While still available, Reliable is phasing out their existing line of steam cleaners. This includes canister style models like the Enviromate as well as the mainstay, the T1 Steamboy. Over the last few months, new models have been trickling out to replace these, and the premium canister steam cleaner is now available. 
The Reliable Brio 500CC steam cleaner is the consolidation of features up and down the legacy Enviromate line. The Brio 500CC offers the performance and versatility of an expensive steam cleaner, but at a much more attractive price point. Recently, I took our Brio home and tried it out throughout my home. Here’s a quick rundown of how it performed and why it might be the next best addition to your home cleaning arsenal.
I’ve only been at my current house for a couple months, and honestly, I wish I had this when I first moved in. As many do, though the house was “clean”, I spent almost a full week scrubbing, vacuuming, washing, and cleaning throughout that home. The first thing I thought to try the Brio on was the tile in my kitchen. I never really considered them dirty and had swept and mopped a couple times since moving 
in. Tile, and particularly grout, is a perfect example of how we think our home is clean but the reality is something different.
I used two brushes as well as the larger rectangular mop head for this task, and as a word of advice when cleaning grout, opt for the brass brush. As you can see, the nylon brush just doesn’t hold up as well for a task like this. The brass, however, performed like a champ.
The Reliable Brio 500CC steam cleaner heats up fairly quickly, actually faster than the Enviromate models and faster than a lot of your premium steam cleaner brands. The control/display panel has a good look to it – easy to read, bright, and provides you just what you need to know. It starts with one yellow indicator and you know it’s ready to clean when you see five green lights. This means the heat and pressure are up and ready to go!
The overall cleaning reach of the Brio is exceptional. I’ll bet that unless you have a kitchen that’s the size of a commercial kitchen, you won’t need to use more than one outlet to steam clean the entire space. This model also comes with more accessories than any of the other new Reliable steam cleaners or mops. 
I’ve used a variety of steam cleaners here at Achoo, and find most people don’t/won’t use them all, but what does get used will vary from person to person. I like the plumbers helper tool. It is a simple, round attachment that seats over the opening on most drains. When you hit it with steam, it forces steam down the drain lines, cleaning them in a way that hot water alone cannot, but without pouring chemicals down the drain like traditional cleaners. This tool isn’t one that many people use, but it IS one that I use regularly. While the window cleaning attachment and blades is an example of an accessory that many people like and find useful, but for me personally, it never leaves the plastic bag it came in. Regardless of your preferences, the kit offers all the basic brushes, nozzles and cleaning heads with a few specific attachments that will be hit or miss depending on your preferences.
Remember what I said about thinking your house is clean? This a great example of how it’s probably not as clean as you think. I don’t have children of my own, and thankfully, my god kids are now walking, but the thought of a child crawling on that floor… Years of grime, dirt, and soil as well as germs and bacteria make their way into porous grout lines. And while we think they’re clean, the Brio will likely prove you wrong.
Drains, sinks, the area around your faucet handles, and counter tops are all areas where we think they’re clean, but they can often be teeming with microbes and bacteria, even mold. The moisture and the preparation of food makes these areas breeding grounds of all sorts of nasty, unseen pathogens. Steam from the Brio 500 can help remove these. While there are a few types of mold that are resistant to heat, the vast majority of those as well as common microbes like listeria and salmonella can be killed with the near 250° steam from the Brio. It does this without leaving behind the odor of chlorine, the fumes of ammonia or the residues of any conventional disinfectant/sanitizer.
Once I finished a section of grout, I switched to the traditional cleaning head for smooth floors. You’ll notice a spacer. This is the increase the area of the cloth that actually makes contact with the floor or whatever surface you’re cleaning. If you use the towels over the head without the spacer, you’re cloth will only touch the floor where the bristles are. I will note though, it can take a little time to force steam through Reliable’s spacer. The upside is because it’s a cloth/fabric spacer, it holds more heat and can clean better. The downside is, it doesn’t allow the steam to pass through it as easily as a polyester spacer. This just means it takes a little longer for it to be ready to go. Another upside, unlike polyester, this cloth space can be machine washed and dried.
Once it’s ready, it works really well. For stubborn stains or stuck on grime, hit the steam trigger while keeping the head over the area you’re trying to clean. You can’t do this on all types of flooring, but on tile, it’s not a problem. As I mentioned before, when you’re done, take the cloths and spacers and toss them in the wash.
There is no caddy with this model, but there is a tote bag for all the accessories and storage. There is also no steam output adjustment, but if you’re like most people, that never gets used anyways. Full steam ahead! Literally. The warranty is a good one, and the tank/boiler is covered by a lifetime warranty. Unlike some of the previous Reliable models, the Brio is assembled in China, BUT, most of the electrical components and boiler system is made in the U.S. with some components made in Europe. It’s a bit of a world traveler in that regard.
Overall, the Reliable Brio 500CC steam cleaner is a worthy replacement of the Enviromate line. The EMC2 feature (helps to reduce the chances of hard water mineral build up in the boiler system), continuous steam system (dual tank), and truly impressive steam production/pressure (I never once had to wait for steam or pressure to rebuild after it first heated up) are features often found in steam cleaners that cost $1000-$2000 or more. The Brio is priced at a much more palatable $599.00. The cleaning reach, included accessories, and heat up time are actually better than a lot of more expensive models, and the warranty and performance is on par with the best. If you’re looking for a way to deep clean, sanitize, and clean for your health, as well as for appearances, then the Reliable Brio 500CC is a great choice to for larger to medium size homes.
Want to learn more about steam cleaners or steam cleaning? Consider some of the resources.
Steam Cleaner Buying Guide
Steam Cleaner FAQs
Five Things to Know About Steam Cleaners