Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is not a bad hand-held steamer, it really isn't. It's just that its reservoir is small. It only holds 6 oz. of water which gives a maximum of eight to 15 minutes of steam...if you're lucky. The thing about steam cleaning is that once you get going, you are always going to find something else to clean. The last thing you want when you have wedged yourself upside down between your bathroom sink and toilet, so that you can get to that really nasty square inch of grout, is to run out of steam. Although steam cleaning can be kind of fun, it does take elbow grease and energy. The spurts of steam loosen the gunk and dirt and then something has to wipe it away and dry the area cleaned. Sometimes a brush is needed to scrub at the dirt or stain. The real point of steam cleaning (other than sanitizing) is that soaps and detergents are not totally necessary, at least in most normal situations. Professional steamers combine cleaning products along with the steam. Household steamers, however, work only with water. In fact you are asked to only use distilled water to fill this steamer's tank. This is fine except sometimes you need something more. A little squirt of say, Natures Miracle Hard Floor Stain and Odor Remover Trigger Spray, along with an application of steam cleans stubborn dirt better and faster. This is good to keep in mind when the steamer will only go for about eight minutes; you don't want to spend half of the time working on a single difficult spot. A month or so ago I purchased a steam mop, the Eureka Enviro Hard-Surface Floor Steamer,313A. This is very good for kitchen and bathroom floors, but if you want to get into tight areas such as behind the sink or clean the grout in the shower stall, you need a hand-held steamer such as this one. Things to know about this steamer: 1) The instruction book is well written (in English) and illustrated 2) Steamfast operates a customer service website and 800 number 3) The steamer is easy to hold and not too heavy (6 oz of water is not too taxing) 4) The electric cord is 12.5' long 5) The steamer comes with six attachments: a jet nozzle, an extension hose, a large nylon brush, a small nylon brush, a small brass brush, and a measuring cup 6) The measuring cup is innovative due to a long enclosed pouring spout that eliminates the need for a funnel. 7) Of the six attachments, only the jet nozzle and the measuring cup are necessary 8) There is no on/off switch 9) There is an "on" light which goes off when the steam reaches the required temperature 10) The steamer should not be tilted more than 45 degrees during use. If you do, hot water and not steam will come out. 11) It takes 3 minutes for the steam to heat up 12) It takes about 10 minutes for the device to cool down enough so that it can be refilled 13) There is a 1 year limited warranty 14) Steam is very hot. You have to watch your fingers and toes. Duh! I tried all the attachments that come with this steamer. The small nylon brush became deformed after a few minutes of use. I have included a picture of the sorry thing. The extension hose is too long a delivery system for the steam which dissipates before it emerges from the end. The brass brush stood up to the heat (unlike the nylon one) but it is meant to clean grills or other items that can take the scratching. The most effective technique, I discovered is to hold the steamer in one hand and a towel or a scrub brush in the other and alternate between the two: blast of steam.....wipe or scrub.....blast of steam.....wipe or scrub, being ever careful of one's fingers. What is wanted is strong shots of "dry" steam that will sanitize and dissolve dirt but will not leave the area very wet. The steam should be able to evaporate quickly. There should not be pools of water anywhere. This is a nice steamer, capable of delivering powerful shots of steam. I just wish the reservoir were bigger. NOTE: 3/30/2012 Since writing the above review, I have come to better appreciate this steamer. I have used it to remove old wallpaper from the walls of a closet, remove sticky adhesive from a door, and (carefully) steam set a head full of rollers. While I have been able to clean surfaces just with steam, there are times when I have used the steam along with a cleaning product for a faster and better result.