Using steam for cleaning and sanitising

Industrial steam cleaners

The need for effective cleaning has meant that there was an increasing use of various harsh chemicals with rather scary names such as hypochlorites, chlorine dioxide, iodophors, phthalates, perchloroethylene, triclosan, quarternary ammonium compounds, 2-butoxyethanol, ammonia, chlorine and sodium hydroxide. Over time these various chemicals became known to potentially cause a range of health issues. For example:

• Endocrine disruptors – Phthalates are known to interfere with the body’s endocrine system, producing adverse reproductive, neurological, immune and developmental effects in humans and wildlife. They are also known to cause reduced fertility, some cancers and a greater incidence of endometriosis.
• Multiple physical reactions – A known neurotoxin, perchloroethylene is known to cause dizziness, loss of coordination, depression of the central nervous system. confusion, headaches, drowsiness, impaired memory, dermatitis, damage to the liver and kidneys. dermatitis, and eye, nose and throat irritation. The U.S. government body, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) arm has reported that this compound is a possible human carcinogen.
• Immediate reactions from acute exposure – Many of these products also cause immediate reactions from acute exposure. These can include skin burns from accidental contact, headaches from fumes as well as contribute to the body’s “toxic burden” due to the build up and storage of chemicals in the tissues. Compounds such as 2-butoxyethanol are known to cause sore throats, narcosis, severe kidney and liver damage and pulmonary oedema.
• Cleaning chemicals are also known to cause wheezing and lung damage.

Obviously, these effects may only occur in certain cases, nevertheless it does make sense to look for alternative ways of cleaning and sanitising either without or with limited use of chemicals. That’s why steam cleaners have become so popular and are amongst our top selling cleaning machines.

The industrial steam cleaner: The alternative to chemical cleaning

The use of steam in today’s industrial cleaning has the advantage of sanitising surfaces, as well as reducing the need for chemicals. The use of steam for cleaning has actually been in existence for a number of years; the industrial steam cleaner has evolved over time, resulting in the more sophisticated machines now in use. Steam cleaning can be used to sanitise a wide range of surfaces.

If you require a deeper level of cleaning, a hot water pressure washer with a steam cleaner facility is another option.

Using “wet” steam for cleaning and sanitising

Steam can be created through the use of certain types of hot water pressure washer. You may find that dirt that’s difficult to remove will not benefit from the use of pressurised water alone. Instead, by reducing the water flow through the machine, the boiling point of the pressurised water will be raised and will turn to steam as it leaves the cleaning lance, giving more cleaning power. It is called “wet steam” as it has a higher water content, similar to a boiling kettle. For greater steam based cleaning and sanitising, a purpose built dry steam cleaner is a better option.

Using “dry” steam for cleaning and sanitising

A dry steam cleaner works to remove residue and clean and sanitise surfaces by heating water, under pressure, to about 180 degrees Celsius. The “super-heated” steam that’s produced contains very little water content. The dry steam industrial steam cleaner allows you to use the power of this steam to clean and sanitise surfaces and to reach into crevices, liquefying any built up deposits, allowing them to be removed. This method is both hygienically efficient and reduces or eliminates the need for cleaning chemicals.

Would your business benefit from an industrial steam cleaner? Contact us at B&G Cleaning though our online form or call us on our free phone number above, to learn more from our experienced team. We can provide all the commercial and industrial steam cleaning support, advice and equipment that you need.