10 Genius Uses For Steam Cleaners

Steam Cleaning Tips

Steam cleaners are very useful things. The question is often asked, ‘What can you clean with a steam cleaner? The answer is, more than you think. The following are just ten brilliant ideas for using your steam cleaner to maximum effect; however, there are likely very many more, so this is just a starting-point rather than a definitive guide.

1. Grout

Grout is notoriously difficult to get to and to clean. It obviously sits a little lower than the tiles and so, unless you’re willing to use a toothbrush and spend a painful amount of time and effort, steam cleaning will help you to eliminate stains, dirt, and bacteria at the flick of a switch. Some models will even come with special small attachments that are designed to help you do this.

2. Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are not always in use and very easily become caked in unpleasant grime and dust. It is also a little perilous being perched atop a step-ladder, sponge in hand, not to mention bits of cobweb and dust falling into your upturned face! Many if not most steam cleaners will arrive with a long, detachable wand, and/or diamond brush. If you cover the brush will a cloth you can gently maneuver the cleaner over your ceiling fan in a much safer, more hygienic manner.

3. Knobs And Switches

Especially in these days of heightened fears over hygiene, the 170-200 F temperature range of your average steam cleaner will help eliminate viruses and bacteria from things that are being touched by unwashed hands all the time. Attaching a cloth might be safe (in case of electrical concerns) but you can easily pass over smaller areas with the right attachment, cleansing such places and rendering them completely clean.

4. Grills

The taste of grilled food is often counterbalanced by the hassle of having to clean the grill afterward, what with charred remains of meat, burnt cheese, and bits of old onion starting to decompose. Your steam cleaner will make light work of this, especially if you use its small brush attachment. Some sort of grill cleaning solution could be applied first if you don’t manage to get to the grill the very next day after usage.

5. Oven

Rather than chemically hazardous solutions which have to be handled with care and can irritate your lungs and skin, steam cleaning with the small brush attachment will allow you to clean the rails, while the bigger attachment can handle the rest. Finally, a microfiber cloth should be able to mop up the remaining gunk.

6. Pets

Well, their cages, at least, not them per se! This is usually a difficult outdoor job that is a real pain in winter months. Your steam cleaner can make it very much easier. Again, the modest-sized brush attachment is perfect for the wires, while the main attachment will work admirably on the base.

7. Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture tends to be stored in outdoor containers and sheds, so is prone to mold, spores, and mildew, all of which are very hard if impossible to scrub away using traditional elbow grease. An upholstery steam cleaner or upholstery attachment to your steam cleaner will work wonders with the fabric elements of your furniture. The jet nozzle attachment can be highly efficient in terms of getting rid of ingrained discolorations.

8. Refrigerators

Bacteria is the biggest fear lurking with any refrigerator; your steam cleaner will blast this away due to its high temperature and pressure. Its small round brush attachment can be employed in rails and corners, while the main attachment can expertly cleanse the sides and base, which can all to easily become unhygienic and hazardous to human health if not properly treated.

9. Baseboards

Baseboards are often ignored and certainly are not often a high priority. However, whilst steam cleaning the floor, a quick switch to the small nylon brush attachment will help you to cleanse away the grime and stains will occur from general family life, included shoe scuffing, pet nuzzling, and toddlers’ filthy hands.

10. Toilets

Cleaning toilets is unpleasant at the best of times, and yet the jet nozzle attachment of your steam cleaner can make it far less arduous. You can focus it on specific stains, and won’t need to get too near to the inside of the bowl. Yuck!

Overall, steam cleaners’ great strength is their ability to operate at high pressures and temperatures. The benefit for you is that you avoid exposure to strong cleaning chemicals, avoid proximity to filthy, possibly unhealthy surfaces and areas, and have the confidence that you’ve blasted away all that might be harmful and toxic to your family’s day to day life. These days they come in all shapes and sizes and have an increasingly impressive array of nozzles, attachments, and other features.

Sources:

1. Using Steamers to Control Bed Bugs – University of Minnesota Driven to Discover
2. Steam Cleaning and Your Home: How to Use Steam Cleaners in All Rooms in Your House – Cleanipedia