Steam Cleaner Review

It’s been about a year since I bought my steam cleaner, so I wanted share my honest thoughts and opinions on it. Today I am reviewing the Bissell Steam Shot OmniReach.

This is just my opinion. I highly recommend researching, any products you want buy for your home to see if it’s a good fit for you!

My First Thoughts on the Steam Cleaner

I ordered my steam cleaner off of amazon and put it to work right as soon as I got it! The thing I was most excited about trying it on was my stove.

I made sure to read through the instructions carefully before attempting to use the machine. I wanted to make sure there was as little user error as possible so I could give this little steam cleaner a honest review.

After using it for a few minutes I realized that there was definitely a learning curve to it. I would say that is the cause for a lot of (not all) the more negative reviews I was reading before I made the purchase.

Here’s what I noticed:

It’s hot! The steam that comes out of this machine is very hot, which is why it cleans so well. However you do have to be mindful of that, especially when changing out the accessories. The tip holds a lot of heat.
The machine is supposed to hold 300mL or 10 oz of water. The cup they give you only holds 6.6 oz, this causes a bit of confusion. I’ve found that just under 300mL of water works the best for me.
It has a small capacity. It will run low on steam and not be as powerful while using contentiously. There is a light that will come on when the machine is heating up again, this takes about 20 seconds. During this time, I like to pause and wipe down whatever I was steam cleaning. I find that going back and forth between steaming and wiping up the gunk, is an efficient rhythm to get into.
When it runs low on steam, you may think it’s out of water already. Give it some time to catch up before trying to add more water, to prevent overflow.
You have to be careful while cleaning glass, hot steam on cold glass can cause the glass to crack.
It’s simply not made for large jobs, like floors.

Steam cleaner pressure indicator — *The pressure indicator will come up when ready, and go down when it’s safe to open.*

Once I understood how the steam cleaner works, I cleaned all kinds of things with it. It cut through layers of grease like it was nothing, removed small patches of mold from on top of my fridge, and cleared out the build up from around my sink.

As someone who is very sensitive to harsh chemicals and scents, being able to clean these areas without any of that (or a lot effort) was absolutely wonderful!

After Using it for a Year

I’ve used this steam cleaner for about year now, and although I don’t use it as often as I did when I first got it, it is still one of my favorite cleaning tools!

I still use it in the kitchen for grease and build up. And I’ve started using it when I clean my dishwasher, which has been a huge help in keeping it clean.*

I’ve found it very helpful in cleaning out window tracks, around the door to my shower, and the base of toilets. Pretty much wherever it’s hard to get the grim out of, is where I use the steam cleaner.

*Click here for tips on cleaning the dishwasher!*

The Pros and Cons

Like any product the steam cleaner does have it’s own pros and cons to consider.

Pros:

Cleans Effortlessly
Has a very long cord.
Sanitizes
Small & easy to move room to room.
Color coded brush attachments for tougher jobs.
Only uses water.
Hose attachments makes cleaning different angles easy.

Cons:

Runs low on steam quickly.
Can burn you if not careful.
Takes a long time to cool down.
Trigger can make hand hurt after awhile.
Can’t be used on all surfaces, including wood.
If attachments aren’t on correctly, they will pop off.

Overall I think it was a great purchase! I paid $42 at the time, and for that price I think that this little steam cleaner was worth it.

If you’re looking for a small handheld steam cleaner, I recommend finding one with a hose, it will make cleaning much easier. But if you want something a bit more powerful for larger jobs, a small steam cleaner like this might not be worth it to you.

Like I said, do your own research to find what works best for you!

Important Note: Since I’ve started writing this review, there as been a recall on the Bissell Steam Shot products, due to a burn risk. Mine does not fall into this recall but you can learn more about it here: Bissell Support.