I deep clean my entire kitchen using just one fabulous tool – it's efficient, affordable and toxin-free

I am always trying to find smarter ways to clean my house, preferably without chemicals. That’s why I love my steam cleaner.

From floors to upholstery there is barely anything that it can’t tackle, stripping away grease and killing bacteria without a single cleaning spray or tough chemical.

I love it so much that I now swear by only using my best steam cleaner to deep clean my kitchen; helping me to cut back on scrubbing and save on laundry and time at the end of every week. Here’s how I use it.

My steam cleaner is the only tool I need for sprucing up my kitchen

When I first bought my Black & Decker steamer, it was because I needed a steam cleaner to get rid of a flea infestation. It was a panic buy for sure, but I knew I would have to find other ways to justify the cost once I had it.

That’s when I started testing all sorts of cleaning tips around my house and found that it was the best way to clean my kitchen without any chemicals. As my partner has contamination OCD, this was a massive non-toxic household essential win for both of us.

All prices correct at time of editing.

From cleaning an oven without chemicals to cleaning grout in my kitchen backsplashes, there is hardly anything my steamer can’t clean.

1. The kitchen sink

When cleaning a kitchen sink I used to only use a big drop of dish soap and a Scrub Daddy (from Walmart) or old cloth to buff water marks and stains out of the stainless steel. However, when I read that dish soap does very little to kill germs on my sink, I knew I had to change up my cleaning routine for the better.

So, I started using my steamer instead. I didn't want to scratch the steel, so I used the microfiber glove attachment and slid my hand around the sink and draining board to instantly kill bacteria and melt away grease. Then, I finish up with a clean, dry towel to buff away watermarks.

Don’t get me wrong, I still use a bit of dish soap and a cloth mid-week to remove splashes and keep the sink hygienic between deep cleans, but nothing quite polishes the surface like the end-of-week steaming.

2. The oven

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There are several unusual oven-cleaning hacks out there, but I have yet to find one that is as safe and effective as steam cleaning an oven. I used to use harsh chemicals that came with special gloves and were terrible for the environment and my health until I got my steamer, and my eyes were well and truly opened.

The steam cleaner fitted with the brush attachment quickly melted grease (even more efficiently than the strong, expensive commercial stuff), allowing it to collect in a pool of water in the base of my oven. Then I just use some paper towels to soak it all up and toss them in the trash.

The downside to this method is that it takes a little more physical labor than the leave-in cleaning gel and any dripping water can make for hot work if I don't take breaks. It is easier to remove the runoff and doesn't risk contaminating my food with dangerous toxins. The payoff is more than worth I reckon.

I can even use the microfiber attachment to clean a glass oven door – something you can’t do with chemicals lest you damage the heat-protective coating. Plus my oven isn’t left out of action overnight. It’s an instant win.

3. My kitchen floor

I will admit that I am a messy cook. I'm always dropping things or splashing things on my kitchen's vinyl floor, meaning it quickly becomes a bit of a mess. While I have a machine-washable rug from Ruggable that makes clean-up easy, the floor still needs a good scrub regularly.

I used to use yet another cheap and cheerful commercial cleaner to clean the kitchen floor. It was a scary shade of luminous pink, and I found that it did little to nothing to deal with the caked-on mess, especially when we first moved into our rental home.

The steam cleaner with the floor attachment, however, makes quick work of stains and spills and sanitizes the floor at the same time. Plus, it is quicker to dry so I don’t have to dance around on tiptoes after cleaning.

4. My microwave

Steam cleaning a microwave is nothing new. Many people clean a microwave with lemon by sitting half a fruit in some water and heating it up, allowing the citrus water to evaporate and steam grease away from the inside of the appliance.

While I am cleaning the rest of my kitchen, however, it is very quick to change out the microfiber pad on the glove attachment and give the inside a quick wipe around on the lowest steam setting. This approach collects all the dirt as I clean it off, taking one less step than the lemon approach.

5. My tile backsplash

Cleaning kitchen tiles is something I will do periodically throughout the week, using a microfiber cloth and a degreasing spray to remove splashes as they happen. But I will usually deep clean them and the grout with a steam cleaner around once a month, depending on my energy levels. As my tiles and grouting are white, I have found that this is the best approach to keep them bright.

The steamer makes quick work out of a job that would otherwise require some serious elbow grease. This device is really great for people with weak wrists or grip and takes the pressure off your hands.

6. My range hood

Cleaning a range hood is a tedious task at best. I don’t use my steamer for all of this, but I do use it to clean the mesh grate that sits directly above my stove. I will remove this and use a fine brush attachment to scrub and melt away grease to keep the range hood efficient.

For the hood itself, which is usually more dusty than dirty, I stick with my beloved Scrub Daddy Damp Duster to wipe over the tops to remove dust and keep my kitchen sparkling.

Shop alternatives

While my steam cleaner is incredibly efficient, there are some things I don’t tackle with it. Most notably, cleaning a fridge and freezer. It should go without saying here that hot and cold do not mix. Instead, I stick to a good anti-bacterial spray and a microfiber cloth instead. You can even mix up a vanilla vinegar cleaner to deodorize a fridge if you need a little extra spruce up after some stinky leftovers.

The other area to avoid when using a steam cleaner is when cleaning a memory foam mattress or topper as the heat and water could easily ruin the foam and leave it open to mold.