subject: How To Get The Best Results From A Steam Floor Cleaner [print this page] Steam cleaning makes life so much easier than mops, buckets and tons of brushes, disposable pads and cleaning solutions. A tool that uses hot vapor to cleanse thoroughly disinfects hard floor surfaces like wood, tile, sealed laminate and virtually all sealed floors. Following a few simple guidelines will ensure the best results when using this tool.
A Steam Floor Cleaner Is Not a Vacuum Cleaner
Even though a steam floor cleaner is lightweight and has the appearance of a traditional vacuum, it functions completely differently. These vapor machines utilize only an amazingly small amount of water to sanitize bathrooms, kitchens, lower surfaces and every area of a home. Because the product dries the surfaces as it goes, there is no damp residue left behind. The moisture evaporates quickly, pulling up all the grime and dirt with the washable cleaning pad or terry cloth towel. Unlike a vacuum, using a hot mist to clean means that there no need to have bags changed often or cups of dirty water dumped after each use. This avoids making a mess all over the area that was just cleaned.
Do Not Add Bleach To A Steam Floor Cleaner
Since a steam floor cleaner doesn't require any other solutions, it contributes to a purer air quality in a home or office building. It's important not to add bleach or any other chemicals to the machine. Although Americans have been indoctrinated to think that the potent smell of bleach equates clean, the chemical found in bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and other household products, including mildew remover and toilet disinfectant, can actually burn skin and bring about many respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.
Scientists warn that housekeepers don't realize that when they mix bleach with other solutions like ammonia for instance, they are actually creating a toxic cocktail. This mixture releases chloramines, which generate hazardous fumes. Because of these types of cleaning hazards, the Environmental Protection Agency has declared indoor air to be twice as polluted as outdoor air.
Surfaces To Avoid When Disinfecting
While disinfecting with a hot vapor proves to be ideal for hard surfaces, such as flooring and counters, this method should not be used on carpet. A steam floor cleaner created for hard surfaces can actually harm carpet. Not designed to handle the fibers and baked-in stains on carpets, these machines will not produce the right results. It's inevitable that carpets become soiled, just like hard ground level surfaces.
Between rambunctious children and pets, dinner guests who spill, visitors who refuse to wipe their feet and everyday traffic, carpets will get very dirty. However, some carpet cleansers, particularly spot removers, can be particularly dangerous. Since these chemicals get dirt without soap and water, they produce potent and potentially harmful odors.
In addition, the tool's attachments should not be used on heat sensitive materials. Even though these units come with brushes for sanitizing mattresses, curtains and removing wrinkles from clothes, certain fabrics can't handle the heat. Silks, found in clothing and rugs, and velour are extremely sensitive. It's recommended to test the steam floor cleaner on an inconspicuous area before proceeding to clean a large area.
Easy Maintenance Guidelines
With a steam floor cleaner, maintenance almost isn't needed. By simply adding tap water to the unit, vapor will produce in a matter of seconds. No extra solutions or chemicals are required for this method of cleansing. Because the product creates a hot disinfecting mist without a high pressure boiler, burns are avoided. Instead of a high pressure boiler, many machines use a more modern efficient technology called flash heating, which is like a water heater in your home that doesn't need a tank.
The cleansing pads placed on the bottom of a steam floor cleaner can be thrown into the washing machine with the rest of the laundry. This prevents a user from having to purchase replacement pads after every use, saving money and resources.
Washing the pad after each cleaning will ensure users get a sparkling surface over and over again. Manufacturers offer inexpensive replacement pads for a steam floor cleaner that lock into place to guarantee no slipping or falling off during cleaning. However, simple terry cloth towels or microfiber cloths can also be used as cleansing pads. By cutting these fabrics to size a user will make sure to get the right fit for the machine. Like the replacement pads, cloths should be washed each time the machine is used on flooring so it will be ready to use again at a moment's notice.
