A steamer or steam cleaner is a machine that will help you clean and disinfect your entire home. With the use of steam, you ensure a thorough cleaning that eliminates 99.99% of all bacteria without the need for chemicals and improve your health.
Sanitize your house safely! To get the most out of this cleaning tool, we will tell you about different uses of it that you can even improve with the use of accessories. Are you clear about everything you can clean with a steam cleaner?
Cleaning tiles and joints is one of the most popular uses for steam cleaners. Using the cleaner nozzle, direct the steam jet to the dirtiest spots to remove and disinfect at the same time. On very aged or silicone gaskets, apply the steam briefly until you verify that they do not chip or become damaged. When you're done, wipe dry with a soft cloth and finish removing any residue.
The kitchen is one of the spaces in which a steam cleaner will make cleaning easier for you. The extractor hood and the oven are two of the critical points where grease accumulates in the kitchen. Thanks to the steam cleaner you can dissolve the hardened grease to clean it later with more ease, even in the most difficult corners!
Also in the kitchen, the countertops are the food preparation area and, therefore, they should be as clean as possible. You don't need to run the steamer every day (unless you're a disinfection freak), but when you do the weekly cleaning, it will help to keep your surfaces pristine. Since no chemicals are required for steam cleaning, no toxic cleaners will come into contact with the food preparation area.
The steamer will help you clean and defrost your refrigerator without chemicals. With the refrigerator empty and unplugged, remove the drawers and place a bucket to collect the defrosting water. Aiming the steam cleaner's nozzle at the ice will speed up the process. Make sure that the steamer does not come into contact with thawed water and take the logical precautions to work with electrical appliances. When you're done, put a clean cloth in the freezer and that's it!
In the bathroom, don't just clean the tiles with the steam cleaner. The toilet, the bidet, the shower ... are also suitable surfaces for steam cleaning. The corners of the shower where mold can appear or the places where limescale accumulates are much easier to clean with the steam jet and will be as new as you destroy bacteria.
In case it hadn't occurred to you, the taps can also be cleaned with the steam cleaner! From the nozzles where limescale builds up from the water to the flexible shower hose, with all the corners that get dirty in no time. Direct the steam to critical areas and watch dirt come off with ease.
We move on to other areas of the house! With a simple accessory you can turn your steamer into the perfect tool for cleaning floors. The process is the same as if you were mopping, with the added benefit of steam cleaning that will leave your floors shiny. On floors that don't resist moisture well, such as laminate or wood, check the manufacturer's instructions first or do a test before you risk it.
A steamer is the perfect tool to disinfect your mattress, pillows or to refresh a blanket that is too large for the washing machine. Mites inhabit our mattresses and bedding, but the high temperatures of the steam will help you to kill them. Remember to let it air dry well before making the bed and ventilate frequently.
Carpets and rugs can also be steam cleaned, just like sofa upholstery! Keep in mind that steamers work with a very high temperature, so it is advisable to do a preliminary test in a corner to ensure that the vivid colors do not suffer from fading. After cleaning and disinfecting the fabrics, ventilate the room well so that they dry properly.
Both inside and outside, the glass and windows can be cleaned with a steam cleaner. The process is more or less the same, with the advantage that steam makes cleaning easier, especially when there is accumulated dirt. In the most difficult to access places, such as the central area of the window frames, the projected steam will help you to leave the impeccable corners.
Take a look at the door handles and especially the switches in your house. They are clean? They are objects that we touch every day and that are not cleaned as often as we should, so they accumulate a large amount of bacteria. Kill them thanks to steam! Be careful to cut off the electricity before cleaning the switches and never use the steam cleaner to clean outlets.
With the steam cleaner you can refresh clothes, eliminate odors and even wrinkles. It is very practical for curtains, which you can "iron" once you have them on the rails or for any other garment hanging on a hanger.
Children's toys go from hands to mouth, to floor, to carpet, to bed… so it is important to keep them as clean as possible. With the steam cleaner we will eliminate the microbes and we will leave them ready to go back to doing the whole journey.
Wallpapers stick to walls using an adhesive, but what if you have professional steamer for wallpaper removal? Steam will be your great ally, since it will soften the glue and it will be much easier. Start at one corner, apply the steam jet, and then try to peel it off. Be careful not to burn yourself, because the adhesive will have heated up, and slowly pull the paper to loosen it.
Outdoor furniture is usually forgotten for half the year. When the good weather arrives, even if we have it stored it will have accumulated dirt, much more if we have it outdoors all year round. With the steamer you can clean it and leave it ready for the new season.
In the same way that you can steam disinfect your mattress, you can also steam your pet's bed. Beds, cushions, carriers .. will be perfectly clean with the use of the steam cleaner. Because your pets also deserve a clean environment!
Olivia Desuza is a Traditional Naturopath* from California who holds a PhD in Natural Health Sciences, a Doctor of Sciences in Health. She is board certified as an Alternative Medical Practitioner; with memberships in the American Naturopathic Medical Association, the American Association of Nutritional Consultants and the American Herbalists Guild. She has 20 years of experience in the fields of organic foods, herbalism, superfoods, nutrition and environmental health. She is the author of numerous published articles and a number of books on health and home caring.