Cleaning without chemicals is easier than ever.
I’ll admit I’m a neat freak. Despite having a no-shoe home, vacuuming regularly, and dusting weekly, I still find odd spots and stains in places I don’t understand — and I just know there are plenty of unseen and unwanted germs lurking on surfaces.
So while my home is sometimes cluttered thanks to big city/small space living and my rambunctious pup, it’s always clean, almost exclusively due to my trusty steam-throwing sidekick, the Bissell Steam Shot OmniReach. It’s a mouthful of a name, but that doesn’t stop me from raving about it to everyone I know. Whether you’re tackling stained bathroom grout, kitchen grease splatters, or stinky upholstery, this compact tool delivers powerful steam to kill 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria on hard surfaces* without the need for any chemical cleaners. It only costs $50 and eliminates the need to buy cleaning products. So, really, you’re saving money in the end.
What is the Steam Shot, exactly?
This handheld device is essentially a steamer on steroids. Used to help sanitize counters, loosen up dirt on floors, and brighten nasty grout lines, the internal reservoir holds about 7 ounces of water that gets heated into steam, which then shoots out of the nozzle with 1000 watts of power. It sounds scary, but because of the handle and trigger mechanism, your hands are safe from the extremely hot steam jet, and it’s all generated on demand, so it’s not spewing steam willy-nilly. Not to be confused with a wet vacuum, this device cleans only with water, and it doesn’t require any fancy solution or additive, nor does it suck up messes.
There are a variety of nozzle attachments, too, making cleaning various surfaces extremely easy. My personal favorites are the grout brush and window squeegee, which I use to clean the outside of my windows in my Brooklyn apartment (thank goodness for double-hung windows). It also comes with a clothing steamer attachment, three bristled brushes of different stiffnesses, a scraper, a jet nozzle, and an extension hose.
What can you clean with the Bissell Steam Shot?
A more accurate question may be what can’t you clean with this miracle machine? This thing blasts away coffee stains from my white kitchen floor grout, has lifted dirty paw prints from my living room rug, and freshened curtains and upholstery that can’t be thrown directly into the washer. It does leave surfaces damp, understandably, but you can easily let them air dry or wipe them down with a microfiber cloth should you not want to leave water spots.
It effortlessly removes wrinkles from all sorts of clothing, including delicate silk shirts, and it’s great for cleaning some dry-clean-only items that aren’t visibly dirty but have a slight odor from repeated wear (looking at you, wool blazers).
Because no chemicals are used in the sanitizing process, I also use it in places like the inside of my fridge, my dog’s bed, and the interior of my microwave, and I’m not left worrying whether or not toxic residue will be left behind.
Insider tip: I stay away from wood surfaces for fear of warping or staining them, and I don’t use it on delicate fabrics like leather or suede, but most other materials (including plastic and metal) are fair game.
My review of the Bissell Steam Shot OmniReach
As someone obsessed with keeping things clean with a minimal amount of effort, I can’t get enough of this thing. It’s so easy to use, and I love that it’s allowed me to get rid of cleaning products that are potentially harmful to my pets and the environment. The steam comes out with such force that stains and gunk are literally blasted away, and you can easily wipe away any remaining grime with a cloth. Keep in mind that the steam does loosen and remove residue, but it won’t obliterate crumbs or other debris that’s present on the surface you’re cleaning.
After living in my apartment for four years, I noticed the white grout in my kitchen had turned a lovely shade of gray, with brown coffee splatters accenting the area around my espresso machine. Defeated after scrubbing with a toothbrush and spray cleaner, I busted out the Steam Shot as a last resort. To my surprise, after attaching the grout brush, it lifted all the stains with minimal scrubbing. I wiped away the dark water with a rag to reveal new-looking, actually white, floor grout.
The Steam Shot is small and easy to transport around a space, but it does need to be refilled often if you’re cleaning a large area. I’d say you can get a solid 20 minutes of cleaning in before you need to refill, but it really depends on how constantly you’re spraying whatever you’re cleaning. It takes a few minutes to heat the water inside before use, but this isn’t something that bothers me. You also have to keep the device plugged in while cleaning, so keep that in mind if you want to clean an area that doesn’t have easy access to an outlet.
I also feel obligated to mention that if you’re using this thing in a small room, you will get sweaty. It’s hot water, after all.
Overall, the Bissell Steam Shot has paid for itself and then some. I’ve had mine for over three years now, and it still works as good as new. If you’re looking to reduce the use of chemical cleaners in your home or just want to use fewer products to clean and sanitize in general, I can’t sing the praises of this device enough.
*Kills 99.9% of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella aerogenes, and Aspergillus niger when used as directed. Testing was conducted by a third-party laboratory under controlled conditions. Results may vary.
