So, I finally caved and got one of those steam pressure cleaner things. Heard a lot about them, figured I'd give it a shot myself. My kitchen grout was looking pretty sad, honestly, and scrubbing it by hand? Forget it.

Got the box home. Pulled everything out. Lots of little bits and nozzles, looked a bit much at first. Found the main tank part, seemed straightforward enough. The instructions said use distilled water, which is a bit of a pain, but okay, fine. Went and bought some.

Filled it up to the line. Screwed the cap on tight – they really emphasize that part. Plugged it in and switched it on. Then, the waiting game. Took a few minutes for the light to change, letting me know it was hot and ready to go. Felt longer because I was impatient.

First Test: The Kitchen Tiles

Alright, moment of truth. Grabbed the nozzle that looked like it was for general cleaning. Pointed it at the floor tiles near the stove, where things get greasy. Pulled the trigger.

Whoosh! A blast of hot steam came out. Pretty powerful, actually. Moved it over the grimy spots. You could see the dirt kind of loosening up straight away. Wiped it down with a cloth afterwards. Yeah, definitely cleaner. Less elbow grease than usual, that's for sure.

Next Up: The Dreaded Grout

Switched to a smaller, more focused nozzle. The one that looked like a tiny brush. Got down close to the grout lines between the tiles. Started blasting the steam right into them.

• Pointed the nozzle directly at the dirty line.
• Moved slowly along the grout.
• Wiped away the lifted grime with a rag.

Okay, this worked better than I expected. The steam really got in there. It wasn't like magic – some stubborn spots needed a second pass – but way, way better than scrubbing with a toothbrush for hours. It's messy though. Water and dirt kind of splatter around, so you need a cloth handy constantly.

Other Experiments

Got a bit carried away after that.

Tried it on the oven door glass. Cut through the baked-on grease pretty well. Still needed a wipe, but the steam did the heavy lifting.

Used it around the sink taps to get rid of that hard water buildup. Worked okay, needed a bit of patience.

Even tried it on the window tracks where dust collects. Blasted the dirt right out. Again, messy, had to clean up the water afterwards.

The thing is, you run out of steam fairly quickly on these smaller handheld models. Had to stop, let it cool down slightly, refill, wait for it to heat up again. Broke the rhythm a bit. If you're doing a big job, that could get annoying.

My takeaway? It's not a miracle cure-all cleaner. Doesn't make dirt just vanish into thin air. You still have to wipe things down. And the refilling takes time. But for tough, stuck-on grime, especially in places like grout lines or greasy ovens? Yeah, it definitely makes the job easier. Less scrubbing, less harsh chemicals. I'll keep using it for those specific tasks. Beats breaking my back, anyway.