Lady Bug Steam Cleaner Review

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A couple years ago my sister in law told me about her new steam cleaner.  I had seen commercials on TV for a cheap steam cleaner and assumed that’s what she meant. Uh no. That’s a kiddie toys. She was talking about a high-powered steam cleaner that tackled everything from hardwood and grout to toilets and carpet to mattresses and toys. As she was describing the versatility of her steam cleaner I distinctly remember her talking about how satisfying it is to get the little screws on her toilets really clean as she blasted them with steam. I had to admit, that did sound satisfying. I was intrigued. I could not get this machine out of my mind. I started doing research and quickly found that the LadyBug Steam cleaner is the top dawg, the alpha male, the Mercedes-Benz of steam cleaners if you will. I contacted the company and asked if I could try out one of their cleaners and do a review for the blog and happily they agreed!  Besides wanting to try a Ladybug out for myself, I also thought about my many special needs families out there who have children with compromised immune systems and need an uber-clean environment and the ability to safely disinfect their environment at any time. The LadyBug steam cleaner is a chemical-free way to sanitize and disinfect almost any surface in your home in seconds. It uses regular old tap water and that’s it.

Listen there’s no way to talk about this machine without sounding like an infomercial salesman, so I’m just going to embrace it. Also, there’s no way to show some of these before and after pictures without looking like slobs who were happily living in total filth, so again I’m just going to embrace it.

The main things I love about this machine are as follows:

1. Chemical free cleaning. The only thing you put in this machine is tap water. Water! From the tap. Not bottled.
2. Disinfecting! We have pulled the Ladybug out for post throw-up cleaning, after a bed bug scare and after the discovery of–ahem–a RAT in the basement.
3. Versatility. Floors, carpet, bathrooms, counters, toys, mattresses, cribs, cars, etc…the list is endless.

So chemical-free cleaning. The first thing I ever cleaned was our 1960’s oven back in San Antonio. That thing was ancient and so very dirty. I remember sticking my head in the oven as I was cleaning and holding my breath while all these vapors were swirling around my head. As I came out of the oven I remember thinking that was a bad idea and gasping for air, brushing the vapors from my face and then realizing…Oh wait, this is only water. This isn’t toxic at all. In general one of the weirdest sensations was getting used to the idea that I don’t feel dirty after I’m done cleaning. I don’t know about you, but whenever I clean the bathroom and I have all these chemicals all over me, I don’t feel like I can touch my kids until I’ve had a shower. I never realized how abnormal that was until cleaning with the Ladybug and going from cleaning, to picking up a crying baby and back to cleaning without showering or taking off a hazmat suit in-between. Not to mention the fact that you’re doing some deep, deep cleaning and disinfecting with tap water. Very, hot water, but water.  It’s fantastic.

Just a few minutes of cleaning the floor of this bathroom and I stopped to take a picture because I was so grossed out. We would already mop and ‘clean’ the floor, but once I took the steam cleaner to it I realized it had never been that clean. This is a very old bathroom with old tiles, but still, the contrast is stark. 

Which brings me to the next point–sanitization. Chemical-free sanitization. It’s not the vapor, it’s the heat from the vapor that allows all this germ killing sanitization to happen. When you use bleach you have to wait 10-30 minutes to achieve sanitization. The Ladybug, with it’s patented TANCS system, achieves this same level of sanitization in seconds. Instead of boring you with a bunch of science I’m just going to post this chart so you can check it out for yourself.

Impressive right? For families who have someone with a compromised immune system and/or allergies, this machine would be a game changer.

For our family it has been a life saver on more than one occasion with typical things like the baby throwing up in the night, where we were able to clean up the crib and the carpet while sanitizing and killing all odors! When my kids are sick the lady bug goes into heavy rotation around the house to help keep the germ spreading at a minimum. Additionally, for the non-typical things like a bed-bug scare or as mentioned above the rat(!!!) we had in our basement, the ladybug came to our rescue. After we got rid of the rat I used the Ladybug on anything that I was slightly concerned may have come in contact with the rat. I do not know what we would have done without the ladybug…you can’t bleach a mattress.

