I first heard about the Pure Enrichment steam cleaner from Kadi Dulude, owner of Wizard of Homes cleaning service. Steam is a highly effective tool for lifting grime and neutralizing germs without harsh chemicals; the pros use stainless-steel boilers, which can cost thousands, but she mentioned this $100 device as a less-expensive alternative. I was intrigued, so I decided to try it out for myself.
For a while, I was on the fence about the PureClean. It did a great job cleaning the landlord-special vinyl flooring and bathroom tile in my one-bedroom apartment — steam cleaning took a fraction of the effort of mopping, and the floors looked pristine afterward and stayed cleaner for longer. Still, there were some drawbacks (more on that below), so when I moved, the PureClean was relegated to a back closet where it collected dust. That is, until last week, when I had procrastinated so badly on bathroom cleaning that I decided to pull out the big guns. What followed was the quickest, most painless 30-minute bathroom deep clean I’ve ever done, so I’m now all in.
The steam mop head cleans craggy shower tile in one pass.
Photo: Erin Schwartz
My shower features small stone tiles with craggy surfaces and pockmarked grout that is a bear to get into with a scrub brush. The steam cleaner handles it in one pass, no need to dig my scrubber into nooks and crannies in a losing battle to lift all the grime. I also used it to get a (sealed) marble tile floor sparkling again — I noticed a difference in how it felt underfoot, which was a kind of gross realization — and the squeegee attachment blasted hard water deposits off glass shower doors. I used the narrower tip to de-grime molding and caulk. (I found it especially useful for the uncleanable nooks and crannies of a prewar apartment.)
The PureClean has a mop head and microfiber pads, so if you want to use it to steam mop floors, it can do just that. Its separate boiler and hose allow it to tackle other tasks as well — think of it like a canister vacuum for steam cleaning. It comes with a squeegee head for glass; a narrow, angled point for hard-to-reach places; and nylon brushes for stubborn grime. It also has a larger tank than a steam mop, which means less frequent refills.
The PureClean has a 1.5-liter boiler that can produce up to 45 minutes of continuous steam. In my experience using it to clean kitchen floors and small bathrooms, that’s more than enough — I’ve never filled it up all the way or run out of steam (is that where the idiom comes from?) halfway through a project. The brand recommends emptying between uses to “minimize mineral build-up and prevent overfilling,” which is good advice. If you really want to get fussy, you could avoid the minerals in tap water altogether by filling the tank with distilled water.
Steam is great for nonporous materials — tile, stone, metal — and materials you could put in the washing machine, like bedding and textiles. Don’t use it on hardwood floors and unglazed ceramic tile, which can warp when exposed to steam, or any upholstery material that is sensitive to moisture, like silk or leather.
You need to flip the PureClean device over to drain it.
Photo: Erin Schwartz
I did not appreciate how overdesigned modern vacuums are until I encountered the opposite end of the spectrum. The Pure Enrichment steam cleaner aces its job of heating up water and conveying through a trigger-operated tube. It has no bells and whistles, which I don’t mind until my body needs to address this device. Sharp plastic seams — a byproduct of injection molding — run right down the center of buttons, and there is a carrying handle on top of the boiler that perfectly fits the device’s trigger but does not lock it into place, so it clatters to the floor if you change angle mid-carry.
I really dislike emptying this thing, which the manufacturer recommends doing after every use. It’s too large to fit in the sink, so you need to bring it to the shower (or outside). There isn’t a drain spigot; you open the cap you use to fill the boiler and flip the entire thing upside-down like a distressed turtle. It’s hard to find an angle that will allow all the water to drain out, so you have to move it around a few times.
Still, it’s a great price for a highly useful tool you don’t need to use as frequently as a vacuum — so if cleaning bathrooms is the bane of your existence, it’s worth it.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
get the strategist newsletter
Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.