Could steam cleaners be the future of cleaning?

When you look at what steam cleaners have to offer, it's hardly surprising that this simple concept is becoming so popular. Take this, for example: they're very eco-friendly and offer a surprising level of cleaning from a very basic source. Just fill the chamber with regular tap water and you're ready to go. From there, the steam cleaner uses an internal super heater to prepare the water, turning it into a fine vapour of even steam that's easy to control. Additionally, steam cleaners come with a selection of attachments which enable this clever device to infiltrate even the trickiest, hard-to-clean places. All that said, the eventual quality of cleaning will depend on the model you buy.

Portability and steam cleaners

If you're cleaning the kitchen, the bathroom, the lounge and the attic, the very last thing you want is an industrial-sized piece of kit that's a nightmare to carry. Fortunately, steam cleaners are revolutionising office cleaning and home cleaning by offering portability combined with a way of cleaning that's easy to get the hang of. With steam cleaners, cleaning the carpet is relatively simple, and getting that deep-set muck off the oven door isn't anywhere near as hard as it was before (be careful with cleaning the inside of the oven with a steam cleaner, however, as this can be troublesome!). You'll also have big success with baking trays, shelves and any removable parts.

Electric hobs will also benefit. Use a hard brush and combine this with steady steam cleaning to achieve a good level of hygiene throughout.

With steam cleaners the options are endless

Steam cleaning is gaining such wide-spread popularity because it can get to those hard-to-reach places, doesn't use chemicals or expensive additions, and works wonders on hard floors which receive relentless foot-fall. For this reason, steam cleaners can get in-between tiles and sort out lino floors in kitchens and bathrooms. Once you discover how easy steam cleaning is to learn, you'll wonder why you never tried it out before. For example, did you know that with a steam cleaner you can clean the blinds in the office as well as clothes, too?

Charity shops frequently use steam to get second-hand clothes good enough to sell. But then, steam cleaning is a great way to remove smells and odours – just another positive attribute which could see it giving many other types of cleaning a run for their money in 2014.