Which brings me to my last point…this machine can clean almost any surface in your home. It’s my absolute favorite for our wood floors and it does wonders in the bathroom. The little sprayer nozzle attachment means you can shoot steam out into the tiniest little nooks and crannies that you could never get to–not even with a toothbrush. (think hinges on the back of your toilet, the gunk under the faucet). You can use this on carpet, upholstery, and mattresses, it kills odor, bacteria, bedbugs, dust mites, fleas, ect. You can also steam your clothes, kill weeds and they even have a wallpaper remover attachment to remove old wallpaper. Check out my disgusting yoga mat below. I’ve used this mat for about 15 years and it’s rather embarrassing how dirty this thing was. I’ve tried just using regular all purpose spray and rags to clean this thing, but to no avail.  I took the steamer to this baby and 4 dirty rags later it was looking a lot better. But let’s be realistic–it won’t fold your laundry or put your kids to bed, so it does have it’s limitations.

I love this machine and have been using it for a little over a year now. That being said, like everything there are some downsides. First, there is a definitely learning curve to using this machine and it can take some time to figure out. They tell you about this learning curve in the video that comes with the machine but for some reason I was still surprised… but this is also why they have a 30 day money back guarantee. Additionally, when cleaning something with the Ladybug for the first time–like say a 60 year old bathroom that is over 70% tile with old, dingy grout–this can actually take hours. This is where my excitement started to wane. Sure I liked having a really clean bathroom, without the heavy chemical smell but if it was going to take longer than normal cleaning I couldn’t do it.  But I just kept thinking learning curve, learning curve… I found out that when you clean something like for the first time with the Ladybug it’s known as the ‘restorative process,’ as in restoring it to it’s original state as mush as possible. (A 60 year old bathroom is never going to look brand new by the way, but so, so much better).  But once you get it clean, it stays cleaner longer because when you remove layers of nasty grime, there is nothing for new nasty grime to cling to, so it takes a while to get uh, nasty and grimy again.

I’m one of those people who derives great satisfaction from seeing how black and dirty my cleaning rags get when mopping the floor. This picture was taken when I was only half way done with my kitchen. The heat locks the dirt in though, so it’s not like you’re spreading this stuff all over the floor as you continue to clean. 

Lastly, we have to talk about the price tag, because it is not small.  (Which is why I wanted to try one out first). Ladybug has 4 different machines that range in price from $1000-$2000. I know. I remember when I found out what my sister in law spent on her machine, I thought it was extreme, but I also know she’s very practical. So yes, it’s a big initial investment. Which is why for me the versatility and the ability to sanitize as well as does is so important. I would never spend $1000 on something that could only mop my floors. But my floors, sinks, cabinets, bathrooms, carpet, upholstery, car, deck, clothes steamer, toys, toothbrushes, high chairs, weed killer, jewelry cleaner, etc, etc. That AND it’s chemical free… in the long run it’s a great investment. Over the course of a few years this will definitely pay for itself. Not to mention there is a lifetime warranty on the boiler and a 3 year warranty on everything else. To see the Lady Bug in action check out this review/video here.

I know there are a lot of natural, green or otherwise chemical-free options out there right now but I honestly can’t think of something that can tackle as much as the Ladybug. And it doesn’t get more natural than plain old water. There’s no artificial fragrances, thickening agents, dyes, or toxic chemicals. And on top of that the Ladybug actually kills germs unlike other chemical-free options. If you’re interested in testing one out for 30 days like I did, please contact Ladybug and tell them Miggy sent you. Right now they are running a fall promo with 50% off accessories.  Additionally, if you want to try a steam cleaner for 30 days, use the promo code Miggy and get a dozen free towels.

I’d LOVE to hear from my special needs peeps if this is something you think would be a huge asset to your home–especially those of you with a compromised immune systems in your home.  Anyone else out there intrigued by this machine?  Thoughts on chemical free cleaning, sanitization, and cost?  I want to hear it all!