In this guide, I’ll compare two of the most popular steam cleaners on the market—Wagner 915 vs. McCulloch MC-1275—to determine the best multipurpose steamer for all your home cleaning needs.
As an ever-tired and busy homeowner, even the thought of cleaning makes me groan (the only thing I enjoy cleaning out is food from the fridge). So, what would make our cleaning routines easier? Enter the steam cleaner.
A steam cleaner is a machine that uses scalding steam to get rid of organic growth, dirt, dust, lint, hair, etc. In short, it’s a cleaning, sanitizing, and sterilizing beast, and every household should have one.
However, there are plenty of options out there, and since we can’t buy those all, we’ll compare and choose from two of the best steam cleaners available. Continue reading to see which is the winner and why.
At a Glance
In this, we’ll look at the features and specs of both steam cleaners.
McCulloch MC-1275 Steam Cleaner
- SATISFACTION GUARANTEED - Backed by a 2-year hassle-free warranty and supported by a customer service team based in Andover, KS.Watts:1500. Volts:120V. Amps-12.5
- CHEMICAL-FREE CLEANING - Naturally deep clean without the use of harsh chemicals using hot, pressured steam to eliminate grease, grime, and stains from a wide range of surfaces including ceramic tile, grout, granite, sealed wood flooring, laminate, appliances, grills, autos, and more
- LARGE CAPACITY TANK - The 48-ounce water tank heats up in under 8 minutes and provides up to 45 minutes of steam with optional lockable steam trigger for continuous steam cleaning
- 18 VERSATILE ACCESSORIES - Equipped for steam cleaning jobs in and around your home including a floor mop, mop pads, nylon brushes, brass brush, scrub pad, squeegee, and more
- SUPERIOR REACH - An extra-long 15. 7-foot power cord and over 9-foot steam hose provide added maneuverability and reach for those hard to get to places
The McCulloch MC-1275 is the perfect multipurpose cleaning solution for your whole house. Using ordinary water, which is turned into steam within mere minutes, this steamer effectively cleans and sanitizes various surfaces.
From old grouts, hard floors, ovens and grills, mattresses, countertops, furniture, and more.
Features of the McCulloch MC-1275
- 45-minute continuous steam
- Comes with 18 accessories
- naturally cleans and sanitizes multiple surfaces
- 8-minute heating time
- Offers chemical-free cleaning
- A 2-year warranty period
- It has a 15.7-foot long power cord and a 10-foot long steam hose
Wagner Spraytech 915 Steam Cleaner
- CHEMICAL FREE STEAM CLEANING: The Wagner 915e Power Steamer is a multipurpose steamer that uses nothing but chemical-free steam to remove wallpaper and clean countless household surfaces without using chemicals
- INCLUDES 18 ACCESSORIES AND NOZZLES: Use the included attachments to loosen and dissolve dirt, grease and grime on floors and carpet, grout, kitchen countertops, appliances and more
- GREAT FOR WALLPAPER REMOVAL: Easily strip wallpaper with no harsh chemicals needed. The 8 ft. steam hose provides great length for reaching tall walls while stripping wallpaper
- HIGH TEMPERATURE AND LONG RUN TIME: The steamer holds up to 40 oz. of water and heats up to 212°F (100°C) in under 9 minutes. On a full tank, it provides 40 continuous minutes of cleaning power
- EASY TO USE: Connect your attachment, add up to 40 oz. of distilled water, and turn the steamer on. The orange light will turn off when the steamer is ready for use and turn back on again during steaming when building up steam (you can continue using)
The Wagner Spraytech 915 is a chemical-free, multipurpose steam cleaner with 18 handy attachments and is perfect for deep cleaning. Don’t just take my word for it, this steamer has amassed over 5,000 glowing reviews on Amazon alone.
So it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular cleaning devices for floors, pipes, furniture, car seats, tiles, mattresses, and more.
Features of the Wagner Spraytech 915
- Chemical-free steam cleaning
- Comes with 18 accessories, which include a wallpaper removal steam plate
- 9-minute heat-up time
- Holds up to 40 oz. of water
- Up to 40 minutes of run time
- It has an 8-foot long steam hose
| Specifications | McCulloch MC-1275 | Wagner Spraytech 915 |
| Dimensions | 43.69 x 26.67 x 34.29 cm | N/A |
| Power / Wattage | 1500 watts | 1500 watts |
| Item Weight | 9.95 pounds | 13.07 pounds |
| Water Capacity | 48 ounces | 40 ounces |
| Warranty | 2-years | 1-year |
Specifications and Features Winner – McCulloch MC-1275 Steam Cleaner
Both McCulloch and Wagner have similar qualities and offer almost the same features. Still, in almost every case, the McCulloch had a very slight upper hand—the water tank capacity was greater by eight fluid ounces, the cord length is more, heating time is shorter, and it even looks better.
