Steam Cleaner & Steam Mops Reduce Harmful Chemical Use
Few people really love cleaning, but most of us love living in a really clean environment. This becomes even more important if you have pets or small children. For some reason the amount of mess, marks on the walls, and unidentified substance on the floors increases beyond the levels that you’d expect living with children or animals.
Not only is it the visible dirt that you want to remove from sight, but the invisible bacteria and contaminants that you want to ensure you are not accidentally consuming. Although we now know that living in a completely sterile environment is not good for us, and particularly not good for children, there is still a certain level of cleanliness required for healthy living.
Not all bacteria is bad for us, in fact exposure to Ruminococcin and Oscillopsia bacteria in children has been shown to reduce the risk of developing childhood atopy or obesity. However, how do make sure that your home is free of good bacteria while encouraging healthy living and balance?
Using Fewer Chemicals In Our Lives
Harsh chemicals, from ammonia-based floor cleaners through to anti-bacterial hand soap, can sterilize an environment, but they can also have unpleasant effects on humans and animals. This can range from decreased bacterial resistance, meaning an increased rate of common sickness such as winter colds through to burns on skin and lungs from contact with chemicals or fumes.
You can understand why people have been turning to places like steam cleaners to get advice on alternative methods that clean harmful germs without needing to use harmful chemicals to do so. Steam cleaners and mops have a variety of applications in both commercial situations as well as in the home. Although steam cleaners used in commercial environments tend to be larger, noisier and more powerful than the ones designed for home use, the home options are excellent, easier to use and have less risk of steam burns (particularly if children get hold of them).
How To Use A Steam Mop For Floors
You do not need to put anything in your mop. Not commercial floor cleaner, not vinegar, not even baking soda. The microfiber cloth, or similar surface that the vast majority have, will pick up the dirt, dust and grime that has been loosened by the steam as the mop moves over your floor. In fact, the temperature is enough in itself to kill of most harmful bacteria as well as mites, fleas and bugs that may be living in the dust.
It is obviously still a good idea to vacuum your floor first, to pick up the majority of the larger dirt and dust, and then run your mop over the floor surface. Some mops will have different attachment heads that will allow you to get into tight corners like between the stove and the fridge, but you will need to check this with each model before you buy if this is something that you need.
Because you are applying hot water vapor to your floor as you sweep over it, you will find that it is almost immediately evaporated, leaving you with floors that are clean, dry, and safe to walk on. If you find that your floors are very wet, you may not be giving the mop enough time to heat the water to a proper temperature. There should be an indicator light that comes on and off, when it is on usually this means that the internal element is heating the water, once it is off you should be good to clean again. After the initial heating period you won’t usually need to stop mopping as most machines maintain the water at the necessary temperature to creating a constant supply of steam.
How To Use A Steam Cleaner To Clean Bathrooms
Whether you have regular guests, children, or just you using your bathroom, a portable steam cleaner is the perfect machine to ensure that you have a bathroom that not only looks (and smells) clean, but is also free of streptococcus, staphylococcus, E. Coli, Hepatitis A, the common cold and influenza. Learn more: https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/default.htm
This is because when you use water vapor that is coming out at between 150° and 300° Fahrenheit (66-149° Celsius), you are killing off everything as you clean! So, start at the top and just work your way down, cleaning and disinfecting all your bathroom surfaces as you go.
This also includes your toilet, and under the rim – and a good machine will even help you to get rid of lime scale and stains that have been there for as long as you can remember.
The only precaution when cleaning a bathroom in this manner is if you have a very porous surface such as marble bath or tiles to do a test area first. Generally, marble does not react well to such pressure or heat, and you may damage your surface. If you have old grout around your tiles you may also want to be a little careful here as well, as although it isn’t a huge amount of pressure, it may be just enough to dislodge your grouting.
As with your floors, you do not need to use any additional chemicals, not even for cleaning the toilet. The heat and pressure are more than enough to remove any germs and grime that is lurking in your bathroom. If you pick one spot to start and just do a slow sweep left and right moving from top to bottom you will find that this method will give you the most efficient deep clean.
