvements in the design.
Other cleaning equipment.
A Two Year Review: Hoover Floor Mate
A 2 Year Evaluation. Hoover self-propelled vacuum
Ionic Breeze quadra, 27 inches.
Ionic Breeze quadra compact.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 70
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