Don't be fooled by appearances
April 1st 2009

According to OspreyDeepClean, appearances can be deceptive. Even if a surface looks clean there may be myriad bacteria lurking in cracks and scratches.The company believes Dry Steam Vapour cleaning is the way to achieve a true clean

Traditional cleaning methods using wipes and chemicals physically removes surface dirt, limescale and debris, such as crumbs or liquid spillages, leaving a surface that appears visibly clean.

But looks can be deceiving: bacteria can and does remain within microscopic cracks, in gaps between tiles and in difficult to reach areas.Disinfectants, acting mainly on the surface, can miss these areas, so harmful bacteria survives, and is ready to grow.

Much of the focus on commercial cleaning naturally centres around washrooms, where many of the harmful and antibioticresistant bacteria such as C. difficile (normally present in the human gut) can otherwise be transferred on to surfaces and infect others (the faecal-oral route) with often disastrous results in schools, food processing facilities, and hospitals.

Food production, even that within family bakeries, butchers shops, or fast food outlets, soon takes its toll on any processing equipment.

Normal abrasion such as scouring during cleaning, as well as impact damage, causes work surfaces and equipment to become scratched.

Scratches may in turn trap micro-organisms such as E. coli and prevent them from being removed during manual cleaning.

To appreciate how microscopic these scratches need to be, it is as well to know that Staphylococcus bacteria can remain in scratches that are as minute as 1 micrometer wide, while rod-shaped Listeria can lodge in tiny scratches of less than 0.5 micrometer width.

The more tightly the bacteria fit in to the scratches, the more difficult they are to remove during cleaning.

However, Dry Steam Vapour (DSV) generated by OspreyDeepclean machines to temperatures up to 1800C and applied to surfaces at between 4 to 8 bar pressure, is, claims the company, the easiest, fastest, and most effective way to simultaneously clean and decontaminate.

Cleaning with Dry Steam Vapour kills bacteria, removes spores, dissolves soaps and shifts limescale in one easy operation.Using very little water and no harsh chemicals (prolonged use of which can over time literally eat away at surfaces), OspreyDeepclean machines are to be recommended wherever the requirement for surface decontamination is paramount.

Steam decontamination is a proven method of improving hygiene wherever it is deployed; usually in most 'at risk' areas such as hospital ward cleaning, or food processing, but by using this same effective technology within a washroom environment, practical means of combating harmful, sometimes deadly bacteria is widened massively.

There are many types of steam cleaning machines available to the market, from the simplest and most compact steam-only units that are used in combination with microfibre to wipe away any condensate, to only slightly larger combined steam and vacuum machines that not only perform this function automatically, but which may also utilise a water filtration system to avoid releasing any contaminants back into the atmosphere.

OspreyDeepclean has further developed its branded ProVap technology that not only incorporates specialist tooling but also offers self-disinfecting capabilities within the steam-generating unit itself.

Paradoxically, cleaning equipment can often be the filthiest thing around, so OspreyDeepclean has designed-in easy cleaning of the exteriors of all of its models, and the ProVap range now takes this to its logical conclusion. Please contact the company for details.

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