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Is This You?

	Confused
	You Want A Steam Cleaner But Can't Decide For The Best Which One To Buy
	You Have Seen So Many Sites Selling Them You Don't Know Which Is Best
	You Can't Decide So You Won't Bother

Which is the right system for me?

Impartial Advice

Terms Explained

STOP - Once Again VapourTek™ Are Here To Help

What we can see from activity on our website is that most people do not really know what they are looking for when it comes to purchasing a steam cleaner. Use the Chart below to rack up points for the areas that you wish to clean to see if steam only or steam vacuum is more suited for your requirements. The point scoring system is designed to make your choice simple. Scoring is done on how effective each system is with 5 being excellent and 1 being adequate. If there is no score then the system is unsuitable for the task. To save time the bottom line is General Household Cleaning if your requirements are broad!

Area of Use	Hand Held	Steam Only	Steam Vacuum
Ovens & Appliances	3	5	3
Hard Floors		3	4
Carpets & Rugs		3	5
Upholstery		2	5
Bathrooms	3	5	3
Curtains		2	3
Windows	3	4	5
Daily Vacuuming			5
Spot Stain Removal		5	5
General Household Cleaning	1	3	5
Totals

Once you have selected the areas that you want to use steam for ad up the points in each column to help you decide which system is best suited to your needs. Click here to download a printable PDF version of this chart.

We are aware of other 'cheaper' steam cleaners available through some well known outlets by some well know manufacturers. However, when comparing our steam cleaners with these cheap steam cleaners you should check the following in order of importance:

Is the boiler constructed of stainless steel or anti-limescale? Unless stated it probably isn't.
What is the grams per minute (g/m) in comparison? Not enough steam equals not enough cleaning power!
How long does 1 litre of water last? 1.5 litre boiler is 50 minutes equals 37 minutes per litre or 1.5 litre is 1 hour equals 45 minutes per litre.
Can the supplier offer a telephone or web based support service? If this is your first steam cleaner this is essential!
Does the price displayed include next day or any other delivery? In our experience it usually does not, adding around £9 to the price.
Is your appliance made in the European Union creating wealth, supporting jobs and fuelling the economy?

We all like to buy at the best possible price BUT add the above factors together and we believe that VapourTek™ products offer the very best value for money that you can find.

Model	Maximum Grams Per Minute	Stainless Steel Boiler	Boiler Capacity	Heating Element	Variable Steam Volume	Variable Vacuum Speed	Waste Tank Capacity
Vapor No-Volts	70	Yes	1.2 litres	1250W	No
Monster 60	80	Yes	1.2 litres	1450W	No
Vapor A	70	Yes	1.5 litres	1250W	Yes
Vapor B	70	Yes	Twin Tank	1250W	Yes
Sagittarius	70	Yes	1.5 litres	1200W	No	No	8 litres
Sagittarius Plus	70	Yes	Twin Tank	1200W	Yes	No	8 litres

The issues below are set out to try and help. They are of course our view BUT we do have extensive knowledge of steam and this is something that most of our competitors lack. They know there is a market for steam so they buy in a product (usually from the Far East) and brand it and sell it. Most know no more about using steam to clean than you do! Not much help once you have bought one.

Which is the right system for me?

The solution lies in what you require from your steam cleaner. The guide below is only a rough guide but one that we feel could be helpful in deciding which one is more suited to your needs - which is the most expensive one obviously! (just kidding)

I want a machine to clean my oven & appliances, bathroom and the odd spot stain on the carpets

Nice easy one and the most popular request with a nice simple answer - steam only systems. There is no need for a vacuum to clean these areas. These system uses around a litre of water every 40 minutes, so to remove the waste water from your oven you simply use a cloth.

I want a machine to clean my carpets and floors

Another popular request, especially with those households having pets or children (or like me, both). For this you require a steam vacuum system. The vacuum is a big advantage when it comes to carpets and upholstery. The twin tank system offers fast warm up times if getting a machine out for a quick clean is important.

Impartial Advice (Honest)

Support from catalogue e-tailors

In our experience their support runs to "send it back Madam for a full refund". Not much good if the system you bought works but you don't have any advice from them on how to use it (See our How To Use section). Feel free to use this section even if your machine isn't a VapourTek™ machine as the principle is the same (though the machine might not be quite as good! Sorry, I'm supposed to be being impartial)

On-line or High Street

Sites such as our are able to offer support 24/7 through the How To Use section and we are available during office hours to discuss your requirements. You will be lucky to find a high street retailers that stocks a steam cleaner never mind one who actually knows how a steam cleaners works!

Stainless Steel v Aluminium

Yes stainless steel is better. Higher safety points, better heat retention, better handling of lime-scale as steel is more resistant (lime-scale may eat aluminium).

Conclusion

Whether you buy a VapourTek™ system or not ensure that your chosen supplier can support you if you need help using it i.e. have they cleaned with the chosen system and do they know how to get rid of red wine stains? If you live in a hard water area make sure that the system can cope with lime-scale. Is your chosen system offering value for money? How long does its' "1.5 litre" tank run for? If only 30 minutes then it is not dry steam. What is the BAR pressure? If less than 3.5 it is probably not dry steam. Before you make a buying decision contact the company and ask them how they can support the system. Do not buy because they say if you are not satisfied simply send it back. Most steam cleaners will work BUT there is an art to using them. Most of all, once you have made you purchase make sure that you enjoy using it, if this were not impartial I would say make sure that you enjoy your "VapourTek™ Experience" - but I won't!

