K
Kappy
Guest
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I can only give you a limited review at this time.
My dog hates the steamer.
He's fine with a vacuum cleaner, and in fact, often does his impression of a speed bump so you have to vacuum around him. There's something about the hissing noise of the steam jet that he doesn't like and he kept barking at the steamer. Hot steam and dogs don't mix, so I was limited to what I could try because I was afraid that he was going to make a lunge for the steamer hose.
From what I can tell, the steamer itself seems well-made. It comes with loads of attachments, and they even provided a screw driver so you can tighten one screw that attaches the handle to the steamer.
According to the manual - which I read - you have the option of using 16, 32 or 48 ounces of water, that gives you about 15 minutes of steam for each 16 oz. The manual also indicated that it takes 2 - 8 minutes to heat the water, depending on the amount. I used 16 oz and I think it took about 4 minutes to bring the water up to temperature. There's a red indicator light that goes off when the steamer is ready to use. It might be a problem for someone who is going to need more than 45 minutes of steam because the manual suggests letting the steamer cool for 20 minutes before refilling, but that's not a concern for me.
I didn't test any attachments and was just curious about the power of the steam jet itself. I tried steaming some white grout before my dog went into attack mode, and a short blast of steam, along with a brush, removed the dirt and whitened the grout. Even though there was very little water I dried the grout, because it's the dirty water that settles back into the grout and evaporates, that makes the grout dirty in the first place. If every time I washed the tile floor I could thoroughly rinse and dry all the grout, the grout would stay white. (By the way, I have tried a Garry Dean Method Sort Of No Rinse Floor Wash, but that's a story for another time.) While I can get a similar result spraying the grout with an orange oil solution, letting it stand a few minutes, scrubbing it, rinsing it and drying it, this was much faster. Next time I'd like to try one of the brush attachments on the steam jet and see how it works.
The steamer also instantly brightened some white trim around the dishwasher, something that I haven't been able to do even after trying a variety of products.
I realize that this is a car forum and I'm sorry I don't have any car related tests to report at this time. It's so hot in my garage today, that all water vaporizes, so I have to wait until it gets a little cooler before I can play with the steamer outside. Even so, there's nothing on my car that's dirty enough for testing, but I might try it on the engine.
One thing to note is that the steamer does produce moisture. By that I mean that you just don't blast the steam and get instant evaporation. I stand behind a comment I made after watching HateSwirls video showing how he used the steamer to clean the dash around the radio, and some speakers. I wouldn't use the steamer near any electronics because I think it produces too much moisture, which could cause problems. On most surfaces I think it would be safe and effective, but I'd rather err on the side of caution and not cause any damage.
One more thing. When I opened the box I was concerned at first because there's a card that mentions only a 30 warranty from Harbor Freight. I checked the manual and it says that the steamer has a 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty so I'm assuming the 30 days is just for purposes of returning it to the store, and after that the manufacturer takes care of any problems.
Sorry it's not the most thorough review, but it's all I can provide for now. My excuse is an updated version of my dog ate my homework.
My dog hates the steamer.
He's fine with a vacuum cleaner, and in fact, often does his impression of a speed bump so you have to vacuum around him. There's something about the hissing noise of the steam jet that he doesn't like and he kept barking at the steamer. Hot steam and dogs don't mix, so I was limited to what I could try because I was afraid that he was going to make a lunge for the steamer hose.
From what I can tell, the steamer itself seems well-made. It comes with loads of attachments, and they even provided a screw driver so you can tighten one screw that attaches the handle to the steamer.
According to the manual - which I read - you have the option of using 16, 32 or 48 ounces of water, that gives you about 15 minutes of steam for each 16 oz. The manual also indicated that it takes 2 - 8 minutes to heat the water, depending on the amount. I used 16 oz and I think it took about 4 minutes to bring the water up to temperature. There's a red indicator light that goes off when the steamer is ready to use. It might be a problem for someone who is going to need more than 45 minutes of steam because the manual suggests letting the steamer cool for 20 minutes before refilling, but that's not a concern for me.
I didn't test any attachments and was just curious about the power of the steam jet itself. I tried steaming some white grout before my dog went into attack mode, and a short blast of steam, along with a brush, removed the dirt and whitened the grout. Even though there was very little water I dried the grout, because it's the dirty water that settles back into the grout and evaporates, that makes the grout dirty in the first place. If every time I washed the tile floor I could thoroughly rinse and dry all the grout, the grout would stay white. (By the way, I have tried a Garry Dean Method Sort Of No Rinse Floor Wash, but that's a story for another time.) While I can get a similar result spraying the grout with an orange oil solution, letting it stand a few minutes, scrubbing it, rinsing it and drying it, this was much faster. Next time I'd like to try one of the brush attachments on the steam jet and see how it works.
The steamer also instantly brightened some white trim around the dishwasher, something that I haven't been able to do even after trying a variety of products.
I realize that this is a car forum and I'm sorry I don't have any car related tests to report at this time. It's so hot in my garage today, that all water vaporizes, so I have to wait until it gets a little cooler before I can play with the steamer outside. Even so, there's nothing on my car that's dirty enough for testing, but I might try it on the engine.
One thing to note is that the steamer does produce moisture. By that I mean that you just don't blast the steam and get instant evaporation. I stand behind a comment I made after watching HateSwirls video showing how he used the steamer to clean the dash around the radio, and some speakers. I wouldn't use the steamer near any electronics because I think it produces too much moisture, which could cause problems. On most surfaces I think it would be safe and effective, but I'd rather err on the side of caution and not cause any damage.
One more thing. When I opened the box I was concerned at first because there's a card that mentions only a 30 warranty from Harbor Freight. I checked the manual and it says that the steamer has a 1 year limited manufacturer's warranty so I'm assuming the 30 days is just for purposes of returning it to the store, and after that the manufacturer takes care of any problems.
Sorry it's not the most thorough review, but it's all I can provide for now. My excuse is an updated version of my dog ate my homework.
....i am excited about it though.
