This post is in collaboration with Kärcher.
I should warn you, that this post is going to make us look like the complete dirty slobs (and the worst part – it’s all true).
With so much DIY and building work going on around here, it’s inevitable that we’re always faced with a lot of mess and cleaning, too. And out of everything we do around here, I’m the first to admit, that cleaning is by far my least favourite part of any project.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a clean and tidy house, but actually getting to that point is something that’s really not on my list of things I like to do. Knocking down a wall is just so much more fun than cleaning away sticky brick dust for hours on end.
I guess we all have cleaning tasks that we hate more than others, for some people it’s ironing, for Jan it’s well, everything and for me it’s wiping floors, so when Kärcher kindly offered to send us a steam stick to review, we of course jumped at the chance – after all we’ll try anything to make life just a bit easier, right?
One of the very first products we bought when we moved into our home was a Kärcher pressure washer (which we love) so I’ll totally admit, that we had high hopes for this steam cleaner – and luckily we weren’t disappointed!
It works so well that makes us look like complete slobs. Yes, of course we clean our floors every now and then, but you’d never know it by looking at this cloth (warning, it’s not pretty) after going over our floor with the Kärcher steam stick.
I can’t believe how much dirt came up from the floor! To say that it’s disgusting and looks like we’ve never cleaned is probably a bit of an understatement.
We love how easy the steam stick is to use. Just fill it with water, turn it on and after just 3 minutes it’s ready to use. Compared to our old mop and bucket it’s so simple, so much quicker and as you can see, obviously so much more effective, too!
When we test products, we like to be as thorough as possible and our floor infront of the cellar was worse than ever before – perfect to put the steam stick through it’s paces.
The difference after less than a minute of cleaning is amazing!
The Kärcher Steam Stick itself, is a really nifty little gadget. It comes with a selection of attachments for cleaning various surfaces. I particularly love that the power cord is really long, which makes it great to navigate through our house without having to find a new power socket at every corner.
If you’d not already guessed, we love it. It’s so easy, quick and effective to use – what more could you want. I guess we don’t have any more excuses for a dirty home. Needless to say, this nifty little gadget is going to get a lot of use around here.
Do you hate mopping floors as much as I do? What household task do you hate most? Do you have a gadget that you love and makes your life easier?
Jill says
Just wondering if this would work to brighten painted walls?
Christine says
That’s a really difficult question to answer. It removes a huge amount of dirt (you can literally see it running down the wall) but it’s obviously not going to change the colour of any paintwork. It’ll probably also depend on the surface you’re trying to clean as it I think that steam can damage porous surfaces (although we obviously used it for our varnished timber floors and had no problems).
Cx
Natasha Bruce says
I love this. I want one; I hate cleaning floors, this would make me want to clean the floors.
Did I mention I hate cleaning floors? This makes it look so easy.
Christine says
We still love ours. It’s the only thing I use to clean the floors now and although mopping floors is the cleaning job that I still hate most, it definitely makes it much more bearable.
Cx
R says
hi, how often do you have to refill the water tank? I really like this Steam Stick and I think we’re going to buy them, it seems really easy to handle and super light.
Christine says
The tank holds 250ml and I’d guess we refill about every 20 minutes. Refilling just takes seconds as you only have to add water and it only takes about 3 minutes to warm up. I’d say it lasts long enough to clean 1-2 rooms. You’re right, it is super light and easy to handle and as you can take it to pieces, it’s really easy to store. We’re really happy with it.
Cx
Sasha says
Wow. Just wow. I know what is on my birthday list now. That makes such a difference on the timber floors!
Christine says
It’s amazing what just a bit of steam can do! Can’t wait to test ours on every other surface we have – slowly working our way around the house…
Cx
Jason says
First off what a fantastic website you have, for someone who is totally useless at diy it has given me so many ideas and confidence to have a go at some of the jobs that need doing around our house. Having read your experiences of using the Karcher steam stick I had a look at buying one but after reading some other reviews and working with a tight budget I decided to get A refurbished Karcher steam cleaner from the Karcher outlet store and what a bargain it was. Anyone working to budget you can’t go wrong, £39.99 and that comes with all the attachments too.
Christine says
Thank you so much Jason! DIY is so rewarding and it’s truly amazing what you can achieve – we’d never thought we could do as much as we’ve managed!
I didn’t know that you could buy refurbished Kärcher products – such great idea and definitely a great tip to remember if you’re working to a budget!
Cx
Kerryn Hewson (Colour Your Life) says
After buying our steamer I couldn’t imagine throwing a mop and water everywhere. It’s also a really quick and easy way to clean the shower without all that scrubbing!
Christine says
Totally agree, Kerryn! Not tried it in the shower yet – ours could definitely do with a good scrub, guess you know what I’m doing tomorrow ;)
Cx
Louise says
Steam stick? Np wonder you like it =) No, seriously, it looks a bit magic. Being an incarnation of a very old little lady as I am I cannot help wondering if the steam is hot? One should never use warm water on wooden floors alas it will turn a slhade of grey, wee ones!
Christine says
Yes, you’re right, it is hot. In the instructions it tells you what surfaces you can use it on and where you shouldn’t. Our floors are sealed and varnished, so it should be okay.
Cx
Heidi says
I will definitely have to give one of those a try! I was excited when I found your blog as my husband and I are also renovating a 100 year old home and blogging about it. The similarities are astounding! It is comforting to know that others have the same trials, errors, and triumphs as we do, and yes, I feel like we live in filth sometimes! Keep up the good work!
Christine says
I totally agree – it’s nice to know we’re not alone and not the only ones living in a building site ;).
Cx
Kezzabeth says
Steam mops are incredible! With having two dogs, I used to feel like our floors were never really clean. It might be going a bit too far; but I swear it changed my life. I literally received hours of my life back! Ha. Only downside is, since moving, our new house is 100% carpeted (for now at least) so it’s been somewhat neglected. I do miss our sparkly floors. Lovely post :)
Christine says
I totally agree – it’s amazing how much quicker cleaning is now. Can’t believe I ever lived without it!
Cx