However, the one area where Wagner stood out was attachments. While both offer similar attachments, Spraytech 915 has a separate wallpaper removing attachment that would work wonders while renovating.
In complete honesty, you could pick either and be happy since both have almost identical features, but in my opinion, McCulloch earns a few extra points.
But, there are just the specifications. Read on ahead to see how they both fare on different surfaces and compare their uses.
Comparison – Wagner Steam Cleaner vs. McCulloch
In this section, I’ll have both of the steam cleaners go up against each other in a battle of cleaning the house. Let’s see which steamer blows away its competitor!
Best for Hardwood
Hardwood floors are a tricky thing to clean and being so expensive, you want to be careful how you clean them. Now, most manufacturers don’t recommend using steam to clean hardwood floors, however, many steamers are safe to use.
Wagner 915 comes with different attachments, including a mop attachment that makes cleaning hardwood floors easy. The steam, while hot, isn’t of the temperature that it would damage the wood. If you are still cautious, you can use it for spot cleaning rather than the entire floor.
McCulloch MC-1275, on the other hand, isn’t the best for hardwood floors. The steam it produces can get extremely hot, not to mention pressurized, expanding the wood and damaging it. So, I don’t recommend using this on hardwood floors.
In this round, Wagner 915 is the winner! So if you’re specifically searching for a steamer for hardwood floors, I recommend the Wagner over McCulloch.
Best for Tile and Grout
Made from a mixture of sand, water, and cement, grout is usually porous and light in color. This, unfortunately, makes it prone to stains. While tiles are still easy to clean, grout can be a real chore. Stain, mold, and mildew can do a number on grout, and for this reason, you need a steam cleaner.
When I compared Wagner and McCulloch to see which cleans grout and tiles better, I had no clear winner. Both of these steam cleaners are excellent at cleaning grout since they use scorching steam paired with a jet nozzle, which is like kryptonite to dirty grout.
Those faded bathroom tiles with the yellow-stained grout or the grubby-looking grout in the kitchen, you can now forget about it. Instead, get either of these steam cleaners to get your bathrooms and kitchen looking new again and without the need for adding harmful chemicals.
Winner of this round: it’s a tie!
Uses of the Steam Cleaner
Since both the McCulloch MC-1275 and Wagner 915 are similar in specifications and features, it’s no wonder how difficult it is to choose the winner for each round. However, when it comes to versatility, this dilemma remains.
Both models come with eighteen attachments and are recommended to use on various surfaces. Be it cleaning grease and oil stains from ovens, grills, or stovetops, using pressurized steam on the bathroom and kitchen tiles, steaming mattresses and furniture, and cleaning garments and car seats.
According to a reviewer, the McCulloch MC-1275 could even steam clean a Christmas tree, while another reviewer commented how clean their oakwood cabinets were after steam cleaning with the Wagner 915.
But, we have to decide on a winner. In this case, the most versatile has to be the Wagner 915. Because of its ability to clean hardwood floors and having a separate wallpaper removing attachment, it wins this round.
Best for Carpets, Rugs, and Pets
Look, I love my fur babies, but they are messy! As clean and trained as I like them, accidents still happen. So if you’re in search of a steam cleaner to get rid of pet odors, urine stains, pet hair, etc., from floors and even rugs, then both of these steam cleaners are the perfect fit.
Both McCulloch MC-1275 and Wagner 915 produce high-pressure steam and have excellent suction power that quickly does away with dust, lint, pet hair, and odors. This, combined with no chemicals, makes it entirely safe for use.
However, once again, we have to pick which is better. While it was a tough call, I had to go with McCulloch MC-1275. The reason behind this is that this steamer removes stains better and has a longer runtime without refilling.
Of course, you could still go with either as both are excellent options, but if you’re specifically looking for a steamer for old stains and pet messes, then I’d recommend McCulloch MC-1275.
Water Tank
McCulloch and Wagner both have large water tanks for steam cleaners, which, when full, produce steam for roughly 30-40 minutes. McCulloch has a slightly bigger water tank. Where Wagner holds 40 fluid ounces of water, McCulloch’s is 48 fluid ounces.
Given the larger water tank, one would assume the heat-up time would be greater, but surprisingly, McCulloch has a heat-up time of 8 minutes compared to Wagner’s 9 minutes. A minute isn’t much, but every minute does feel like an hour when cleaning!
