I recently purchased the Steam Wizard® by Sharper Image. It is really a very nice hand-held steam cleaner. It is the first small steam cleaner that I've found that actually produces real steam. This makes a real difference when cleaning your carpet or upholstery.

Features

o It is a wet/dry vacuum.
o It produces real steam from an internal heating element.
o It also produces a "blast of steam" for tough stains.
o It weighs approximately 4 lbs.
o The dimensions are 20" x 4 1.4" x 6 1/2".
o It does not use a battery. It uses 110 volts.
o It has 2 small attachments. The first is for hard floors and the second is for upholstery.
o The cord is 20' in length.
o Easy to remove plastic reservoir and filter, plus 1 extra filter included.
o It has 2 small rollers that allow you to easily move the cleaner back and forth.
o The settings are Vacuum, Steam, Spray and Off. There is also a separate On/Off switch. The settings are on the top of the cleaner and easy to use.

How Does It Work?

You need to read the instructions carefully before you begin to use the Steam Wizard. Be sure that you pour water into the reservoir before you plug in the cleaner, and turn it on to steam. As you fill the water reservoir, leave 1/2" of air space. First, clean any debris using only the Vacuum setting. When you are ready to use the Steam setting, turn it on and wait a minute or so.

Almost immediately you will see an excellent amount of steam being produced and flowing from the cleaning end. Run the cleaner back and forth over the stain until it disappears. Switch to Vacuum and remove the moisture from the area. If the stain persists, next try the Spray setting. Repeat cleaning and vacuum all the water from the area. DO NOT OVERLY WET THE AREA.

The Nitty Gritty

*The steam is really a good cleaning ability to have. It removed my stained areas extremely well. You do not need to use other cleaning agents (normally). There are cleaning tips included in the instruction booklet for certain stains.

*The vacuum is not really as powerful as it could/should be. The area will still feel fairly wet/damp when you are finished. When you put your hand at the vacuum end, you will not feel a lot of suction (although the cleaner is advertised as having powerful suction).

*Purchased new from The Sharper Image, the cost is $129.95, which is fairly pricey for this machine. You will find information here: www.sharperimage.com, Search, "steam wizard."

However, you may be able to get it on ebay.com as I did for much less. I paid approximately $40 in an auction. The machine was brand new still in its package. If you can find it in this price range, it is well worth purchasing.

I am recommending the Steam Wizard for spot and small area cleaning. It really does produce real steam, which I consider very desirable.

~One More Thing~

The Steam Wizard is very cute in blue and white plastic. This is not your ordinary plastic. It is thick, heavy, and very durable. It looks as if it will last a very long time. I really like mine.

Woops, I Almost Forgot!

I tried using it to steam off some old wallpaper tonight. Forget it, the machine wasn't designed for this, and I nearly fell off my stepstool trying.

Thanks for reading! glo



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