Hello AT,
Does anyone have experience with steam cleaners? I've seen the Scunci for about $60 and wonder if it is worth the price or if there are better, if more expensive, ones out there.
Thanks, Stacey
Dear Stacey, Unfortunately we don't have experience with this kind of thing AND Consumer Reports doesn't either! We are throwing this right out to our readers.
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This is actually the first and last item I ever bought off a tv infomercial and a source of dubious embarrassment to me. I was won over by the concept of using only water to clean and never buying another chemical or healthier chemical in a bottle again.
Alas .... I believe the concept is still worthy but the bigger much more expensive machines really accomplish the task. Like the steamers the dry cleaners folks use. Those are massive. The best thing about this little steamer is it does windows very well. You still end up using gobs of paper towels to wipe up the black dirty water that rolls down and it is a little unwieldy holding up this somewhat heavy especially at an awkward angle say cleaning the outside of the window machine.
But I had fantasies of cleaning the oven and everything with it and it just doesn't cut it. Not with the steam alone. Neither does it create enough steam to spot clean carpets. But it's a winner at removing dried up errant candle wax and glued on stuff. So I keep it around. To redeem itself and me.
I love my steam cleaner. Granted it is not for cleaning large areas. I use it my for my bathrooms. Great for getting off all the muck that can hang around a damp bathroom.
I think it's both faster and more ecologically sound to clean windows with an organic cleanser in a bucket of hot water, an old t-shirt and a rubber squeegee for the glass. I can't handle buying anything else that I have tote around, plug in or store.
I think it's both faster and more ecologically sound to clean windows with an organic cleanser or vinegar in a bucket of hot water, an old t-shirt and a rubber squeegee for the glass. I can't handle buying anything else that I have tote around, plug in or store. I just moved out of my old house and did every single window and sill inside and out this way. Brilliant.
Those steam cleaners are really no better than leaving stuff in a hot steamy bathroom and going at it with an old washcloth. They have little to no pressure(which is what you are looking for in a steam cleaner) and hard to handle.
Save your money.
I purchased the Scunci Steamer and trust me, it is a huge waste of money. It doesn't clean anything. Don't believe the infomercials: It does not remove soap scup, baked on foods, etc. It was a huge disappointment. Save your money.
I bought a steam cleaner (big one that trolleys behind wherever I go) 4 years ago. I absolutely love it for bathroom, kitchen, any upholstery, curtains. You don't need pressure! It's not the pressure that removes the grime it's the steam. It's well worth investing in reasonably big machine for your weekly clean otherwise you're forever refilling and that takes time as the machine has to cool down first and then get back up to temperature again. I haven't found a stain it can't get rid of yet. It's worth investing in a really good one. Mine was about £160.
I believe in steam cleaning everything! I have such terrible chemical reactions that I've been forced to switch to pure steam nearly 100% of the time.
I am on my second Scunci steamer. The best uses: removing wallpaper; cleaning chrome; removing wrinkles from silk fabric. The negative: it still isn't ergonomically friendly; municipal water doesn't work well with the unit; it doesn't clean large areas; it doesn't clean everything I would like for it to clean, especially in the pet areas. NOTE: Nothing will clean everything! But it is reassuring to know this little machine will clean better than anything I've ever used for chemicals.
I wouldn't try it in my oven since my oven is self cleaning. I wouldn't try it in my microwave since Scrubbing Bubbles makes it look brand new with only a few seconds of nuclear power. Don't try Scunci on anything that cannot tolerate the power and heat this item will give it (i.e.: caulking in the bathtub!).
I don't have to polish bath fixtures or flatware anymore - Scunci has particular purposes... I just have to keep finding them!
I can't vouch for the Scounci, as I have a Shark, but I love it. Steam cleaning doesn't make dirt disappear, but it loosens and melts it off a surface. Then you wipe it with a towel. It kills germs and odors without chemicals, and leaves no residue behind to attract more dirt. I love that it gets into all the tiniest crevices and blasts the dirt out. That leaves things not just looking and smelling clean, but looking new. You can clean without ever touching the dirt. Once you fire it up, you're looking around for things to clean, so you'll clean things you might not have otherwise gotten to. You can move easily between cleaning the fridge to cleaning your heat vents and your office chair within minutes. Most jobs go fast. I use mine to clean parrot cages, dog crates, kitchen, bath, tile grout, door handles, door and window tracks, car interior, heater vents, appliances, silk flower arrangements, decorative hats, floors, windows, picture frames, my vacuum cleaner -- whatever doesn't get out of my way first. It's great for stripping wallpaper too. Note: Be careful on painted surfaces (keep it farther away and keep it moving) as you can peel the paint off. Don't use it on anything that might melt and give off harmful fumes, like some flimsy plastics. Don't use it on velvet.
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David Jefferson
http://www.steamcleanerarena.com
There are NO WORDS for how AWESOME the scunci steam cleaner is.
We are moving into an amazing house that was purposely left NASTY! The mold in the shower was unbelievable. The urine in the tiles was intolerable. I borrowed a steamer hopeful that it would help, and its like a new shiny bathroom, and is amazing. I feel like an infomercial for them, I'm telling everyone to buy them. I have incredible before and after pictures.
LOVE IT!!!!
This blog posting was of great use in learning new information and also in exchanging our views. Thank you.
Mary Anne Martin
http://www.steamcleanerarena.com
Scunci...HA it should be called CRAPPY. This idea, I thought was awesome. We need to get away from the chemical cleaning it is killing our environment but this product does not do the trick. I emptied 2 jugs of water and messed up a flimzy attachment trying to clean my bathroom. I hoped it would get the ring around the toilet to disappear. Allot of sweat and money went down the toilet that day.
frustrated customer
I'm sorry everyone doesn't love their Scunci like I do!
I think it makes cleaning the stove and shower SO much easier. I also like the way I don't have to use any chemicals with it.
Given that it's not an expensive item, it's worth (IMO) the money.
I have bought two Scuncis now. The first just stopped working, I thought maybe I did something wrong and brok it. So DUMB me I went and paid another $60 for it and lo and behold this one stopped working even though I followed every instruction to a tee. Now Iam out the money because there is NO customer rep to contact. My advice DO NOT waste your money!!!
I have purchased two scunci cleaners. I am somewhat satisfied with its cleaning ability, but have had no luck with "tough" jobs such as BBQ Grills. Eventually, the scunci cleaner will become clogged and no longer emit any steam.
Running it partially filled with white vinegar doesn't help.
Then. if money is no object, you buy a replacement.
I bought a more expensive steam cleaner and got very enthusiastic about using it. I loved the idea of having clean- to-the-point-of-sterile surfaces in the house. (Don't ask me why.) I also wanted to avoid ironing, and it was supposed to be able to clean clothes and leave them wrinkle free.
When steam machines are working, they leave a lot of puddling water which you have mop up somehow. I ended up consuming massive amounts of paper towels to deal with the extra standing water everywhere.
I had some kind of a big job, and the steam cleaner broke down. It was about a month after I had gotten it. In the meantime, friends were influenced by my new dedication to cleanliness and got their own steam cleaners. Aaah! I ended up wasting over $300 and being responsible for a bunch of other people doing the same.
I don't recommend steam cleaners for people who want to remain sane.
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