How to choose a steam generator for your home

Not everyone understands why there is a steam generator in the house. The first thing that comes to mind is that with the help of a steam generator you can iron things, even on a hanger. But in fact, this unit is capable of helping with many household chores - cleaning, treating, disinfecting many surfaces.

Why do you need a steam generator for your home?

The main capabilities of steam generators can be described as follows:

• ironing clothes in a vertical position;
• cleaning plumbing fixtures and tiles from dirt;
• getting rid of stains on furniture;
• removing contamination from any material;
• steam treatment of pillows;
• cleaning grease from kitchen utensils and appliances.

At first glance, many people think that the steam generator is an ordinary iron with a steam function. In fact, a steam generator is a self-contained piece of household appliance that is capable of much more than just ironing clothes. The principle of its operation is the release of very hot steam - the temperature can reach 160 degrees. It is hot steam that helps in breaking down grease in the kitchen, removing difficult stains on furniture and disinfecting pillows.

The complete set of steam generators includes a boiler, a water tank, and a thermoelement that heats the water and converts it into steam. Some models may have an independent boiler or water tanks. For regular steaming of clothes, compact models are suitable, where the water tank is located in the steam generator itself.

Perhaps additional steam treatment of clothes will seem unnecessary, because ironing is quite enough. In fact, steaming clothes can expand the capabilities of regular ironing in the following ways:

• smoothing out even strong creases and folds;
• ridding clothes of unpleasant odors;
• ridding bed linen of possible parasites;
• cleaning clothes from animal hair or lint.

IMPORTANT! Steaming clothes in a vertical position is especially valuable for flowing dresses, thick coats or jackets - some places are simply impossible to reach with an iron.

Types of steam generators

Gaining increasing popularity, steam generators began to be divided into types. This technique is mainly divided by type of purpose:

1. Models for steaming clothes. Most often they are combined with an iron, but they can also be autonomous equipment. In addition to regular ironing, such models can be used for vertical straightening of curtains, drapes, and also for washing windows.
2. Models for cleaning. Such steam generators are similar in appearance to a conventional vacuum cleaner, but instead of absorbing dust, steam is produced. The model has a high cost and is often used for professional cleaning of premises.

To select a steam generator for home use, it is worth studying its varieties according to shape, purpose and main characteristics:

1. Steamer - looks like a vacuum cleaner, has a brush attachment that allows you to distribute steam not pointwise, but over part of the surface. The steam temperature in such models will not exceed 99 degrees, which is guaranteed to be safe for any type of fabric. It can be used for any fabric and for heavily soiled stains that are difficult to remove. The unit is quite compact, does not require an ironing board, works with vertical surfaces and is mobile. Steam is supplied continuously, which allows you to work with ironed surfaces without interruption.
2. Steam generator - also similar to a regular vacuum cleaner, but has a thin nozzle for targeted steam supply. It is distinguished by an increased temperature of the supplied steam - up to 160 degrees. This model will be relevant for household needs - cleaning carpets, tiles, upholstery, car interiors. Due to the very high temperature of the steam, strong disinfection occurs simultaneously with cleansing.
3. A steam generator iron looks like a regular iron with a large stand - this is a water tank. The model perfectly combines the functions of the two previous types and is the most popular. The set includes several nozzles, and a function for adjusting the mode - vertical or horizontal steam supply. It will allow you to iron clothes, clean furniture, and disinfect surfaces.

To choose the right model, it is important to understand that a steam generator is not an iron, which has a stronger steam supply. Smoothing clothes with an iron occurs due to mechanical pressure and high temperature. The steam generator moisturizes the fabric, warms it up and smoothes it with virtually no contact.This property allows you to smooth out very difficult parts - cuffs, shoulders, collars, places near buttons.

IMPORTANT! As a rule, the weight of the iron greatly affects the degree of smoothing, but with a steam generator the opposite is true - the device itself should be light as long as there is no water in it.

Passing through the heated surface of the unit, the steam is completely dried and does not leave wet stains on clothes, and by killing germs and bacteria with high temperatures, the steam generator also rids the surface of unpleasant odors.

What characteristics should you pay attention to when choosing a steam generator?

It is worth choosing the steam generator correctly, taking into account not only the suitable cost or the famous brand. First of all, equipment should make life as easy as possible and perform its functions 100%. The wrong choice can lead to disappointment due to the lack of the expected result, or the user will feel sorry for spending money on models with functions that are not needed.

To select a model that suits your needs, you need to evaluate the following characteristics of the device:

• power;
• steam pressure;
• steam supply intensity;
• tank volume;
• heating time;
• iron sole material;
• additional functions.

Power

The power of the steam generator will directly affect its cost, electricity consumption and heating time of the device. There are 3 types of power in total:

• 800–1000 W;
• 1000–2500 W;
• 2500–3100 W.

Steam generators with low power heat up quickly, but cannot cope with difficult areas of fabric and will be poor assistants in everyday tasks. However, if you plan to use it infrequently and only for clothing, you can opt for such models.If you plan to use the device to clean the entire house, the optimal power ratings will be from 1800 to 2500 W. If regular use is required and on many surfaces, you need to choose powerful models.

Steam pressure and intensity

The steam supply in the device will occur due to pressure. Average pressure readings range from 2 to 6 Bar. The higher the pressure, the better the steam generator will cope with its tasks. High pressure levels will allow you to do an excellent job of ironing outerwear and curtains, so it is better to purchase just such models.

Almost all models are equipped with an interesting indicator - steam supply intensity. Its values ​​​​show how much steam is produced in 1 minute. Average intensity values ​​are considered to be 90–140 grams of steam per minute. Preference should be given to those models that have maximum performance.

In addition to this characteristic, the devices have a steam boost function - it is used in particularly dry clothes and hard-to-reach folds. The indicators of this characteristic can vary between 95–260 grams of steam per minute. It is better to choose higher values.

Tank volume

Each steam generator performs its functions using the main resource – water. Accordingly, if there is a lot of water in the tank, more functions can be performed without interruption and waiting for reheating. However, a large tank will make the device bulky, immobile and heavy. Volume indicators can be from 400 ml to 2.2 liters. If you plan to use the equipment rarely and for a small amount of clothing, a tank with a volume of 400 ml is also suitable.In the case when steaming is necessary for a family of several people or cleaning the house, large volumes of water are certainly needed.

ATTENTION! Choose a model with a tank made of transparent material - this will make it easier to control the amount of water.

Heating time

This indicator will ensure quick and convenient work with a large amount of material. Different models may take 2 to 10 minutes to warm up. If you rarely use the steam generator, you can ignore these numbers, but it is still more convenient to work with units where this indicator is 3–4 minutes.

Iron nozzle material

If you choose a steam generator model with an iron, you should evaluate the material of the sole. Poor-quality soles can ruin clothes, so it’s worth studying the types:

• the aluminum sole is inexpensive, heats up quickly, but can leave white marks on clothes;
• titanium soles are high-quality, expensive and cannot ruin clothes, but they are heavy;
• the combined sole includes an aluminum base and a coating made of Teflon or ceramics, which do not leave a shine on the fabric and do not weigh down the sole.

Additional functions

Considering that steam generators are universal devices, the presence of additional functions in them is desirable. The main ones include:

• scale protection;
• vertical steam function;
• dry ironing;
• possibility of splashing;
• auto shutdown mode;
• anti-drip system.

These functions cannot be called insignificant. It is their presence in combination with current characteristics that will allow you to purchase the model that will bring benefits and make life easier.