Spring Cleaning? Choose what the Pros Use!
Understanding Commercial Steam Cleaners: Applications for Homes and Facilities
The cleanliness of our living and working environments has never been more important.
Whether it’s the cozy living room of your home or the bustling halls of a long-term care facility, ensuring each space is deeply cleaned and sanitized is a top priority. One versatile tool making this task easier and more efficient is the commercial steam cleaner.
Using a steam cleaner not only removes dirt and grime, but it can also eliminate harmful bacteria, viruses, and allergens. Commercial steam cleaners, designed for heavy-duty cleaning, are an essential tool for maintaining clean and hygienic conditions in both residential and commercial settings. This blog post will guide you through the process of using a commercial steam cleaner, highlighting its benefits and offering tips on how to effectively clean different areas.
Source: https://memeshappen.com/meme/65923/Id-read-the-instructions
How a Commercial Steam Cleaner Works
Commercial steam cleaners superheat regular tap water, producing steam which is then dispensed through your choice of accessory based on the task you’re doing. The proven powerful heat of the steam is capable of loosening and dissolving dirt, grease, and grime from surfaces. It can also kill bacteria, kill bed bugs and their eggs, kill mites, and various types of pathogens due to the heat, making it an excellent choice for deep sanitization.
How to Operate a Commercial Steam Cleaner
Operating a commercial steam cleaner is easy – machines with digital displays provide instructions right on the screen. Even with the high temperatures, they are safe to operate with built in safety devices.
Here are the general steps:
Read the User Manual: Each model of steam cleaner will have its specific operational procedures, so make sure to review the manual thoroughly before use.
Preparation: Remove any loose dirt or dust from the area you plan to clean. This will allow the steam cleaner to work more effectively on stubborn grime or stains. You can skip this step if you choose a steam cleaner with a vacuum.
Fill the Water Tank: Use clean tap water to fill the reservoir tank – do not use distilled water, or put any chemical products in this tank.
Heat the Machine: Allow the machine to heat up. Most modern machines will have a digital display to let you know that the machine is heating up and to indicate when it is ready to clean. Some models may feature a pressure gauge and indicator light to let you know when the machine is ready to use.
Steam Cleaning: This is the fun part. The machine comes with a wide range of accessories so that you have everything you need to complete the job at hand. Make sure you are using the accessory directly against the surface you are cleaning – the heat is what is doing the work. Steam is safe to use on most surfaces that you would wipe with a wet cloth – always use caution to avoid applying too much heat to more delicate surfaces.
Debris Collection: The powerful steam will loosen all sorts of dirt and grime – you can use a cloth to wipe this up. You can affix a cloth directly to the towel clips on the larger accessories to make this an all-in-one step. If you have a steam and vacuum system, the vacuum will collect any loosened dirt. The surface will dry quickly as the hot steam will evaporate right away.
Cleaning Different Areas in a Home
A steam cleaner is an extremely versatile tool that can be used in nearly every room of a home.
Below are a few examples:
Bathroom: Use the steam cleaner to tackle tiles, showers, bathtubs, sinks, and even toilet bowls. It can deep clean grout, toilet seats and sink drains with ease..
Kitchen: The steam cleaner can handle tough grease stains on stovetops, countertops, inside ovens, and in microwaves. It’s also great for sanitizing cutting boards and other surfaces.
Living Room & Bedrooms: Steam cleaners can refresh upholstery, carpets, and curtains, as well as wooden, laminate, or tiled flooring. Bed Bugs and their eggs will not survive a steam treatment.
Cleaning in a Long-Term Care Facility
A commercial steam cleaner is particularly useful in a long-term care facility where cleanliness and hygiene are of utmost importance.
Some of the key areas include:
Resident Rooms: From beds to chairs, tables to closets, a steam cleaner can help maintain a clean, safe environment for residents.
Bathrooms: Regular deep cleaning of all bathroom surfaces is crucial to maintain ministry standards. Steam is highly effective to remove odours in bathrooms, as well as on any non-slip flooring that is typically difficult to clean.
Common Areas: High-traffic areas like lounges, dining rooms, and hallways can be thoroughly cleaned with a steam cleaner to remove dirt and pathogens. Safe to use on seating, handrails and other commonly shared, high-touch surfaces.
Kitchen and Dining Areas: A steam cleaner can help ensure these areas are sanitary and safe, maintaining the health of both residents and staff.
Revealing the Secrets of Biofilms: The “Germ Lasagna” on Our Surfaces
When we set out to clean our homes, offices, or commercial facilities, we usually arm ourselves with an array of cleaning products, ranging from bleach to detergents, disinfectants, and more. While these products can indeed tackle dirt and bacteria, they may also inadvertently contribute to the formation of a less-discussed, yet prevalent issue – biofilms. Often referred to as a “Germ Lasagna,” biofilms can be a daunting challenge to the cleanliness and hygiene of any environment.
What is a Biofilm?
A biofilm is a complex aggregation of microorganisms, often bacteria, embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance. In simpler terms, it’s a group of microorganisms that stick together on a surface, enveloped by a sticky substance they produce.
The “Germ Lasagna”
Here’s where our analogy of a “Germ Lasagna” comes into play. As we clean, we often apply chemical cleaners to surfaces and then wipe them away. However, even after wiping, a thin residue of the cleaning solution may still linger. When this residue comes into contact with bacteria, the bacteria can attach to it, starting the first layer of our “Germ Lasagna”.
As more cleaning is performed, layers of cleaning chemical residue and bacteria continue to accumulate. Just like how lasagna is made of alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce, these biofilms consist of layers of bacteria trapped between chemical residues. This “Germ Lasagna” creates a thriving environment for bacteria to multiply and form an intricate network within the layers.
