For a while now I have wanted a steamer to clean certain things in the house. After getting my Vax Bare Floor Pro which we reviewed a while back and seeing how well it cleans the floors with very little effort it confirmed to me that steaming might just be the way forward. For things like grouting in the bathroom where I’m otherwise spending hours with a toothbrush scrubbing away! The cooker as well, that takes ages and you know what, it never really ends up looking as clean and shiny as I want it to. I’ve also thought it would be really great to have something to steam my clothes with, the really delicate ones that can’t be ironed for example!

A long time ago I bought one from Argos, I can’t remember the brand now but it wasn’t Vax and it didn’t work well so from then on, after I returned it, I kind of presumed they were a bit of a gimmick. It was only after using the floor steamer from Vax that I thought actually, they might work if bought from the right brand. So… I decided to try out the Vax S4 Grime Master as it is a hand-held steam cleaner which promises to work on a variety of different surfaces including windows and upholstery and is only £49.99 (with a 2 year guarantee – as ever from Vax).

The Vax S4 Grime Master!

I’m happy to report that it does everything I want it to (including steaming clothes) and is VERY easy to use. I’ve used it to clean all manner of surfaces and as well as doing the job in each case it also makes things very quick. Simply fill it with water and that’s all you need. Obviously this means it is very kind to the environment too as no detergents are used. The temperature of the steam is enough to kill the germs and bacteria so really there is no need. Only occasionally when cleaning the hob have I given it a quick wipe with soapy water after the steaming has dislodged the grime then a wipe and another steam. For windows, tiles, clothes etc it’s only ever needed the steamer. And I have to say, that’s only if the cooker is really bad!

Just fill with water using the measuring jug provided!

What the Grime Master does is loosen all the grease and dirt in a second, meaning you can simply wipe it away or indeed use one of the 7 attachments that it comes with including a window tool and upholstery tool cloth. It even comes with a measuring jug to fill it up with water.

Some of the attachments!

So, how can I show you just how quick and easy it is to use? Well, last week I asked my Mum not to clean her over top at all for the duration of our stay in preparation for me to clean it with the Grime Master just before we left! She wasn’t very happy but agreed as I thought her range oven would be an ideal surface to show case the benefits of the steamer – and it was!

So, here goes…

This is the grimy, greasy and let’s face it, quite disgusting oven hob I started with. A weeks worth of cooking with no cleaning built this up. My Mum was almost hopping with annoyance as she loves her range cooker and usually keeps it pristine!

It has a red and green light to let you know when it is on (red) and ready to use (green) and takes only a short while to be hot enough for use. There is also a button you can click across to the right so that it can be locked when not being used!

Choose your desired nozzle attachment and steam! This loosens all the dirt and grime in seconds!

You can then simply wipe away…

To be left with a bit of a gleam actually!

This was a job which should have taken half an hour minimum, with masses of elbow grease and probably some nasty chemicals. There was one tiny area which required a drop of soapy water on the cloth (this was a weeks worth of grime) but aside from that was cleaned entirely with a steam for a couple of minutes and a 30 second wipe!

I asked my Mum if she would part with the money for this one and she gave it the full thumbs up – she’s also now a big fan of the bare floor pro floor steamer and is quite a Vax fan herself thanks to me introducing her!

I was not paid for this post but I was sent a Vax S4 Grime Master for the purpose of this review.