The power of steam has been harnessed for the past 150 years as a method of removing tricky things like oil and grease from machinery. Its initial use was most common with railways, ships, and truck engines. Soon it became more widespread and in the 1960s boiler manufacturers in Italy started utilizing steam cleaning in order to clean their manufacturing machinery.
In its earliest forms, an industrial steam cleaning machine didn’t utilize dry vapor steam. Around 30 years ago European manufacturers discovered a way to use super hot steam which would quickly dissipate leaving a clean, sanitized and disinfected surface. This method of cleaning gained popularity across Europe and became a popular way to clean high-risk areas like hospitals.
As the technology grew so did its uses. Soon steam cleaning was popular beyond just industrial settings. People were able to utilize industrial steam cleaning machines to thoroughly clean new homes and even fabrics and mattresses. In fact, steam cleaning is the best method for getting rid of bed bugs. Because steam can penetrate up to 3/4″ into fabric and bed bugs only exist on the surface, making steam the best choice.
Industrial steamers are now used by just about every cleaning company. It’s a particularly good choice for restaurant kitchen cleaning because the superheated steam is great at killing microorganisms. The vapor produced contains no more than five or six percent water, relieving any risk of water damage and leaving a dry clean surface in its wake.
Here are some ways you can use steam cleaning today:
- Sanitizing your restaurant bathroomBathrooms are tricky. Many people will judge your business based on the cleanliness of the bathroom. The University of Washington tested bathroom cleaning methods in 2005. They determined that steam cleaning quickly sanitized and cleaned the bathroom while lowering overall labor.
- Cleaning in hypoallergenic environmentsSpaces like hospitals or nursing homes, where the internal air quality can have a significant impact on the people staying there are best cleaned using steam. Steam cleaning is literally just water. Because of that, there is no impact on the internal air quality and steam cleaning is great for getting rid of biological contaminants.
One of the biggest reasons that steam cleaning remains a popular cleaning solution today is the eco-friendly nature. Because steam cleaning doesn’t use any chemicals to clean the surfaces, just heat, and water, there is almost no environmental impact from this cleaning method.