The Unveiling Odour
You might wonder why this biofilm issue doesn’t leave your surfaces reeking of foul odour. The reason is that biofilms are excellent at trapping and neutralizing odours. However, when biofilms are disrupted, the trapped odours can be released, causing an unexpected and often unpleasant smell.
The Power of Steam Cleaning
While this layered bacterial film sounds intimidating, there’s a powerful solution in our arsenal: steam cleaning.
Commercial steam cleaners use high-temperature steam to loosen and dissolve the layers of biofilms. The heat also kills a significant number of bacteria within the film. As the biofilm layers break apart, the trapped bacteria, along with the chemical residues, are exposed and can be effectively wiped away.
However, it’s important to note that this process can temporarily cause a bad odour. As the layers are disrupted, the trapped odours within the biofilm get released. So, if you start to smell something unpleasant when steam cleaning, don’t panic. It’s simply the process of biofilm disruption and the liberation of trapped odours. The smell should dissipate shortly once the area is thoroughly cleaned and aired out.
Biofilms or “Germ Lasagnas” can create complex layers of bacteria and chemical residue on our surfaces, contributing to persistent cleanliness issues. Cleaning chemicals can inadvertently contribute to these layers, but steam cleaning provides a powerful method for breaking down these biofilms and restoring surfaces to a truly clean state.
Remember, don’t be deterred by the temporary odour that may arise during steam cleaning. It’s a sign that the steam is effectively breaking down those stubborn biofilms and helping you achieve a deeper level of cleanliness.
So, next time you reach for your steam cleaner, you can feel empowered knowing you’re dismantling the bacterial “lasagna” that’s been silently building up on your surfaces. Happy cleaning!
Source: https://makeameme.org/meme/dont-mix-chemicals-4zdkcw
Steam Cleaning vs. Chemical Cleaning: A Healthier, Safer Choice
In the quest for cleanliness and hygiene, two predominant methods have emerged: chemical cleaning and steam cleaning. As these two approaches battle for supremacy, there’s a clear winner that rises to the top – steam cleaning.
Chemical Cleaning: A Common, but Flawed Method
Chemical cleaning relies heavily on the use of cleaning solutions containing various chemical compounds. From household cleaners to industrial-strength disinfectants, these solutions are designed to tackle a range of dirt, stains, and pathogens.
However, the chemicals involved in these cleaners can pose significant health and safety risks. Many contain substances that are hazardous if inhaled, ingested, or in contact with skin. Regular exposure to such chemicals can lead to chronic health issues, including respiratory problems, allergies, and skin irritations.
The concern for health and safety is particularly acute in facilities like hospitals, care homes, and schools, where vulnerable populations are present. In these settings, cleaning chemicals are often discouraged, especially in spray form. When sprayed, chemicals become aerosolized, which means they can be inhaled and potentially cause harm to the respiratory tract.
Another issue with chemical cleaners is using them properly. There are different chemistries for bacteria, viruses and spores. Using them incorrectly reduces the result you will see for your efforts. You also have to manage diluting the product correctly – not doing this can cause you to literally pour money down the drain from using too much product. Lastly, chemical disinfectants must be applied to a clean surface, remain wet for a specified dwell time and then are supposed to be rinsed after! Take a moment to read the full instructions on your cleaning wipes – there is a lot of extra work to use them properly.
Steam Cleaning: A Safer, More Effective Alternative
Enter steam cleaning, a process that harnesses the power of heated water to clean and disinfect surfaces.
Steam cleaners work by heating water to a high temperature to produce steam, which is then directed onto the surface to be cleaned. The heat of the steam is effective at breaking down dirt and grime, as well as killing a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria and viruses.
The advantages of steam cleaning over chemical cleaning are numerous:
Non-Toxic: Steam cleaning requires nothing but water, making it a completely non-toxic, environmentally-friendly method. It eliminates the risks associated with chemical exposure and is safe to use around children, elderly, and individuals with allergies or respiratory issues. No lingering chemical products also contribute to better overall air quality.
Deep Cleaning: The high heat of the steam can penetrate into pores of the surfaces, providing a deep clean that is often superior to what chemical cleaners can achieve.
Eliminates Biofilm: As we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, chemical cleaning can lead to the formation of biofilms or “Germ Lasagna”. Steam cleaning effectively disrupts these layers, leading to a more thorough sanitation process.
Cost-Effective: Considering that you only need water for steam cleaning, it is generally more cost-effective in the long run as you save on the continuous purchase of cleaning solutions.
Allergy and Asthma Safe: As steam cleaning doesn’t produce aerosols, it doesn’t pose a risk to individuals with respiratory issues, making it a better choice for facilities like care homes, schools, and hospitals.
Simple and Fast: You are able to clean and sanitize surfaces in one step with no dwell time – you can save a lot of time by cleaning more efficiently.
Despite the clear benefits, it’s worth noting that steam cleaning can cause a temporary unpleasant smell as it disrupts biofilms and re-exposes trapped odours. However, this is merely a sign that the cleaning process is working, and the smell should dissipate once the area is fully cleaned and aired out.
Source: https://imgflip.com/
Conclusion
When comparing steam cleaning with chemical cleaning, it becomes clear that steam cleaning offers a safer, more effective, and cost-efficient solution. It eliminates the health and safety risks associated with chemicals and provides a deep, thorough clean without contributing to biofilm formation.
So, whether you’re looking to maintain a clean household or ensure a safe and hygienic environment in a long-term care facility, steam cleaning should be your method of choice.
You are already making choices daily to improve your health and environment – avoiding single use plastics, eating less processed food – this is the natural next step in a better quality of life at home and at work. It’s a clear win for both human health and cleanliness.