What I want for Christmas is .....

[Barbarian]

.... a hand-held steam cleaner (Home Bargains £15)

I fancy trying one of these to clean my comb-less used frames.
Has anyone used this ? Other keeping uses ? Waste of time ?
Input please.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Waste of time ?

...

 

[Moggett]

In my opinion a waste of time. I have one a bit bigger (like a small vacuum cleaner) and even that is useless as it doesn't produce enough steam. The main issue is that you need a confined space so the heat and steam are contained. If you go on YouTube there are frame steamers made from old brood boxes using a wallpaper steamer which seem quite good. I'm currently making one for next year, Aldi had wallpaper steamers in a week or so ago. B n Q also do them for about £23.

Edit: steamers are normally used for recovering wax, if you just want to clean frames you can put them in boiling water.

 

[enrico]

My b and q wallpaper steamer is superb. Used it for the first time this year.....which I'd bothered making one before! But for Christmas I would like a promise of another crop like this years!
E

 

[REDWOOD]

Only if you've been a good boy

 

[Madge]

...
if you just want to clean frames you can put them in boiling water.

... If you have a large enough pot! Or do you turn them around - boil one side first and then the other?

 

[DulwichGnome]

The main issue is that you need a confined space so the heat and steam are contained.

Edit: steamers are normally used for recovering wax, if you just want to clean frames you can put them in boiling water.

I use an old 5 frame nuc box and a wallpaper steamer going into the side, once it's up and running it cleans them up a treat. Any that are still mucky I wash.

Mike.

 

[Moggett]

... If you have a large enough pot! Or do you turn them around - boil one side first and then the other?

I put them on a large deep roasting tin which sits across two rings on the gas hob. You can turn them over or just press them until submerged. Trying a home made steamer next year powered by a wallpaper stripper as it may be less time consuming.