McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner

After some research and contemplation, I bought this unit to clean and disinfect bathrooms and other household stuff. By in large, most of the observations from the reviews here have been consistent with what I've seen. PROS: 1. Steam lasts a very long time. The manual says it can hold up to 48oz of water from which to generate 2 hrs of steam. This appears to be right if you're holding the nozzle open constantly. In reality, its longer because you have to steam-wipe-steam-wipe repeatedly, letting the machine rest during "wipes". I can get a good 3 hrs of cleaning done on one full tank of water. Also keeping you from holding open the nozzle is that you have to give it time to "recharge" since it appears that it does not generate steam as fast as you use it. 2. It works on what it claims: most "organic" build-ups like soap scum, toothpaste, dirt, etc. Cleans darkened grout nicely. Doesn't damage the finish on fixtures. I was expecting a little too much on the calcium deposits from hard water... steam just wasn't effective. 3. Nice supply of attachments (brushes) although its unclear what types of surfaces these brushes can be safely used on. In particular, I refer to the smaller round brushes. For example, my guess is that the brass brushes are not meant for highly polished finishes. 4. Good enough to clean hard to reach crevices like sliding door tracks (shower doors or patio doors), faucet details, etc. 5. Works well on car wheels. Brake dust is very fine and a pain to clean by hand. Not to mention that the chemicals are often not meant to touch the brake disc surface (I have yet to figure out how splashing water from a hose can be directed only to the wheel and not the brakes within). 6. Steam is the only option for cleaning chemically-prohibited surfaces (I never knew chemical cleaners were not recommended in microwaves!). CONS: 1. Its loud! Not the machine, but the steam as it comes out of the nozzle. I strongly recommend hearing protection while you use it when indoors. My ears were ringing for about an hour after my first session. 2. Steaming takes time. If you're not opposed to using chemicals, often I find that bleach works as good, if not better, than steam. Compared to 5-10 mins steaming a polished chrome bath fixture to get it sparkling, it took 30 secs using your household bath cleaner with bleach. 3. Steam just doesn't work efficiently on mineral build-up. Chemicals are far more time-efficient. Hard water stains and deposits require lots of time and lots of elbow-grease (scrubbing). And even then, I'm not convinced it was cleaner than using chemicals (i.e., judging from the "gleam" off the surface). 4. The steam pressure is not very high. It isn't very low either, but definnitely not high enough to "blow" debris away more than an inch or two from where the steam jet hits. The best approach seems to loosen with steam then wash away with water or wipe away with sponge. Hence, I don't recommend using this for something like cleaning a car engine where neither wash nor wipe are feasible. (I guess you could steam long enough so that the condensed water from the steam was enough to wash away the gunk on its own, but that would take forever.) 5. It needs time to build up steam pressure while you work. The light is supposed to turn off when it is ready. While in use, the light will come on when the pressure reaches some threshold. Continued use beyond that point without letting it rest means you work with less pressure. When the tank is full of "condensed" water, the light comes on more frequently. As the water is depleted and more volume in the tank can accommodate vapor steam, the light comes on less often. 6. The width of the brushes simply do not permit reaching into 90 degree crevices or those really tight spaces. This is minor, however, but a flat or low-profile brush attachment would have been nice. A medium bristle toothbrush is a nice companion in my cleaning adventures... Overall, pretty happy with this unit. To be efficient, I've found using a combined balance of chemicals and steam is best. It definitely reduces the amount of chemicals I need to use. For hard-to-reach or delicate surface areas, steam wins outright (with the mentioned toothbrush).

I purchased this steam mop a few weeks ago and so far I am very pleased with it. Does a great job on the floors! It's quiet, easy to use and has a nice long power cord and hose. I find it's much quieter than I expected as well. When mopping the floor its best to hold the steam button down for a few minutes to get the pad saturated before starting on the floor. I actually had to touch the floor afterwards to see if it was wet! It was of course but it doesn't leave much liquid behind so the floor dries quickly, unlike the old style mop I had. Afterward the floors really felt clean, unlike when I use my WetJet mop! I've used it on sealed hardwood floors and ceramic tile. Also worked well to do a quick disinfect of the toilet bowl! Holds enough water to mop all my floors without refilling, which I know is a problem on some models that don't hold as much water. I haven't tried many other surfaces yet but plan to try it on the car soon and see how it does. Definitely happy with my purchase so far.

Not suitable for UK. Yes we should have realised this before buying but it was not at all obvious as it was on a UK site

Este limpiador -junto con mi aspiradora- me permiten limpiar mi departamento en menos de una hora. Es mil veces mejor que un trapeador y facilita mucho el limpiar varias superficies.

Me encantó el equipo, tiene todo lo necesario para hacer una buena limpieza, eso sí, utilicen agua destilada que es lo que se pide, me gustó igual que llegó mucho antes del tiempo mencionado. No esperen que la máquina quite toda la mugre, igual hay que limpiar igual.