This year we have been chosen as Karcher Clean Ambassadors which means over the course of 2014 we will be bringing you news of all of Karcher's great products which help with cleaning around the home.
First up we have been asked to put their top of the range steam cleaner through it's paces. Regular readers of my blog may remember back in May of last year we reviewed one of the mid range steam cleaners and were very impressed with the results. I was therefore looking forward to receiving this new, more powerful steamer to give the house a really good clean.
The Karcher SC 5.800 C Steam Cleaner is more powerful than the SC 2.500C model we previously reviewed and it comes with additional accessories.
When I received the steam cleaner, from looking on the box, it didn't look hugely different. However, when I took the cleaner out I could see that it looked more advanced and immediately noticed the extra accessories. The main differences that were apparent at first glance were the temperature dial on the front of the cleaner rather than just having one button to press and the fact that you received three each of the hand tool cloths and floor cloths rather than the 2 we received with the mid range cleaner. Another big thing I noticed was that the hose was not attached. You have to plug in the hose to the front of the machine before use. I found this much better as it was easier to store.
Upon further inspection, the other differences were that the hose was an extra half a metre longer which I found to be very useful for reaching around the door to clean the shower! It meant I could have the unit further away from me and it gave me more space to work.
The high end steamer has a heating output of 1800 watts as opposed to 1500 for the mid range steamer. The time for the water to heat up is just 4 minutes with the high end cleaner rather than the 6 it takes for the mid range cleaner to heat up. The water tank is also bigger therefore does not need filling as often and there is a longer electric cable.
The only slight downsides to this high end machine are that it is bigger to store and slightly heavier, however, with the added extras this is to be expected.
I found this steam cleaner very easy to set up and use. I had a brief look at the instructions, however, never find them very easy to follow so used my common sense! To start using the cleaner you simply need to remove the water tank from the front of the cleaner and fill it up to the maximum line. Once the water tank is back in place you can plug in the hose to the front of the cleaner, switch on the power, turn the dial on the front of the cleaner to the desired steam level and off you go (after waiting the required 4 minutes anyway!).
Whilst the cleaner is heating up a green light will flash on the control panel. Once the cleaner is ready to use the light will stop flashing.
For steam to come out, you simply press the trigger on the hose attachment. It really is that simple!
I have given all of the accessories a good test out and they are all good for different aspects of cleaning around the home.
I used the hand tool (with a cloth) for the shower and for the oven door. Although it did take quite a bit of steaming and scrubbing, I am really impressed with the results, particularly on the shower which has come up really shining. It has definitely helped to get the oven door much cleaner too, however, I will still need to use an oven cleaner to get rid of the rest of the grease. It has really helped me get a good start on it though and, once I have it sparkling, I think the steam cleaner will certainly help keep it cleaner for longer.
I found the small detail nozzle very handy for getting around the taps. I always find it difficult to get right around the taps and get off all the dirt so, having a little nozzle you can attach really helps to get to those hard to reach places.
I gave the kitchen floor a go with the floor attachment and relevant cloth. The cloths are easy to attach and can be washed at 60 degrees. The cleaner helped to get the floor very shiny and clean and removed a few dirty patches that I would previously have had to get down on my hands and knees to scrub.
In conclusion, I am very impressed with this steam cleaner. It is definitely of higher power and quality than the mid range cleaner and comes with more accessories which is very useful as you can do more things in one go without having to wash the cloths all of the time! I probably wouldn't buy this cleaner specifically as a floor cleaner, however, for doing the other cleaning jobs around the home I think it is a great buy and something that I will definitely be using on a regular basis to help keep the house clean without having to use lots of chemicals.
We were sent this steam cleaner as a Karcher Clean Ambassador for 2014. All opinions are my own and all photographs were taken by me and are not to be used without my permission.
