Steam Cleaners - Uses, Applications & Limitations

Uses of Steam Cleaners on Different Steam Cleaning Applications

KleenJet® steam cleaners, the largest line of steam cleaners and steam vacuum cleaners in the industry, are absolutely outstanding to clean, sanitize, and disinfect many, many surfaces. However, prospective users need to know the the best and most appropriate applications for the technology so they consider whether it is correct for their specific needs. We urge you to speak with a Daimer Product Specialist if you have any questions regarding you application or require product/technology clarification. 

Click here for a partial list of almost 200 steam cleaner uses.

Click here for information regarding tile and grout cleaning.

Click here to read when steam cleaners are inappropriate, and how they are not used for carpet cleaning and pressure washing applications.

One of the most important facts to know about steam cleaners is the vapor is relatively dry, containing only about 5% water in the vapor. Therefore, applications requiring more force, pressure, and flow rate (rated in psi (or pounds per square inch)) will call for technologies other than steam cleaners.

Steam cleaners require direct contact with a tool or towel in order to clean, and the lack of necessary water flow with the steam make them totally ineffective for industrial use other than to sanitize and disinfect surfaces.

Some people are under the misconception that just aiming the steam at the surface without attaching a brush, towel, or other tool will clean the surface. WRONG! Steam cleaners are not pressure washers and do not have the cleaning power to move substances and clean stains by simply shooting dry steam at a surface. The technology simply is not designed to work that way.

Steam cleaners used to detail surfaces and areas without the attachment of larger brushes or towels will not move or clean substances on surfaces unless the user touches every inch of the surface with a one inch detail brush. The problem is machinery or other types of equipment with areas that are inaccessible to the brush will not be cleaned.

Importantly, the dry steam cleaner vapor is hottest within a roughly 3 inches or so from the surface. Vapor flowing at distances greater than that will start to cool down, which is the reason for steam cleaner technology as most ideal for applications requiring direct contact.

Tile and Grout Cleaning

Although sanded tile grout is porous, the grout lines are relatively narrow, and a small detail brush run along them is ideal to clean most surfaces and substances within the grout pores. The majority of tile and grout cleaning professionals use a chemical as a pre-spray on the grout prior to applying the steam.

We now realize more than ever before the potentially devastating health hazards exposure to harmful chemicals can wreak on our children, family, pets, patients, and workers. In addition, eco-unsafe chemicals used within homes, businesses, health care facilities, schools, industrial settings, and others actually penetrate building structures and are released into the atmosphere. The result is further erosion of the ozone layer with increased global warming effects.

Daimer's Eco-Green® chemicals for tile and grout cleaning and many other applications work differently than other chemicals, green or otherwise, because they contain plant based ingredients, and work on a molecular level to take on some of the toughest stains and substances imaginable. Eco-Green® used patented, exclusive Micro-Blasting® technology, and contains nano-sized molecules, literally 1/80,000 the diameter of a human hair; they can get between the molecules of the stains and substances they target and help break them apart in of of themselves or in combination with devices like steam cleaners, carpet cleaners, pressure washers, and other technologies, depending upon the applications.

Applications for Which Steam Cleaners ARE NOT Ideal

 

Steam Cleaners ARE NOT Carpet Cleaners or Pressure Washers

Just as vacuum cleaners are designed for vacuuming, steam cleaners have their uses, and although there are many, prospective buyers must realize their limitations and alternative technologies best suited for other applications.

Steam cleaners:

> are not substitutes for carpet cleaners/carpet steam cleaners. These other technologies are designed for large area carpet cleaning. Steam cleaners, the vapor of which contains only about 5% water, do not have the power or features to clean carpeting like professionals would clean, but rather are geared towards spots or areas. See Daimer's XTreme Power ® carpet cleaners.

> are inappropriate for unsealed hard wood, water-based paint (unless cleaned with extreme care), pressed paper, cardboard, silks, gentle fabrics, or any surface that can be damaged by exposure to heat.

> are inappropriate for porous surfaces, such as: concrete, stucco, brick, pavers, unsealed quarry, limestone, marble, travertine, stone, (unless these surfaces are completely sealed and honed), driveways, parking lots, garage floors, walkways, sidewalks, etc. These surfaces require a water flow in conjunction with the steam to help move the substances off the surfaces and from within the pores.

> are inappropriate for large area commercial and industrial equipment cleaning in food service facilities, food plants, tool and die shops, industrial facilities, and many others ... large metal surface areas, conveyor belts, and most other surfaces must be cleaned quickly and effectively using powerful wet steam emitted through Super Max ® steam pressure washers.

> are not substitutes for pressure washers/steam pressure washers. Unless you require the simultaneous cleaning and extraction of our XTreme Power ® hard surface cleaning machines, which can be used on interior or exterior hard surfaces, Super Max® steam pressure washers are the ideal THERMAL cleaning machines to clean large areas of porous and other surfaces using the highest temperatures in the industry up to 330°F. Uses include interior settings/surfaces (for most commercial, food service, industrial, and others within which water flow is permitted, but not of course within residential settings) and exteriors surfaces.

