Interior Design & Decor

You won’t be after reading the scoop on those vacuum steam cleaners.

One thing that needs to be cleared up is that a vacuum steam cleaner really isn’t based on actual steam. These machines, no matter if they’re the cost effective Dirt Devil steam cleaners or big commercial steam vacuum cleaners, they all work basically the same.

Steam cleaners work using hot water and usually a detergent with most adding some mechanical action to loosing dirt. Once the dirt is suspended in the water/detergent solution, it’s then vacuumed up with the carpet rinsed with clear water. Understand that STEAM is water vapor at a temperature over 212 degrees f.

That said, commercial steam vacuum cleaners do have a greater capacity to heat and maintain water temperature thereby increasing the cleaning capacity of their equipment. It stands to reason then that any machine that heats the water before the actual carpet cleaning would naturally clean more effectively than one that didn’t have the heating capacity.

Several upright carpet steam cleaners are now available that have a water heating feature. The new Bissel upright units claim that their heating process can increase water temperature by as much as 25 degrees. This is a great feature as the hotter the water, the better the cleaning result.

Vacuum steam cleaner reviews to find the best steam vacuum should rate all of the following:

1. A mechanical or powered brushing system to loosing dirt.

2. A clean water heat booster to increase temperature for better cleaning.

3. Good suction and vacuum for quick drying ability.

4. A large enough water container to do a good sized room without the need to stop and refill the unit. About a gallon or so would be great.

5. A long cord that could be plugged into another room away from the damp carpet and water in the steam cleaner.

These features should be considered the basic minimum for any able whole carpet vacuum cleaner with steam capability. Just remember that although there really isn’t any steam cleaning, the hotter the water the better the clean. Carpet cleaners that use an electric heat booster will generally deliver better results if only because of the hotter water.

There are a number of great little machines on the market today that can keep your carpets looking great between commercial or professional cleanings. Some do such a good job that you may want to buy a carpet steamer with the money you’ll save from not using the commercial cleaning companies.