Terms Explained

Dry Steam

Steam that is produced at very high temperatures that contains less than 5% water.

Vapour

Mixture of air and steam produced by the systems.

Single Tank

The system has one tank, the boiler and this is filled by the user. Once empty the system needs to lose its' pressure and temperature before it can be refilled.

Twin Tank / Automatic Fill

These are two tank systems. The operator fills a non-pressurised tank that feeds the boiler via an electric pump. The system can be refilled whilst in use and will provide an endless amount of steam.

Injection System

This is an additional non pressurised tank that will feed a cleaning aid in with the steam at the point of exit. Useful for heavily soiled areas or for using the VapourTek chewing gum remover to clean away unsightly chewing gum from all surfaces.

Extraction

A term used for the integrated vacuum systems.

Water Filtered

Virtually all steam and vacuum systems use water to filter the waste. This is by far the best system for filtration as water will hold onto the smallest particles plus it can be safely flushed away and there are no ongoing costs of replacing bags or filters.

BAR

The amount of pressure generate in the boiler.

No Volts

No volts refers to the system of using a mechanical valve in the handle to control the steam flow rather than a solenoid in the steam cleaner operated by electronics from the handle.

Steam Cleaners Explained

Steam Cleaner is a device that works to clean various areas and things such as carpets, curtains, bed sheets, clothes and even greasy and rusting metal ware. Steam Cleaner is a very powerful device. The basic principle of the steam cleaner is the super heated steam it produces. Different types of steam cleaners produce different kinds of steam. Some produce dry vapour and some produce wet vapour steam. The steam cleaner was invented about two centuries ago while super heated water has been used for cleaning purposes for a long time. The early steam cleaner machines were very big, heavy and difficult to operate. At that time, fixed steam cleaners were used mainly in factories, locomotive workshops and other heavy machinery plants. As a result of excessive grease deposit and dirt accumulation, the workers required high temperature steam jets to clean their machinery and equipment. So, they invented the device called the steam cleaner. It was first successfully developed and patented by a Scottish inventor, and the British locomotive industry was the first to use large-sized fixed boilers to produce steam round the clock to clear all kinds of debris and pollution from railway engines. Later on, smaller and mobile versions were developed for use by smaller industries and businesses, such as carpet and curtain cleaners. Nowadays, a steam cleaner has extensive use as a result of production of even smaller units that can be kept and operated easily at homes. These are often found in pharmaceutical companies and hospitals where cleanliness is the foremost prerequisite for working. There are some disadvantages associated with these high-powered machines. It takes a lot of energy input in the form of electricity or gas to power them up. There have been cases of severe burning because the steam used is much hotter than regular steam produced from kettles.

Steam Cleaners

There has been a lot of technological development over the past two centuries. Man has increased material production and innovation manifold. It is because of this sudden increase in output that one can see such an increase in consumer items. These include cloths, curtains and all kinds of interior furnishing and decorating materials. These are used extensively in both offices and homes. Although they increase the beauty of the surrounding environment, they do have problems associated with them such as dirt accumulation, dust settling and stain marks. It has become difficult to clean them regularly because of the busy environment of homes and offices nowadays. However, because of constant development and innovation, man has developed devices such as vacuum cleaners and steam cleaners to deal with this kind of problem. Steam Cleaners are innovative pieces of equipment, which serve to clear up all kinds of stains and dust. Other than these advantages, steam cleaners also destroy harmful bacteria and germs collected in various fabrics and materials. Steam Cleaners have found multiple uses in today's industries. These include hospital and related industries where steam cleaners are regularly used for cleaning and sterilization purposes. Small and versatile steam cleaners are also used in homes and offices for cleaning purposes. Steam Cleaners have also found use in very large industries because of the fact that steam can clean pipes and other machinery, which cannot be cleaned by ordinary cleaning methods. Steam Cleaners are used in aircraft cleaning, locomotive cleaning, as well as the machinery cleaning industry.

Steam Vacuum Cleaner

Steam cleaners are used for cleaning purposes. Depending upon the kind of cleaning job, different types of steam cleaners can be used. One type used is the steam vacuum cleaner. A steam vacuum cleaner is basically a hybrid of the steam cleaner and a vacuum cleaner. This is because sometimes ordinary steam cleaners cannot clean areas where dust is deposited. In fact, they can even adhere the dirt and dust more to the surface because of high temperature and wet vapours'. Similarly, a vacuum cleaner cannot do every cleaning job, such as disinfecting materials along with dirt removal. In order to solve the problem, a steam vacuum cleaner was developed that had the combined property of vacuum cleaning along with steam cleaning. A Steam Vacuum Cleaner is a smaller device, as compared to industrial steam cleaners, but is larger than ordinary household vacuum cleaners. In a steam vacuum cleaner, a pipe sucks out and clears all kinds of dirt and waste, whereas a second adjacent metallic pipe sprays a jet of dry steam vapour on the cleared area. This creates a double cleaning effect, and the device works more efficiently than ordinary cleaners. Nowadays, steam vacuum cleaners come in various shapes, sizes and power. Normal steam vacuum cleaner is used for homes and offices, whereas larger types are used for industrial use because of increased mobility and better cleaning. A Steam Vacuum Cleaner is an exceptional piece of equipment and is a very good cleaning device.

Questions still? Phone us now on 01530 456926