McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner
by McCulloch
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of McCulloch MC-1275 Heavy-Duty Steam Cleaner
Customer Review: Great for what it is
Summary: 5 Stars
What it will do:
- Clean surfaces without using chemicals
- Melt away the "soap" part of "soap scum"
- Melt away grease from any painted or chromed surface
- Make vinyl flooring look almost new
- Clean the porcelain on the sink & toilet without leaving any film, chemical scent, or residue whatsoever
- Save you money on a lot of the household chemicals
What it won't do:
- Magically clean anything without wiping it (unless your toilet is covered with grease for some reason like in those commercials. I think you might have to see a doctor for that, but I digress. . .)
- Dust any surface that has a layer of dust on it
- Remove scale or heavy hard-water stain
- Bleach any white surface that is seriously dirty/stained
- Save you money on distilled water
I bought this machine because I wanted to use less chemicals & cleaning agents around the house, and it doesn't disappoint. I do use distilled water in it though. It doesn't create a huge amount of puddles either, as I had feared. After the initial warmup (~10 minutes), I never ran out of steam or had to wait for the thing to replenish. The capacity is more than adequate for household chores. Excellent on greasy stoves (no heavy rubbing) and vinyl flooring. I don't really use the brushed nozzle tip to scrub anything (A separate green scrubbing tip is included for just that.). I do wish they had included some more replacement pads for the mop attachment, but you can easily make a couple of your own with cheap terry-cloth rags (It's not some exotic fabric.). Everything just smells genuinely clean, instead of "Lemony Fresh". . .
If your textured white tub is stained, then you're still going to have to use some kind of bleach-containing chemical on it, although it will power right through caked-on soap. If you clean your tub regularly, then this won't be a problem. There is temptation to grab a citrous cleaner for lighter jobs (cabinet handles, etc.), unless you actually enjoy firing up a steam engine for everything. It also tends to be very loud, especially in the confines of a fiberglass shower stall. Ear protection wouldn't be a bad thing. Seriously.
My objective was to cut down on the closet full of half-used chemicals and their fumes. And this machine accomplishes that big time.
Customer Review: Nice unit, works well, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a nice little unit and it works very well but I think the manufacturer misled me into thinking that "heavy duty" meant industrial strength. I bought it, mainly, for cleaning the grime off my bathroom tiles. They're still white but there was a film on them that only Brillo and a lot of elbow work would take off. There's a lot more good to be said about this unit but first the 2 minor flaws I found:
The scouring pad attachment lasted 5 minutes before it came off it's mounting. (Uh, McCulloch folks, it was glued to the plastic and, uh, steam melts glue...fix this would you??) I suggest small hard plastic fingers to hold the pad in place instead of glue. I put the pad back on the mounting attachment but I had to keep pressure on it or it would fall off. What DID work was this: I put on one of the other small round bristle brush attachments then put the Brillo pad on it and, with the steam and some rubbing, the grime came off nicely.
The other "short coming" of this "heavy duty" unit is the steam switch "lock" on the handle. It allows you not to have to hold the button down for steam. It got stuck "on" once while I was using the unit because it is partially under the steam button so, of course, it was hard to unlock. This is minor though and only happened once.
The unit does everything else it claims to do. I doesn't claim high pressure so I didn't expect it but it DOES get hot! It took 9 minutes to develop steam and the pressure only dropped a bit when I started using it. If you hold the wand about one inch from the surface to be cleaned, there is good steaming action. I tried not using any of the attachments, just used the wand as it is and it worked OK but it seems to need some scrubbing action to clean. I guess it depends on the application.
The unit is not loud at all. I used it in a bathroom where the tiles amplify the sound and it was easily tolerable. The room did not fill up with steam and it lasts about an hour if you don't hold the button down continuously. And the steam smells clean! Much better than those chemicals I used to use and the unit cooled down in about 10 minutes.
I used the scrub and rinse approach and it worked well. I plan on keeping the unit because, with a Brillo pad on the end, it's a whole lot easier than scrubbing with chemicals alone.
Customer Review: Very Pleased With This Purchase
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been looking for a steam cleaner for months and took my time and did my homework. After reading many reviews here, and watching some on YouTube I found the McCulloch MC-1275 to be the best machine for the price. There were others that would work better but they are commercial and at a much higher cost. After reading the reviews on the Shark products I knew that they would not satisfy me. Many complained of their quality, and their poor cleaning ability.
