Full steam ahead
April 1st 2006

New to steamcleaning? John Golding of Denis Rawlins outlines its applications and how to pick the right model for the job

Steam is being used to meet a wide range of modern cleaning needs.

It will clean and sanitise without the need for chemicals and also kill bacteria that are resistant to chemicals. It can remove stains, sanitise bathrooms and toilets whilst eliminating urine odours, remove grease from kitchens and it will also clean areas that are simply unreachable with conventional cleaning equipment. It will even clean safety flooring!

Steam can often frighten the uninitiated. They see all the steam bellowing out and expect it to be hot. In fact the hot part is closest to the exit point of the tool being used and is virtually invisible. The visible steam cools down significantly as it gets further from the source. Therefore most of the steam you can see will not scald you. Once people have got over the initial concern they become very enthusiastic about how it can be used.

Generally speaking when someone asks about steam cleaning they have a particular need in mind, it's only during the demonstration that they start to realise the full potential. It would soon become very boring if I listed all the uses for steam but the applications listed below are often high on the agenda:

• Toilets, washrooms, shower areas including shower heads, wall and floor tiles.
• Kitchens, removing grease from cookers and floors and difficult to reach areas.
• Restaurants, kitchens, floors, cookers, work surfaces.
• Schools, toilets, play areas, removing paint, cleaning up after illness, stopping the spread of sickness and diarrhoea germs, cleaning safety flooring.
• Hospitals, deep clean operating theatres, wards, equipment, washrooms, clean up after sickness, blood spills etc. Avoiding spread of infection (inc. MRSA).
• Nursing homes, avoiding the spread of infection, sanitising washrooms and equipment, cleaning up after accidents on hard floors and carpeted areas.
• Hotel bedrooms, killing bed bugs, cleaning shower curtains, safety floors and tiles.
• Pubs, bar areas, toilets, remove urine stains and odours.
• Industrial use, food production conveyor belts, and hygiene control areas.
• Holiday centres, clean up after sickness, sanitise toilets and swimming pool changing rooms, kill the Norwalk virus that causes sickness and diarrhoea.
• Cruise ships and ferries, clean up after sea sickness and stop germs being spread to other passengers.

Schools have a number of difficult cleaning challenges including safety flooring, toilets (especially boys), paint areas etc. Steam cleaning with suction dissolves the dirt on safety flooring and sucks it away into the machine's recovery tank. The detail attachments (tools supplied with most machines) can be used to clean the grouting in the toilets. The steam, coupled with agitation from the detail brush, removes urine embedded in the grouting and leaves the toilets clean, sanitised and smelling fresh.

The uses for steam are almost endless but which model should you buy?

There's a broad choice available: Handheld 'steam-guns;, portable units not much bigger than kettle;, machines with and without suction; those with continuous fill, a chemical tank included, variable temperature and variable pressure, all of which come with or without trolleys. Not surprisingly it can be difficult to make the right choice if you haven't used steam before.

It's a good idea to ask for a demonstration. Most good companies are happy to provide this free of charge. Be prepared to discuss your requirements over the phone before the demonstration, so the company can bring along the machine or machines most likely to fit your needs.

Basic steam machines can be quite small but as long as they are capable of delivering decent levels of temperature and pressure they can be quite suitable for many applications. They usually come with a selection of tools. Make sure the tools supplied are robust enough for the job intended. If floor cleaning is going to be important to you then strong tubes are essential. Not all makes are alike and in fact some can be very flimsy and will bend or fall apart while cleaning.

Machines that combine steam cleaning and vacuuming functions are very good for all round use. The suction facility makes cleaning very easy as all the debris is then removed into the collection tank. These machines can also be used as a wet pick up machine or a dry vacuum cleaner using the water as a filter. They usually come with a wide range of other tools for cleaning tiles, work surfaces and windows etc and can offer very good value for money.

At the top of the tree we have stainless steel machines which are better suited to heavier commercial or industrial situations. They are designed for continual use and are constructed to withstand rough treatment. These machines sometimes offer higher levels of pressure and temperature, a separate chemical tank and heavy duty tools.

This is of a course an over simplification. There are variations within the groups mentioned. Some machines include a continuous fill feature which is very useful if the machine is likely to be in constant use. If the machine does not have continuous fill it needs to be depressurised before refilling. This may not be an issue in many cases as good examples will run for around 2 hours on one fill and that is long enough to do the work required.

Some machines will include separate chemical tanks. This can be useful if you only intend to use one kind of chemical in the tank. Mixing chemicals is not a good idea. If using different chemicals it may be best to use spray bottles.

Why use chemicals at all?

The combination of steam, pressure and agitation will usually be enough to carry out most cleaning tasks. Using a chemical will however speed up the process in some situations, especially as some food products solidify at high temperature. In these situations a degreaser can be very useful.

Another time to use chemicals is when using the steam machine for carpet cleaning. In this situation you do not necessarily want to use steam, just a hot water spray with detergent and suction. Not all machines have this facility.

Chemicals can also be used where cross-contamination is an issue. The surface may be clean but the bacteria still finds its way onto the tools. To avoid the spread of bacteria the tools should be soaked in a product like Rawlins Bleach and Clean which is a bleach with built in detergent. This will kill any germs remaining on the tools. Carry out this process before moving on to another area.

To summarise, if you have got a cleaning problem there is a good chance that steam can solve it. You will probably find it makes a lot of other cleaning tasks a lot easier as well. Machines range from very basic units that simply generate steam to models that have continuous fill, separate chemical tanks, stainless steel cabinets and heavy duty tools. Any worthwhile steam supplier will have a range of machines to offer and will be only too pleased to offer advice and a free demonstration.

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