Polti Vaporetto Diffusion review

Priced at only £35, the Polti Vaporetto Diffusion is one of the cheapest handheld steam cleaners on the market, with plenty of accessories that come in the box, making it even better value for money. The handy little accessories let you use the Diffusion in as many different cleaning situations you can think of, making it a decent little handheld cleaning option, so long as you don’t have a large area to clean.

Design

The Polti Vaporetto Diffusion is nice and compact and wouldn’t take up a whole lot of space inside your cupboard at home. Couple that with the fact that it’s lightweight at just 1.8Kg, you’re looking at something that’ll fit nicely in and around your other cleaning products. Of course, it isn’t the lightest of handheld steam cleaners out there, that goes to the 1kg of the Bissell Steam Shot, though it’s still nothing to be dismayed about. It would have been nice to see the 9 accessories come with a little bag to put them in, as they’ll likely just be left loose inside a drawer somewhere and might get lost.

The Diffusion comes with a 0.2-litre tank, which can be filled with an odour eliminating solution that can be ejected in varying amounts  while you steam, a dial controls this. Thankfully, this is an optional extra, as I found the solution to be particularly overpowering when cleaning. It would have been nice to have included a cleaning solution option instead, like that found in the Vax Steam Fresh Power Plus, but of course, If you don’t want your house to smell like a public bathroom, you can always turn the strong-smelling solution off.

Cleaning performance

The 0.2l water tank took just over three minutes to heat up, matching the Karcher SC1’s lengthy startup time. Some handheld steam cleaners, such as the Bissell Steam Shot, heat up the water much quicker. Cleaning performance was fantastic, though, putting the hot steam to good use and getting rid of some otherwise tricky to clean stains.

The Diffusion is best suited for small areas on walls and counter surfaces and while it can handle floors, the attachments limit it to spot cleaning. While the Karcher SC1 functions as a steam mop too, the Vaporetto Diffusion doesn’t have the length to reach the floor or ceiling, yet the 2.9m cable and supplied hose attachment are more than enough to help you get into those awkward nooks and crannies.

Like the comparatively priced Bissell Steam Shot, the button has to be pressed down constantly in order to emit steam, with your thumb getting tired pretty quickly. While the steaming time is just over 5 minutes, you wouldn’t be able to keep the button held down constantly for too long. The button can be locked off when not in use, though and the refill cap can’t be opened when the Diffusion is on and hot.

Conclusion

More of a chisel than a hammer, the Polti Vaporetto Diffusion is well-suited for the itty bitty cleaning jobs around the home. While it takes a relatively lengthy time to heat up, but once it gets going it deals with tricky stains quickly and easily. At the Diffusion a cheap steam cleaner that does the job well.

However, the very similar Bissell Steam Shot has a slightly bigger tank and a longer cable, while also weighing considerably less. It has cleaning performance on a par with the Polti Vaporetto Diffusion. They’re all small differences in practice but we’d still err toward the Bissell. though simply buying whichever one you can find for less is a sound option as well. Need something a bit heftier? Read our Best Steam Cleaner 2016 guide to help you choose the steam cleaner that’s right for you. Buy Now from Amazon