I don't often write reviews but I did feel compelled to write one on this cleaner. I am very delighted with it and what it does. No, it does not clean amazingly well, like the videos of the product shows... i.e. cleaning your car engine. But I don't need to clean my car engine. I have bathrooms with all white tile and grout, and about 600 sq. ft. of floor tile to clean. I've been using bleach and I'm tired of using harsh products and tired of ruining my clothes. If your grout really needs to be cleaned don't expect to use the floor attachment and get it done, this machine won't do that. However, if you're up to it and you use the concentreated tip attachement you can clean the grout quite well. It will take time and you will have to either brush or wipe it as you go along. (You get the exact same results with bleach)... but with this little wonder, you don't have to use the harsh chemicals. After I did clean all the stains from some darker areas of my grout, all I need to do is use the floor attachment now... in minutes my whole floor is clean... NO KIDDING... it works like a champ!
If your grout is clean and you just want a better option than the "Shark" type products, you will be delighted with this cleaner. I use distilled water in it. I even used it to clean a pair of New Balance shoes that had stains on them after yard work... they now look new. It cleans around faucets and sink fixtures like a charm. I wasn't happy with the results of how it cleaned the toilets and had to revert to harsher cleaners... but that's me.
If you're a realist about this steam cleaner, you will be very, very happy with your purchase. I am.
Customer Review: I AM CLEANING!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am cleaning things that used to be such a drag! I have panelled doors, and some doors with louvres (that are painted). The dust collects in the nooks and crannies. Well, a few blasts from this machine, and a swipe with a cloth, and dirt is gone. I used the floor scrubber on the bathroom floor, and it works great! I use old diaper rags instead of the one terry cloth they provided. Any rag will do. The floor scubber has these heavy duty clips that grab the rag so you can steam and go as you please.
As for the toilet? Well, we have little boys that come over and do their thing all over the place. The steam gets in the cracks of the toilet, and you should see all the gunk that came out.
I am not sure if it disinfects, so I just put some disinfectant on the towel that I wiping up with.
As for the soap scum? Yes, it is hard the first time you use it, but the next time it goes much easier. Slick as glass, and it does stay cleaner longer.
Plastic foliage? Done in a snap!
I have steamed base boards, walls, most of my spring cleaning is done, and I've only had it a few days. It also works great on miniblinds!
I've even cleaned the black stuff off the brick of the fireplace!
Grease and grime on your kitchen cabinets? Gone!
Vegetable bins in the fridge? Glass shelves. Done in a snap! Be careful though, if the shelves are cold, you may crack them with the hot steam. I take my shelves out and let them sit for awhile.
The glass door of the oven looks great!
I am going to try to peel off wallpaper with it next.
The only con is the constant fill up of the "little mouse", that's what we've begun calling it. The steam lasts maybe about twenty minutes, then you have to turn it off for five, then fill, then wait five more minutes. No big deal for me, I can use the breaks.
All in all, an excellent purchase.
If anyone else has any other cleaning hints for this machine, please post them. I'm sure there are lots that I'm missing.
Customer Review: I you have pets or kids you NEED this unit!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start by saying I have two messy kids, a husband, a 100 lb German Shepard, two cats and I HATE TO CLEAN. We are a very busy family so DEEP cleaning isn't always at the top of the list. Therefore, when I do find the time to schedule in a day for those deep cleaning sessions it is pretty nasty to say the least. I used my steamer for the first time today in the master bath. This is the largest bath in the house & so it gets used the most for everyones showers. It also houses the cats box. (Yuck.) I just spent the last 90 minutes steaming the whole room--every surface but the walls and ceiling. WOW!! The bathroom looks great and I did not use any cleaners, scrubs, soaps, or bleach - just STEAM, a little elbow grease, and some paper towels. Imagine how much money I just saved on tub cleaner, toilet clean, floor cleaner, & windex? I can't wait until my husband gets home from work - he's going to think I was in there all day long and I did it less than two hours with my new magic cleaning machine. One more bathroom & the kitchen floor to go!
I've read lots and lots of the reviews on this machine before making my purchase. Anyone who gave this machine less than 5 stars either was not using the machine correctly or possibly got a bad unit. I even recall reading about one reviewer that said he put his hand in the steam and it wasn't any hotter than the hot water from a faucet. Well thats BS, because I tested out mine & guess what? I burnt myself!!
I have a Bissell SpotBot for spot cleaning the carpet, I've got some old set in spots I've not been able to get clean. I blasted them with some steam, gave them a little hand scrub, then ran the spotbot over them again with some carpet shampoo and the spots are almost gone. Amazing what a little steam will do.
My mom had one of those junky Steam Sharks from the TV. Don't waste your money on those cheap, poor quality products. This unit is well made, has lots of attachments, and looks to be part of my family's cleaning regime for years to come. Don't hesitate any longer - order one for your house today!