Top 5 Carpet Steamers
Best Lightweight Steamer: Light ‘N’ Easy Floor Steamer Best Accessories: Costway Steam Cleaner Fastest Preheat: Moolan Steam Mop Best Steamer Head: Steam & Go Electric Carpet Steamer Best Design: Reliable Steam Floor Mop
Best Lightweight Steamer: Light ‘N’ Easy Floor Steamer
This carpet steamer has a large flexible head that’s effective at removing stains and grime from carpet, hardwood, laminate, and tile. With a 20-foot power cord and a 3.5-pound frame, this steamer is easy to maneuver around your home. The carpet steamer comes with a measuring cup to help users add water to its built-in tank. It also has a powerful heating element that brings water to a steam in just 20 seconds.
Best Accessories: Costway Steam Cleaner
This 2,200-watt carpet steamer comes with 19 accessories to deep clean carpets and other surfaces in your home, including hardwood, upholstery, and even toilets. This product also has a large 1.5-liter water tank to cover more floor and a powerful heating element to produce steam for up to 45 minutes. This carpet steamer has several impressive safety features for peace of mind, including a child lock to prevent accidental operation and automatic shut-off to turn the machine off when its water supply is low. Additionally, it includes a built-in handle to increase mobility.
Fastest Preheat: Moolan Steam Mop
This carpet steamer is ready to use in just 15 seconds with an adjustable steam release for attacking small or heavy-duty jobs. It also comes with several cleaning accessories, including a machine-washable mop cloth. With a flexible triangular head, this steamer can reach corners to deliver a deep clean to a variety of surfaces. It also comes with a 450-milliliter water tank that provides steam for up to 15 minutes.
Best Steamer Head: Steam & Go Electric Carpet Steamer
This carpet steamer has a detachable base that connects to over five included attachments, including a scrape tool, angled nozzle, and steamer jet. It also has variable-steam control for a customizable cleaning experience and a 17-foot power cord for easy mobility. Other interesting features of this carpet steamer include its V-shaped head that pivots 360 degrees to help you reach tight spaces as well as its foldable handle that makes storage easy.
Best Design: Reliable Steam Floor Mop
This carpet steamer comes with four washable microfiber pads for cleaning hard surfaces and a carpet glide for addressing dirty carpets and rugs. It also has a 21-foot power cord to help you reach more area before needing to move to a new outlet. With a 25-minute steam time, this steamer is sure to last you through a full clean. It also has a built-in foot release that helps you quickly adjust its cleaning head to suit a variety of surfaces throughout your home.
Buyer’s Guide
Here are some of the most important factors to consider before purchasing a carpet steamer.
Steam Temperature
All carpet steamers heat water to at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit because that’s the temperature required for water to convert to steam. However, some high-powered models produce steam that’s hotter than that. For example, the Costway Steam Cleaner generates steam that reaches 226 degrees Fahrenheit to lift deeply embedded dirt and debris.
Water Tank Size
Carpet steamers have a built-in water tank that feeds into their heating mechanism to produce steam. The size of this tank varies from model to model. For example, the lightweight Reliable Steam Floor Mop has a 600-milliliter water tank, while the heavy-duty Costway Steam Cleaner has a 1.5-liter water tank. While smaller water tanks make carpet steamers easier to control, they have shorter runtimes.
Preheating Time
Before they’re ready to start cleaning, carpet steamers have to preheat to bring their water to a steam. The preheating process varies from model to model and can take anywhere from 10 seconds to over five minutes. A big factor in preheating time is the size of the steamer’s water tank, with larger water tanks requiring more time to preheat. For example, the Costway Steam Cleaner has a 1.5-liter water tank that needs five to six minutes to preheat, while the Moolan Steam Mop and its 450-milliliter water tank need just 20 seconds to preheat.
Accessories
Most carpet steamers include accessories to help users clean a variety of surfaces. Some of the most popular attachments include carpet gliders for maintaining carpeted surfaces, scrub brushes for addressing heavily soiled surfaces, and glass brushes for cleaning windows. Other accessories help you maintain your carpet steamer or prepare it for cleaning. For example, many models come with a measuring cup and funnel to help you add water to your steamer’s tank.
What’s the difference between a carpet steamer and a carpet cleaner?
While carpet cleaners use heat and water to clean your carpets, they don’t heat water to a steam like carpet steamers do.
How often should I steam clean my carpets?
It varies depending on your carpeted area’s size, traffic, and material, but most carpets should be steam cleaned about twice a year.
How much do carpet steamers cost?
Carpet steamers are affordable cleaning tools that typically cost between $50 and $100.
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