Steam Cleaner, 3 Bar Polti Vaporetto Handy Pocket 2.0

Polti Vaporetto Handy Pocket 2.0 Steam Cleaner, 3 Bar

 

Great For Deep Cleaning
By Brett H
I have not tried a steam cleaner for internal use before so this was something of a learning experience. As is often the case I did not find the instructions particularly simple. It did not help that there was clearly some mislabelling in the diagrams. The filling jug and funnel are shown as 9 and 10 in the overall picture, but then referred to as 12 and 13 in the instructions! However, that said I was soon up and running.

What this machine does is direct scalding hot steam under pressure, so clearly has to be treated with some regard to health and safety. Directed at something harbouring dirt, it loosens it sufficiently so that it is easy to remove with a cloth, or in the case of a carpet, with a vacuum cleaner. We tested it on various different surfaces including tiles in a cloakroom and various surfaces in a kitchen and it is quite an effective tool. The picture I have added to my review shows the strips at the bottom of the kitchen units which, given their position, pick up a lot of dirt. On the right is the before and on the left after. Pretty impressive. I would hasten to add that this was a close up shot at floor level and our kitchen is not as disgusting as this would appear as you see these strips from a height!

Unfortunately you can only steam for about twenty minutes before this runs out of steam which is not all that much. There is then a procedure where you turn off the device, discharge and remaining steam and wait...and wait until the tank cools down sufficiently to open the safety cap to refill it. If doing a big job waiting to refill it multiple times could be a real pain.

There are extension tools to enable you to get further with your steaming and the lead is quite long. Overall I was impressed with this steamer. It is a very good tool to have if you are doing some deep cleaning on a wide range of surfaces.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Shoulder bag steaming
By Katharine Kirby
I have been happy with the idea of steam cleaning in the home for a long time and this is the first small, portable machine I have tried. Unpacking all 14 parts and viewing the extensive instruction manual was a little daunting. Be careful not to overlook item 14 ( I left it in the packaging) it is a tiny plastic bag holding two miniature orange washers, apparently needed for on going care of the steam nozzle connection.

I found the machine easy to set up and started in our shower room to give it a really good spring clean, trying the different types of nozzles. I found I liked having the machine hanging over my shoulder with the strap as it meant I could nip about and enter the walk in shower enclosure with it. The best tool was the rubber scraper, I glided it over the glass and it removed all the built up soapy residue leaving the enclosure crystal clear.

I cleaned the tiled floor with the large brush with the cloth cover fitted over and the full length handle, this made an effective steam mop and cleaned the floor well. The cloth was satisfyingly grimy after use and looks robust enough to survive a good few washing machine cycles. I would agree with other reviewers that if you mainly wish to use a steamer for cleaning floors then a steam mop may be a better tool for you. However as I wouldn't want to steam my antique parquet floors, I prefer this multi purpose light weight machine.

I left the shower room sparkling clean and felt very satisfied that it had received a really hygienic deep clean and best of all with no chemicals!

Other reviewers have commented that the machine only provides about 20 minutes of steaming in one session, this is quite enough for me. I am looking forward to tackling the kitchen tiles etc another day.

Overall very pleased with this little machine.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Versatile and efficient cleaning system
By PJ Rankine
I can almost guarantee that once you get one of these you will run around the house looking things to try it on, it is so versatile. But first to the machine itself

The Pocket is a good looking machine in its green and white livery and is designed to sit stable on a level floor. To use it attach the shoulder strap and off you go, its not heavy. It has a good length power lead and hose so nowhere in your home should be out of range of a power socket. I took an extension lead upstairs to do my bathroom because the nearest socket is on the landing and was pleased to find I didn't need it. There is also a plastic clip on the steam gun to allow you to clip it to the strap if you need to free your hands temporarily to wipe something for example.

The Pocket comes equipped with everything you could need. The extension tube comes in three sections which not only allows it to fit in a smaller box but also enables you to decide the length of extension you need, Tools are included for cleaning everything you could want to steam clean from windows to dirty little bits around the base of your taps.

Everything fits together easily and intuitively but if your struggling there is a comprehensive handbook in a multitude of languages. English is on page 10.

The Pocket is safe to use as well. The pressure cap can't be opened until the steam pressure allows you to press a release button and the steam gun has a lock button so if you have to leave it unattended whilst on little hands don't pick it up and scald someone. I turned mine off and carried it downstairs and it still had enough steam and pressure to clean ten good sized plant pots and six panes of a window before it ran out.

I tested this on limescale around the base of the kitchen taps and it took that off. I cleaned the tiles in the bathroom that I thought were white, wrong, they are now! I tested the window cleaning tool on a window and a shower screen and it did a great job but just remember if you are using to clean interior windows that the steam will condense somewhere. I also used it on the side of the stair carpet where the hoover just won't get to and it had become a little grubby, sorted. We also have a steam cleaned loo, steam kills as many germs as bleach with no harmful chemicals getting into the water system.

The only negatives I can find to say about the Pocket is that you won't want to use it if your hair tends to frizz (my wife) or for small jobs. The Pocket does take a little putting together and you have to wait for the steam to build up so its best for when you've got a job the merits the effort.
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