Steam cleaners have their place but you should know their limitations. They basically spray a very tiny stream so if you''re cleaning a large surface (like a sink or countertop, for instance) it''s going to take forever. And you have to wipe off the surface afterwards to remove the water/dirt that''s left behind. But the benefit is that you won''t have to use chemicals. That''s great for people with asthma or with pet birds, etc.I did a lot of research before purchasing this unit. A lot of the competitor''s brands don''t get hot enough to actually sanitize, but supposedly this one does. (Don''t know how you''d be able to prove it, though). But it did leave the surfaces I cleaned more "clean" looking than usual. On my countertop & glass cooktop there were no streaks like when I used chemicals before. The toilet looks cleaner than from just spraying with chemicals but you still have to wipe off the nasty water as the steamer will "rehydrate" whatever dirt is present, which tended to send a cloud of really stinky pee scented steam in my face in the kid''s bathroom. It didn''t work well on a grimy kitchen sink (the pressure wasn''t enough to blast off any caked on dirt or soap.) Ditto with mess on bird cages. But it works well on surfaces that are not too dirty/caked to begin with.
As for the particular unit, I found the extension hose the only tool that would allow me to reach what I needed to clean. If you just hold the unit without the extension hose you''ll tire your hand & you won''t be able to reach most areas because you''re not supposed to tip the unit. It''s best to leave it sitting on the counter & use the extension hose, except that you have to hold down the button on the unit itself with your other hand. That can be awkward. I suppose you could tie a string around it to hold the button down, but after a few minutes you lose pressure while the unit re-heats. It seems that other brands I researched have similar limitations. Another disappointment is that you can''t tell how full the water tank is, and you''re supposed to empty all water before putting the unit away.
So you''ll get a good clean as long as you know it''s going to take a very long time and you''ll have to wipe up loads of water. But if you have a problem with using chemicals this is one alternative.
I purchased this for sanitation of furniture and mattresses, mainly, but looked forward to the other cleaning possibilities. A big factor in my purchase was the price point--so it is a bit less expensive than higher-end, larger machines...but then again, kind of expensive for its size and volume capacity.
Overall, it works well for me--good portability, seems solidly built, and I did not have the issue of the steam stopping after 20 seconds, as another reviewer mentioned. One thing I enjoy about it is you can refill it right when it empties--you do not have to wait for it to cool down. So even though it doesn''t hold a lot, there is no waiting in between. And I find that it is ready to use very quickly.
The directions do warn you that if you hold the button down for a constant stream, you will lose pressure faster. And there is a little light that warns you when it is working to build up pressure. I tend to push the button on and off--puffing the steam out--when I see that the light is on--to avoid completely running out of pressure. I don''t often run into a problem of running out of pressure unless I am out of water.
One thing that was disappointing is that some of the attachments don''t disperse the steam well but kind of turn it to water (like the towel attachment, which I use to clean upholstery with). That tends to get wet and the upholstery does get a bit damp--which really shouldn''t happen with very hot steam.
If you use just the nozzle though, the steam does seem to be as hot as it is advertised--as far as I can tell--because it is a pretty dry steam--does not make things wet or turn right into water.
I did try cleaning some of my bathroom tiles out--for getting dirt between the tiles it worked almost a little too well--I couldn''t seem to stop getting dirt out and gave up. That was for old vinyl tiles though--with the grout, I would say I had similar results as the other review who said it seemed to help but not amazing results. The nice thing is that it should be sanitizing, at the advertised temperature, so you don''t need to use harsh chemicals.
I am hoping to try this out on removing paint next...will see how that goes and maybe report back if it works well.
Buy Enviromate P7 Pronto Portable 4-Bar Pressure Hand Held Steam Cleaner and Fabric Steamer Now
Hi,After much back and forth over what steam cleaner to try I decided to try this one since I read a very positive review on this product and the price was right. However, as I suspected, it did not meet my expectations. I was very excited to try this item and upon receiving it (great shipping by the way, I received very quickly) I started cleaning right away. It was easy to use, I was able to use the attachments with no problem. I started in the kitchen with the sink. I was very excited to get that "white rim" that surrounds my faucet. But, nothing. It did not come clean. Then I moved onto the stove it cleaned it, but a sponge and cleaner worked better. Then I moved to the fridge again, it worked OK but not quite as good as sponge and cleaner. So, I decided to try the fabric attachment and work on a stain on my couch nothing. So, I think I''m going to try one of the larger steaming units (that you can also do the floor) Wish me luck!I am a mom with two children and two dogs. I recently purchased the Pronto to clean my house because I hold a lot of holiday events in my home and wanted it nicely cleaned and sanitized overall. Before purchasing a steam cleaner I did some research and found that the Pronto doesn''t use any chemicals. For me, that was the deciding factor because I try to be as environmentally friendly as possible. I used it to clean my kitchen and it worked great on the sink, stove, and countertops. I especially loved how easy it was to use, cleaning every nook and cranny. It got rid of grime and built up dirt that were in tough places to reach. There were no streaks left behind when I was finished, making everything look brand new! I also found that it heated up fast, was ready to use quickly and had excellent steam pressure. I tried it on a cushion that had a stain on it from one of my dogs and it cleaned it up nicely and got rid of that wet dog smell that was left behind. I am very happy with my purchase and think it was worth the price. I recommend this product to anyone who does extensive cleaning in their home.A purchase I don''t regret, but once you''ve released the pressure, excellent pressure though it is, and steamed something for 20 or more seconds, you have to wait another 20 or more seconds for the pressure to rebuild and the steam to come back. Certainly good for little jobs like cleaning the nooks and crannies on a stove, dishwasher, etc., but without a 2nd unit, a big pain to use on larger projects like toilets, bathtubs, etc. Wanna steam your wallpaper off? Even 2 of these wouldn''t be enough. All that being said, a handy tool that will be used on my house for the right occasions, but definitely not something to use on a daily, or even weekly, basis.
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