| njchicaa's Full Review: McCulloch MC1275 Steam Cleaner |
| There's nothing quite like scrubbing the cages of two large parrots on your day off. I spent hundreds of dollars in Poop-Off to try to make my life easier but it was impractical to use up a bottle in one use. Eventually, experienced bird owners suggested that I purchase a steam cleaner. The majority recommended McCulloch MC1275 Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner so that's what I bought. About This Product Aside from the main body and hose of this steam cleaner, it comes with several different hose attachments (several small round, large triangle brush, large brush, large window cleaner), a measuring cup and a funnel. The attachments are interchangeable -- you just press down the red button at the end of the hose to remove/add an attachment to the hose. Cleaning with this machine is very easy. You simply fill up the water reservoir according to needs (1 cup full for 15 minutes of steam, 2 cups for 30 minutes, and 3 cups for 45 minutes). The tank cap must be screwed-in tightly to create a seal and then you only have to wait for about 5 minutes for steam. When the machine is ready to produce steady steam (indicated by the heating light turning off), you can manually hold down a button to dispense it. If you need to continuously spray for a long period of time, you can push the dispensing button down and then push another little nub underneath that button to produce a constant flow of steam without hurting your hand. You can either scrub the cleaning surface with the brushes that come with this machine or you also can use something else like paper towels or sponges. When you are finished steam-cleaning, the instruction manual tells you to empty the water tank do prevent mineral buildup. If you don't actually do that, you can add some white vinegar to the water tank now and then to break up the mineral deposits. Cost and Availability "Santa" paid about $100 for the McCulloch MC1275 Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner. From what I've seen, the prices range anywhere between $99 and $150. A quick Google search will produce many sites that sell this steam cleaner, including Amazon and eBay. It's certainly not difficult to find. My Experience Cleaning dried bird poo is much MUCH easier when you have the McCulloch Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner at your side. Stains that formerly took 10-15 minutes to remove disappeared within 60 seconds. At first, I directed steam at a small area for 15-30 seconds and then scrubbed it with one of the small brush attachments included in the accessories. Some buildup and stains just vanished when they were blasted with steam from this machine. The brush did a great job of removing caked-on debris but it quickly became worn-down, flattened, and unusable. There was no way to fix the mini-brush attachment so I had no choice but to discard it. (Many people who also have this steamer have also confessed to destroying one of those little brushes in one cage-cleaning experience.) I quickly learned from my mistake, though, and now just use the mini-brush head to direct the spray of steam. Then I wipe the cage down with a damp sponge. I have occasionally used the large triangle head to clean the linoleum floor around their cages. Dried food and other stains are removed in seconds. The triangle brush is much more durable than the mini-heads. After each use I just soak it in a solution of extra-hot water and grapefruit seed extract to remove the waste and then it's ready to be stored for another time. The best part of this machine is the fact that it can produce 45+ minutes of continuous steam. Cleaning bird cages isn't a highlight of my life but the McCulloch Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner makes the process about as fast and easy as it can be. Overall Opinion This steam cleaner is a great buy. It produces a steady stream of steam that allows me to clean my parrot cages easily and quickly. It comes with many attachments though some of them aren't particularly durable. For my purposes, the McCulloch Heavy Duty Steam Cleaner is just perfect. Recommended: Yes -- end testimonial -- So, I am considering a new tagline: McCulloch Steam - Bird Poop Doesn't Stand A Chance. Like it? Me either. Also- you can buy this wonderful bird poop cleaner upper straight from Steamfast at our steam web store. |
