Steam cleaners have long been associated with carpets, but recently steam cleaning has become an increasingly popular way to clean tile, stone and other household surfaces. Which kinds of surfaces can safely be steam cleaned? According to Jack Haughee of Hydro Clean in Mishawaka, Indiana, the answers may surprise you. Haughee, whose company provides tile and grout cleaning in South Bend and the surrounding areas, says that steam can be used to deep clean many household and outdoor surfaces.
The Advantages of Steam
“Using water that’s heated to 180 degrees,” says Haughee, “allows you to do more than just clean your hard surfaces; you can also sanitize them.” All too often, home and business owners rely on mopping to keep their hard-surface floors clean. Rather than lifting dirt and grime away from the floor, mopping only moves dirt from the surface of the tile onto the grout, where it collects and begins to harbor mold and bacteria. Steam cleaning removes this soil and bacteria buildup and leaves the floor clean and sanitized.
Another advantage to steam cleaning, Haughee says, is that it leaves behind very little water. In fact, 95% of the water that’s used for cleaning is immediately removed from the floor, along with soil and grimy buildup. Haughee’s process also leaves behind no residue, and floors can be expected to dry within about 30 minutes after the service is completed.
Because the steam cleaning unit is self-contained, it’s completely safe to use near cabinetry and furniture. “There are no puddles and no water splashing around the room,” Haughee says. “Just a small amount of surface moisture remains once the floors have been cleaned.” Once that moisture has evaporated, the floors are safe to walk on right away.
Where Can Steam Be Used?
The benefits of steam cleaning go beyond just tile and grout. Steam cleaning, Haughee says, is appropriate for nearly any hard surface, including some that may surprise you. For example, he says, you may have a concrete surface outside your home or business that receives little sunlight and therefore tends to collect mold and mildew. Steam cleaning can be extremely effective in this situation. “Any time you have surface water in a shaded area,” Haughee says, “you’re going to see mold growth. Steam cleaning is a great way to get rid of that mold and mildew.”
Other surfaces that can be steam cleaned include brick pavers, masonry walls, exterior limestone, and pool decks. “The list is nearly endless,” he says. “And on these surfaces, steam cleaning is much more effective than power washing.”
In fact, steam cleaning offers yet another advantage over standard cleaning methods, particularly outdoors. Because the steam cleaning unit is completely self-contained, it poses no risk to surrounding vegetation and is better for the environment than other cleaning methods. “When we steam clean, the water used in cleaning is ‘reclaimed,’” he explains. This means that the soiled water and cleaning solutions used in the cleaning process don’t end up in storm drains or seep into the ground. In contrast, pressure washing simply removes dirt and buildup from one surface and scatters it to others.
“Our steam cleaning process is not only safe and effective for many indoor and outdoor surfaces,” Haughee says, “it’s also environmentally responsible.”