Steam pressure washers are exceptional for deep cleaning porous concrete, stucco, brick, pavers, quarry, limestone, marble, travertine, stone, driveways, parking lots, garage floors, walkways, sidewalks, other larger porous surfaces, large metal surface areas, conveyor belts, and countless other surfaces.

Note: Pet stains that have been on carpets for extended periods of time without proper removal may have permanently discolored the carpet fibers themselves. This may require the services of a professional carpet professional to color the spotted areas to match the carpet color, and restore the appearance to "like new".

The following is just a partial list of the virtually unlimited applications and surfaces appropriate for steam cleaner technology:

acoustical tile	kitchen fryers
acrylic	kitchen mixers
aluminum	kitchen range hoods
appliances	kitchens
area rugs, spot cleaning	laboratory cages
automobile carpet spot cleaning	laminate surfaces
automobile wheels	latex paint (with care)
automotive cloth and velour upholstery	lawn and patio furniture
automotive detailing	lawn mowers
automotive door jambs	levelor blinds
automotive engine compartments	light fixtures
automotive floor boards	limestone (sealed and honed only)
automotive floor mats	linoleum
automotive headliners	machine and parts cleaning
baby changing stations	marble
baby's nursery	marble floors
back splashes	mattresses
baked-finish cabinets	medicine cabinets (not for unsealed hard wood)
bakery racks	metal fences
base board heater fins, most	metal furniture
bathroom showers, mold and mildew	microwaves, inside and around outside
bathroom tiling	mirrors
bathrooms	most children's toys
bathtubs	motorcycles
bbq's, ovens, and grills	naugahyde
bed bugs	nylon
bed frames	Oriental carpets (spot cleaning with care)
bedspreads, sanitizing and disinfecting	outdoor furniture
bicycles	oxidized aluminum surfaces
bird cages	paint preparation
blenders	paint removal, (not enamel/powder coating)
blinds, vertical and horizontal	painted, powder coated surfaces and enamel
boat detailing, interior	Persian carpets (spot cleaning with care)
boots, rubber - clean and deodorize	pet areas
brass	pet cages
cabinet facing: laminates, sealed hard wood	pet carriers
car wheel rims	pet's bedding, freshen up and sanitize
carpet chewing gum removal	plastic
carpet spots and areas to help in stain removal	plastic fences
cat scratchers	porcelain fixtures and surfaces
ceiling fans	pots and pans
ceiling tile (non-acoustical)	pure wool carpets (spot cleaning with care)
ceramic	quarry tile (sealed and honed only)
ceramic tile	recycling bins
chrome fixtures	refrigerator door gaskets, mold around
clogged gas jets in gas ranges	refrigerator door seals, slime on
commercial kitchen appliances	refrigerators, cleaning
concrete, sealed	refrigerators, defrosting
condensor (cooling) coils	remove & kill algae spots
conveyors, spots and areas	removing rust spots
copper	removing surface mold
counter tops	removing wax from baseboards
cutting boards	resilient floors
deodorize carpets	rubber floor spot and area cleaning
door knobs	rv detailing, interiors
door metal rails	screens
drapes, heavier	sealed hard wood floors
ducts	shower stalls, fiberglass sounds, doors, rails
dust mites	sidewalks - spots
dusting plants	sinks
enamel	sliding doors/tracks
entryways	soap scum
equipment	sports equipment
equipment, clean nooks and crannies	spot cleaning carpets
exercise equipment	stainless steel
exhaust hoods, kitchens	stove tops
faucets	stove, inside and outside
fiberglass	thawing frozen pipes
fiberglass fixtures	tile floors: smooth, non-porous
fireplace, exterior brick	toilet bowls
floor grout	toilet seats
floor mats	toilets, porcelain
floors: most hard floors, carpet spots	tools
food service equipment and table legs	toys
food service exhaust hood filters	trash cans: clean, sanitize, and disinfect
food service kitchen drains: covers/top/underside	travertine tile (sealed and honed only)
food service kitchen drains: kill fruit flies	upholstery: cloth, velour, and leather
food surfaces to help most bacteria	upholstery: spot clean stains
freezers, inside cleaning and defrosting	urinals
garden and hand tools	utility equipment
glass	V.C.T.
glue, on tile and most hard surfaces	veneer cabinets
golf clubs	venetian blinds
granite	vinyl
grout lines (not for apoxy grout or caulking)	vinyl floors
gum removal (with specific models)	wall grout: not for epoxy grout or caulking
hard wood: sealed floors and surfaces	walls, most
HVAC equipment	wall-to-wall carpet, spot and area cleaning
ice machines	waterbeds (with care)
Industrial can openers	wax paraffin removal
industrial equipment	welding preparation
jewelry	wheelchairs
kennels	window frames
kill & control allergens on most surfaces	window screens
kill dust mites	window sills
kill fleas	windows
kitchen counter tops	wood parquet, sealed
kitchen equipment	work-out room
kitchen exhaust hoods	yard equipment