Steam Cleaning is the first choice of bond cleaners or professional steam cleaners. But you need to know everything is not cleaned by steam cleaning, there are some restrictions and limitations to it. Before knowing the restrictions, we must know the process of steam cleaning and why is it so preferable. Steam cleaning converts plain water into vapors to degrease the surface and remove bacteria, viruses, and any other harmful microbes. To kill the germs the steam cleaning device must have a temperature around 107℃ and the limit of the steam cleaning is around 162℃. At its highest temperature, it can work as a disinfectant too.
It is a safe and eco-friendly option which is the reason the Professional Bond Cleaning Perth team uses the steam cleaning method for bond cleaning.
But as mentioned above, it has some limitations and restrictions. We can not steam clean everything. This blog post will guide you with What not to clean with the steam cleaners. Stay tuned to get better insights into the same.
What Are the Surfaces We Can Not Clean with the Steam Cleaning Process?
Here is a list of surfaces we can’t clean with steam cleaners and what to use for such surfaces instead.
Laminated Surfaces: You can not use steam cleaning methods for your laminated cabinets, wardrobes, floors, or other fixtures as the moisture will lose the layer of the lamination from the surface and will destroy the surface. Instead of using the steam cleaning process, you can use a microfibre cloth and put it into the organic solution of water and white vinegar with dishwashing liquid. Spray it on the surface and then wipe it with a towel to clean it.
Wooden floors: Steam mopping on the wooden floor will melt the wax of the floor and make it prone to molds, dampness, termites, and other such issues. Wooden surface easily traps moisture and the moisture destroys it completely by making it swell and weaken the surface. You can sweep or vacuum your unsealed or waxed wooden floors or surfaces to avoid moisture and further destruction. Check if the wooden floor cleaner is pH-neutral to avoid any damage to the surface.
Carpets, Rugs & Upholstery With Pet Stains: You must avoid steam cleaning carpets, rugs, and upholstery with pet stains. The heat produced by the steam cleaning can join the pet fluids to the enzymes of the carpets. It will strengthen the stains and will make them permanent, rather than loosening them. If there are no pet stains, you can use steam cleaning, it is a good option as it can remove bad odors from the carpet as well. With pet stains, you can use methods like vacuuming, spot cleaning with vinegar, soap, and baking soda, dry cleaning, etc. There are various myths about using the steam cleaning process and we are trying to Debunking Common Cleaning Myths.
Walls with water surfaces: Water-based stains are a little sensitive and need a considerable amount of attention. You can get the stains dried with steam cleaning which will be difficult to remove. With steam cleaning, paint can start peeling off, and you need to spend a lot to repaint or repair it to the earlier condition. You can either buy a solution from the market or clean the painted wall with a microfibre cloth and dishwashing liquid. Rub the surface gently, as it can put scratches on the walls.
Electronic items: You can not make the mistake of mixing water and electricity as it can lead to current production. steam cleaning will create moisture that can enter into the deep wires of the electronic items and lead to short circuits instead. To clean the electronic items, use alcohol as it has a pH-neutral content. Make a solution of 50:50 with alcohol and water, spray it on the item, and wipe it with a microfibre cloth. It is the best idea to clean any electronic item.
Conclusion
Steam cleaning is a good cleaning option and choice of many professional cleaners as it creates moisture that helps to remove dirt, grease, and grime from deep the surface. However, we can not use steam cleaning for electronics, walls with water stains, carpets with pet fluids, wooden floors, and laminated surfaces. In this blog, we have also mentioned the reason you can not use the steam process on these surfaces and what you can use instead so that you can bond clean yourself. This blog has helped you a lot in recognizing the surface that you can not use for steam cleaning.
