Steam Mops

Portable steam cleaners, also referred to hand held steam cleaners come in many different types and are designed for a large range of cleaning applications.  Many of these cleaners are much smaller than the commercial steam cleaners and are marketed as house hold or domestic use in areas of cleaning such as in the kitchen, bathroom and outside for use in the garage, car or boat.  There are several different types and brands of portable cleaners available each with their own features, advantages and disadvantages.

One of the most popular types of portable steam cleaner is the jug type cleaner as they are a comparatively small unit which has multiple attachments and can access small places that need to be cleaned.  These cleaners are an all in one unit where the user holds the whole cleaner in their hand as they would a jug of water.  The main advantages of these jug shaped portable cleaners is they are the cheapest on the market costing between $40 to $70 an the unit is small, light weight and easy to use.  These steam cleaners also feature attachments such as different cleaning heads and extension hoses to increase the versatility of the steam cleaner.  The jug type steam cleaners do however have some disadvantages such as low steam pressure and a small reservoir for the water.  The low steam pressure means that the cleaning effectiveness is not as good as other household and commercial steam cleaners so tougher grit and dirt may not be moved very easily.  The other disadvantage of the jug portable steam cleaners is that the reservoir that contains the water is quite small and only provides 5 to 10 minutes of steam before it needs to be filled up with more water.

Another model of steam cleaner that is also portable is the canister style steam cleaner which is similar in appearance to a vacuum cleaner.  These portable steam cleaners are larger than the jug shaped cleaners but have attachments to allow them to clean in tight spaces.  These cleaners also have advantages and disadvantages.  They usually have a higher steam pressure and larger reservoir for the water which means that the steam can give a much better clean and the unit can keep producing steam for longer cleaning times of between 40 and 60 minutes.  These styles of steam cleaners are also very versatile as they include attachments for the cleaning of things such as BBQs, cars, boats and hard to reach spaces of the kitchen and bathroom.  Some of the disadvantages of the canister portable steam cleaner is the initial cost of the unit which can be up to $400 and these units can be a hassle to use with the main part of the steam cleaner needing to be pulled around like a canister vacuum cleaner.

Commercial steam cleaners have been used for around 150 years for cleaning machinery especially around the railways and power stations where keeping machinery clean is important for efficiency and safety.  The commercial application of steam for cleaning involves much higher temperatures than domestic steam cleaners can produce.  These cleaners are used for various applications such dissolving fats, oils and grease and for sanitising or killing bacteria.

Commercial steam cleaners are increasingly being adopted by businesses due to the benefits of steam cleaning over the conventional way of cleaning with disinfectants and chemicals.  The added benefits of steam cleaning has seen many contract cleaners employ the use of commercial steam cleaners to provide a quicker and more efficient way to complete cleaning jobs that would otherwise take more time and cost more money to have cleaned.

The use of steam cleaners, especially commercial types is not restricted to use just on flooring and hard surfaces with many applications found in industries such as health care, food preparation and local council.  Steam cleaners are used by professional cleaning companies and also by workers in each of these industries to perform a variety of tasks such as the following.

Commercial steam cleaners can be used quite effectively in the food preparation industry due to the ability of the steam cleaners to clean and sanitise.  In a kitchen environment steam cleaning can be used for cleaning range hoods, ovens, greasy and dirty floors as well as food preparation areas including bench tops.

The health care industry also uses them as a way to clean and sanitise areas to avoid the spread of disease and to keep facilities as clean as possible.  The health care industry includes hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and aged care facilities which need to be kept clean and sanitised and commercial steam cleaning can provide in some cases better cleaning than using chemicals.

Local councils also use steam to clean graffiti, chewing gum and other dirt and grime from car parks, foot paths and school grounds.  It is also used for cleaning and sanitising amenity blocks at council ovals and sporting fields.

Commercial steam cleaning is also used in the hospitality industry for sanitising mattresses and minimising problems such as bed bugs.  It is an effective way of killing bed bugs as long as the steam cleaner used is a commercial cleaner that reaches a high enough temperature of above 45oC to effectively kill both the bed bugs and their eggs.