Besides that, McCulloch uses tap water, whereas Wagner requires distilled water. When comparing, a larger water tank plus tap water means longer cleaning time without spending on water. Hence, the winner of this round is McCulloch MC-1275!
Better Attachments
So far, the score is at 2 – 2. Let’s see if the attachments can break the tie.
Both the McCulloch MC-1275 and Wagner 915 have 18 versatile attachments. These are;
McCulloch: extended wand, mop head, a jet nozzle, different brushes, a squeegee, a measuring cup with a funnel, and multiple pads. Besides that, this steamer has a 15-foot long power cord and a 10-foot long steam hose.
Wagner: extension poles, mop pad, a jet nozzle, squeegee, measuring cup with a funnel, bonnet, utility brushes, and wallpaper removal steam plate. Besides that, this steamer has an 8-foot long steam hose.
Both attachments are similar except for the wallpaper removing attachment that Wagner has. While Wagner has that, McCulloch has the upper hand with a longer power cord and steam hose.
In this case, the winner is McCulloch. The tie has been broken!
Non-toxic Cleaning
Since the McCulloch steam cleaner only requires tap water to clean, it’s non-toxic. You won’t have to wear a mask while cleaning or empty the rooms for any period post-cleaning. In addition, since it does not contain any harmful chemicals or artificial scents, this is perfect to use for anyone.
This is especially important for people that are sensitive to smells, have allergies, or have children.
Likewise, the Wagner instead only requires distilled water for cleaning so has the same chemical-free qualities as McCulloch.
In this case, it’s a tie. While tap water is cheaper than distilled, here we’re only talking about chemical-free cleaning, so both are winners!
Wagner Steam Cleaner vs. McCulloch Wrap Up
This was a brutal competition since both Mcculloch and Wagner are similar in almost every aspect. While Mcculloch did have an edge regarding certain things, Wagner was not too far behind.
If price is your main deciding factor, Wagner would be better for you as it’s cheaper than McCulloch. You can also remove wallpaper and clean hardwood floors, amongst other things.
- CHEMICAL FREE STEAM CLEANING: The Wagner 915e Power Steamer is a multipurpose steamer that uses nothing but chemical-free steam to remove wallpaper and clean countless household surfaces without using chemicals
- INCLUDES 18 ACCESSORIES AND NOZZLES: Use the included attachments to loosen and dissolve dirt, grease and grime on floors and carpet, grout, kitchen countertops, appliances and more
- GREAT FOR WALLPAPER REMOVAL: Easily strip wallpaper with no harsh chemicals needed. The 8 ft. steam hose provides great length for reaching tall walls while stripping wallpaper
- HIGH TEMPERATURE AND LONG RUN TIME: The steamer holds up to 40 oz. of water and heats up to 212°F (100°C) in under 9 minutes. On a full tank, it provides 40 continuous minutes of cleaning power
- EASY TO USE: Connect your attachment, add up to 40 oz. of distilled water, and turn the steamer on. The orange light will turn off when the steamer is ready for use and turn back on again during steaming when building up steam (you can continue using)
While McCulloch is costlier, it is also lighter and smaller in size. You get a larger water tank and hotter steam plus a longer power cord and steam hose. If removing wallpaper isn’t on your agenda and you can splurge a bit more, I’d recommend getting the McCulloch MC-1275.
Personally, for me, McCulloch MC-1275 is the winner. Since I have a big home and a large family, the longer steam time coupled with hotter steam and lengthy power cord were the deciding factors. But, these were my preferences. So, go for the steam cleaner that fits your needs.
- SATISFACTION GUARANTEED - Backed by a 2-year hassle-free warranty and supported by a customer service team based in Andover, KS.Watts:1500. Volts:120V. Amps-12.5
- CHEMICAL-FREE CLEANING - Naturally deep clean without the use of harsh chemicals using hot, pressured steam to eliminate grease, grime, and stains from a wide range of surfaces including ceramic tile, grout, granite, sealed wood flooring, laminate, appliances, grills, autos, and more
- LARGE CAPACITY TANK - The 48-ounce water tank heats up in under 8 minutes and provides up to 45 minutes of steam with optional lockable steam trigger for continuous steam cleaning
- 18 VERSATILE ACCESSORIES - Equipped for steam cleaning jobs in and around your home including a floor mop, mop pads, nylon brushes, brass brush, scrub pad, squeegee, and more
- SUPERIOR REACH - An extra-long 15. 7-foot power cord and over 9-foot steam hose provide added maneuverability and reach for those hard to get to places
Whichever one you choose, you’ll enjoy deep cleaning or even spot cleaning a lot more now!
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