Until I received an email from Karcher the idea of buying or using a steam cleaner had never entered my head. In fact I wasn’t really even entirely sure what a steam cleaner does. Then Karcher offered me the opportunity to test and review one of their steam cleaners and I decided to give it a try.

I had a look at the Karcher website and discovered that steam cleaners are in fact pretty groovy. They clean and kill bacteria very effectively using only water. This means that steam cleaning is eco friendly, hygienic, healthier, faster and cheaper than conventional cleaning methods. It all sounded pretty great in theory so I was eager to see whether it worked as well as the claims. Here is the model they sent me.

The unit is like a hoover, it’s light and easy to maneuver. It comes with four attachments, a nozzle, small brush, hand tool and a  long handled floor cleaner. It also has two cloths, one which attaches to the floor cleaner and another which goes over the hand tool.

It’s really easy to get started. You fill the water tanks to a clearly marked level, switch on the unit, wait for it to heat up, and away you go. I started with my tiled kitchen floor, and was instantly impressed. The steam cleans very effectively and it takes a lot less effort to remove dried on dirt from my floor. I clean the floor in only ten mins and it looks cleaner than it ever has before. It also dries quicker than when I mop it, a big bonus when you have small children around.

I’ve been using the steamer for two weeks now and have found myself using it for many more jobs than expected. I’ve cleaned my kitchen worktops, hob, and bathroom. I’ve done my bathroom tiles and managed to remove most of the mildew which had covered the grouting (I’m sure a second go will get rid of it all). I’ve removed endless amounts of black gunk from my window seals . I’ve even cleaned the inside of my fridge. Each job has been much easier than cleaning conventionally would have been. I’m a steam cleaning convert.

The Karcher Steam Cleaner SC 2 500 C retails for £219.99. I would recommend also ordering extra cloths because it would be good to have one to wash and one to use.

*Disclosure: I was sent a steam cleaner for free in order to write this review. Regardless my opinions are always honest.