Commercial & Industrial Steam Cleaners

Steam cleaning machines offer hygienic cleaning, killing up to 99.99% of germs, bacteria and viruses without the use of cleaning chemicals. Steam cleaners, steam mops and dry steam cleaning machines come in a range of models suited to different types of floor and surface cleaning – from domestic & household cleaning or commercial or heavy industrial steam cleaning applications.

Steam cleaners can be used for deep cleaning, surface sanitising, and are an important cleaning machine to improve infection prevention & control measures across industry, government an households. Steam cleaners can be used to clean and sanitise hard floors including sealed tiles, hardwood floors, vinyl and lino. They can also be used to clean above ground surfaces such as grout, sinks, tubs, countertops, carpets, mattresses, upholstery, showers, ovens, stove tops, grills, glass, windows, curtains, cars and much more. Steam cleaners come with a variety of special attachments to be used to clean different surfaces.

Here are a few things you will need to consider before purchasing a steam cleaner. We recommend you talk to an expert in the supply of commercial cleaning equipment and ensure you have a demonstration of the machine before purchasing.

• Brand – choose a brand that has a reputation for providing durable, reliable steam cleaning machines backed up by a warranty period and after sales service. Tecnovap, Duplex and Karcher are all leading brands and have been advancing steam cleaning technology for decades.
• What types of surfaces will you be cleaning – steam cleaners are generally used to clean carpet and hard floor surfaces and for use in bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, showers, basins, tiles / grout, ovens, upholstery, mattresses, windows, walls, car cleaning and machinery. Industrial steam cleaners are ideal for use in heavy duty industrial cleaning jobs including machinery cleaning, weed removal, graffiti removal, wine barrel cleaning, bottling line and industrial cleaning.
• High temperature steam – in order to kill bacteria and viruses steam needs to be at a very high temperature. Many domestic steam cleaners and steam mops do not reach a high enough temperature to eradicate so it is important you ask for this information from your cleaning equipment provider. Depending upon the cleaning application will determine the temperature of the steam required. Also, the hotter the steam, the drier the steam, resulting in a lower probability of damaging certain surfaces with excess water. Super steam is superheated, dry and consistent steam that cleans better than normal steam, emulsifies soiling, thermally decontaminates and break down odours. Steam mops may only reach a temperature of 130^oC whereas commercial and industrial grade steam cleaners can provide +190^oC of industrial grade dry steam vapour for a deep clean to emulsify soiling, thermally decontaminate and breakdown odours.
• Steam pressure – the pressure of steam is important in order to eradicate bacteria, viruses, mould and remove stubborn grease and grime from surfaces. The greater the pressure (measured in bars) the easier the cleaning job will be. A steam cleaner with +155ºC superheated 94% dry steam under 4-8 bar pressure is ideal for cleaning grout lines as the steam penetrates deep into the grout to melt and blast out grime and the high temperatures destruct mould spores. Industrial steam cleaners can provide up to 10 bars of pressure for removing industrial stains and blasting.
• Capacity or tank size: The more water the steam cleaner holds, the longer you can clean before stopping to refill and reheat. Steam cleaners with “continuous fill” provide a hose to be plugged directly into the machine providing a 24/7, continuous water supply. No cleaning downtime, no stopping to fill up your machine.
• Accessories –if you want to steam clean a variety of surfaces you will need to ensure there are appropriate attachments. Most quality branded steam cleaners will have a number of accessories including steam hose, floor tool, triangular brush, window tool, steam lance, brass/steel/nylon brushes, plunger and scraper tools.

Steam cleaners, whether used for domestic or commercial cleaning, work in a simple way. The tank is filled with normal tap water which then is boiled internally by a boiler. If you are in an area of hard water, we recommend that you consider using distilled water. The start-up time varies amongst models however is usually under 5 minutes. Once heated it produces steam which is forced out as pressurised steam through a nozzle, brush or other attachment. The steam vapour loosens the dirt, grease, grime, kills dust mites, mould, harmful bacteria and viruses and other allergens. No suction is required as super-heated steam dries very quickly.

Steam vacuum machines also have a vacuum motor, which sucks in grime and dirt dislodged by the steam action to leave a clean and dry surface.

Benefits of steam cleaning

Steam cleaning has become an extremely popular method of cleaning particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cleaning & hygiene regimes were a focus for governments, healthcare, aged care, schools & education providers, businesses and householders to limit the spread of this deadly virus. Super-heated steam is an extremely effective way to kill 99.999% of viruses, such as coronavirus & influenza.

Steam cleaning also has the following benefits:

• Eco-friendly, natural and safe cleaning method with no chemicals needed.
• Cost effective – as no chemicals required this can save commercial cleaners, businesses and facility managers thousands of dollars in cleaning chemical costs.
• Hygienic cleaning method using only water. Ideal for use in restaurants, catering & food production as using steam ensures that hygiene and food standards are easily met.
• Scientists have proven that when used correctly high pressure, super-heated steam will kill harmful bacteria and viruses, bed bugs, pathogens and sanitises surfaces.
• Versatile – a steam cleaner can be used to sanitise different surfaces using a number of attachments – one cleaning machine for multiple cleaning applications.
• Surfaces dry a lot faster leaving the surface available to be used sooner.
• Steam can reach crevices and cracks that other cleaning machines cannot reach.
• 24 * 7 continuous steam on some models allows you to keep cleaning longer without interruption.

Steam cleaners can be safely used in domestic, commercial and industrial settings. One cleaning machine offers great versatility cleaning a wide variety of above ground and floor surfaces including sealed tiles, hardwood floors, grout, sinks, tubs, countertops, carpets, mattresses, upholstery, sofas, chairs, showers, ovens, stove tops, BBQ grills, glass, windows, walls, kitchen appliances, care interiors, pet beds, toys and many more cleaning applications.

Industrial steam cleaners can be used for graffiti removal, chewing gum removal, cleaning machinery & plant, wine barrel and bottle cleaning.

Steam cleaning, in conjunction with microfibre mop heads, is a much more hygienic cleaning method than the traditional mop and bucket.  Steam, heated to a high temperature, will kill bacteria and germs whereas mopping does not have offer the benefits of steam. Also when using a mop and bucket the dirty water generally mixes back in with clean water so is not hygienic. Steam cleaners generally do not require cleaning chemicals and is a much more eco-friendly, cost effective cleaning solution.

Steam mops are suitable for hard floor cleaning and can provide steam temperatures up to around 120^oC. Steam cleaners offer a multitude of uses besides just floor cleaning and can clean above ground surfaces as well including bathrooms, toilets, upholstery, ovens, cooktops, mattresses and so on. Most high-quality steam cleaners will heat at a much higher temperature than a steam mop – up to 190^oC. This is particularly important in order eradicate viruses, germs and bacteria and where infection control is a priority.

Steam cleaners come in three main types – steam only, steam and vacuum or industrial steam cleaners.

Steam only cleaning machines utilise high pressure ,high temperature steam to sanitise and clean a wide variety of surfaces and can be used at home or in a commercial environment.

Steam and vacuum machines are all-round machines that steam clean and wet and dry vacuum, with some models achieving this in one pass.

Industrial steam cleaners, or heavy-duty pressurised steam generators, are designed to power through the harshest cleaning conditions with minimal water use. Steam is produced at a high temperature of +190^o at up to 10 bar pressure, providing a “deep clean”.