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The Truth About 'Dry' Steam Cleaners

I’ve heard quite a bit about dry steam cleaners being used for cleaning carpets. All I can say is that I do not advise this, as ‘dry’ steam cleaning  machines are intended for use on hard, non - porous surfaces such as tiles, ceramic sinks and baths, floors, walls and so on. After all, you wouldn't put your best wool sweater on a boil wash, would you?

If you want to clean carpets, use a carpet cleaning machine such as a Rug Doctor. These machines are designed to do this job properly and, it may be interesting to note, do not use boiling water to do so! In fact, most carpet cleaning chemicals will work equally well in cold or warm water.

 

'Dry' steam cleaners have come to be called by this name because they use very little water (as opposed to a hot-water high-pressure washer which uses a considerable amount). The pressure of the steam at the spray head is typically 3 - 4 bar (45 - 60 p.s.i) versus the pressure washers 100 - 130 bar (1500 - 1950 p.s.i.).

 

The dry steam cleaner relies on superheated steam at some 140 degrees centigrade to remove dirt and sterilise surfaces, rather than blasting dirt off by sheer brute force as pressure washers do. They are superb machines for domestic hard surface cleaning, generally needing no chemicals or additives to boost their performance, are very easy to use and are compact to store.

A fairly recent innovation for dry steam cleaners has been the addition of vacuum extraction and even chemical injection. The advantages of vacuum extraction are fairly obvious - the machine can pick up the soiled water as it works, rather than having to use absorbent cloths over the steam head or simply wiping up manually. Surfaces are left clean and dry with little fuss!

 

Chemical injection is the next point - I hear you say 'but I thought the point of dry steam cleaners was that no chemical is used?' That still holds good for most applications but, for industrial cleaning, it can be a real bonus. These commercial machines can now tackle the most difficult tasks within industry across a wide range of applications.

Some tips on using ‘Dry’ Steam Cleaners.

I’ve been asked many times as to how to use a steam cleaner to its best effect, so below are some of the most common applications. Like any other appliance, a steam cleaner works best if you use it correctly. By following the right procedure you will obtain the best possible results and make the task in hand easier still!

Cleaning grouting.

1. For small surface areas, use the detail nozzle supplied with the machine to which you can also normally attach a small round brush.

2. Direct steaming and rapid scrubbing action with the brush then dislodges even stubborn dirt or grease.

After steam cleaning, wipe the surface dry with a cloth. Silicone joints and seals should only be steamed briefly, by the way!

Removing grease.

1. Stainless steel is popular but it only looks good if it is clean and not covered in a film of grease. Clean flat surfaces with the hand tool provided with your machine and a terry cover.

2. If the grease film has been there for some time, the only way to remove it is to keep on rubbing, maintaining even pressure with repeated shots of steam.

3. Little by little, the grease will accumulate on the cloth, so from time to time rub over with a clean cloth, replacing the terry cover when it becomes too soiled to pick more grease up.

4. Work over the surface bit by bit, alternating with the tool in one hand and a clean cloth in the other.

 

Cleaning tiled floors

1. In the case of stubborn dirt, first clean the tiled surface with the floor tool alone. The scrubbing action of the bristles will mechanically remove stubborn dirt.

2. For everyday maintenance cleaning, or after cleaning as described above, fit a cloth to the floor tool. Fold it leaving some overlap, then tuck it in firmly as shown in your manual. It is essential to change cloths regularly, so make sure you have a good supply!

3. After releasing the steam, push the tool briskly backwards and forwards but without a continuous steam flow. In order to clean grouting, move the tool not just across but deliberately along the joint lines.

 

Cleaning windows

1. When using a steam cleaner for the first time on windows, it's advisable to first perform a 'basic cleaning' procedure by rubbing the panes off completely by using the hand tool with a terry cloth fitted to it. Rub again with a dry cloth.

2. Using the window tool provided with your machine, first moisten the glass with steam, then squeegee off using the tool's rubber blade, starting from the bottom. In Winter, preheat cold panes from a distance of about 5 cm.

3. If windows are to be cleaned from the outside, do pay attention to the following safety point: most steam cleaners are not designed for exterior use and should not be used outside - especially in wet weather. A way of solving this problem is to use the extension hose supplied with the machine, enabling you to leave the unit itself indoors.

4. After the initial cleaning, windows will be easier to clean in the future: simply steam the whole pane strip by strip inside and out with the window tool, starting from the top. Hold the tool 5 -8 cm. away from the glass when steaming.

5. Now draw the rubber blade across the window, working strip by strip and from top to bottom, finishing by drawing the tool horizontally across the bottom of the pane. To avoid smears, wipe the blade dry with a cloth after each strip.

6. If the odd drop of water remains after drawing the rubber blade across the pane, simply wipe off with the cloth supplied with the unit. It’s always a good idea to have several cloths spare, by the way - these are normally readily available from the supplier.

 

A typical domestic series dry steam cleaner from Karcher