Steam cleaning records 2

Most steamers have a pressure relief valve in the cap that allows steam to escape at a certain pressure to avoid the tank from exploding. There is a thermostat in these machines that keeps the steam up to, but not over a certain pressure/temperature. I would not take a chance with these relatively inexpensive machines. You could expose yourself to severe burns. Either your thermostat did not shut down the heating element or the relief valve opened prematurely. In either case I would replace the machine, it is not worth the potential risk.

Thanks Zen,
I have a feeling you're right. Probably not worth the chance, especially when I have two more Perfection steamers sitting unopened.

Sonofjim: I purchased a lead detection kit from The Home Depot to test power chords. The results may not be the same as yours, I now wash my hands after fiddeling with them. You should try the test yourself. Nothing to go crazy about but an eye opener.

FYI: Several years ago, I did a search of the hospitals in my area for # of persons harmed by handheld steam cleaners , there were none. I now use a instant steam unit & not a traditional water boiler, pressure in a non-issue. Cheers

I just finished testing a "SteamFast" steam cleaner from Walmart and am not impressed. It seems to lose pressure within seconds and you have to wait for it to build up again; it often sputters, and on test areas in the kitchen to see if it has any cleaning ability, it fails miserably. So, I'd like to try the Walgreens "Lifestyles" steam cleaner mentioned in this thread, but I cannot find it anywhere! it is not listed on their website, and I've tried three nearby locations and they do not stock such a thing. Can anyone give me a hint on how or where to find one? Thanks--

Hi Kipdent,

Look in Walgreen's small appliance section. Some seem to stock them, some don't. I recently found (but did not buy) the old Perfection steamer in one WG, so try more than one store.

As an option, consider the Shark from Kmart. I auditioned both the Lifestyles steamer and the Shark. From what I can tell, they both come from the same factory in China. Both perform in a similar fashion. The biggest difference is a sensory one. The Lifestyles steamer comes with black accessories, the Shark with gray. However, the difference goes deeper than the color. When using the Lifestyles steamer with accessories, a strong "burning tire" smell has to be contended with. The Shark's attachments emit no such odor. That, coupled with my perception that the Shark performed marginally better, was enough to convince me to keep the Shark.

There is also the Shark Bottle sprayer, which I tried and returned. It apparently operates similarly to the McCullough steamer in that you must pump water with a trigger (think spray mist bottle) periodically in order to keep the steam flowing. I never really mastered the technique of pumping at the right intervals to keep the steam flowing. I distrusted the pump for longevity reasons as well.

Good luck.