For select surfaces Canada Disinfect recommends steam cleaning. Heat treatment has proven effective in killing past viruses, particularly in areas where you may not be able to use detergent, such as for soft furnishings. The Government advice on cleaning COVID-19 says,
“When items cannot be cleaned using detergents or laundered, for example, upholstered furniture and mattresses, steam cleaning may be used”.
Steam is the most effective method of eliminating bacteria and viruses, sanitizing environments and deeply cleaning any type of surface
In this period of major health emergency, cleaning and sanitizing the environments in which we live and work is essential to guarantee safe places without the presence of viruses and bacteria and to counter the spread of Covid-19.
In many cities Municipalities are proceeding to carry out sanitization operations thanks to the use of steam, which eliminates viruses and sterilizes environments and surfaces such as public transport, benches, bins, pharmacies, supermarkets, open shops, places tha citizens frequent more.
Professional steam generators represent the fundamental tool in this period of crisis and emergency to ensure not only complete and deep cleaning, but also the sanitization and sterilization of surfaces and environments, simply by exploiting the high temperature of saturated dry steam.
In fact, thanks to the thermal shock that viruses and bacteria suffer precisely because of high temperatures, their complete elimination is guaranteed,
even after the first treatment.
Steam sanitization is also a 100% natural and ecological system (sanitizes without the use of polluting chemicals), drastically reduces water consumption in cleaning operations and does not damage, being able to use it even in the most delicate points and in control panels.
Steam has often been highlighted as a good way to decontaminate areas. After the norovirus outbreak, the UK produced a guide on cleaning cruise ships to prevent infection, including cleaning carpets and upholstery using steam at a temperature of at least 70C. Steam can also be used on other surfaces for general cleaning.
The advice from WebMD for cleaning up after an illness is to expose upholstery to steam for at least five minutes at 70C or one minute at 100C. An excerpt from the EPA website states that: “Steam cleaners can be used to sanitize…without chemicals. They can be used on many surfaces, including bathroom fixtures, floors and countertops, carpeting, and upholstery. Dry vapor steam cleaners use super-heated low moisture steam – no chemicals – for disinfecting, sanitizing, and cleaning surfaces. They are very effective and approved for food contact as well as other surfaces including carpets and upholstery.
They are one of the most effective ways to remove bacteria that have formed a biofilm… Dry vapor steam cleaners have been shown to be very effective for disinfecting and is approved for food contact surfaces as well as other surfaces.”
Steam cleaning is the best chemical-free alternative to most cleaning options. Steam cleaning offers a more effective sanitation and kill rate than conventional chemical cleaning and also does not need to be rinsed off like other chemicals. Most chemicals require a specific amount of dwelling time, whereas steam does not. Superheated blasts of vapour evaporate almost instantaneously and kill even resistant microorganisms while producing minimal water waste and zero residue. Chemical residue, however, can not just damage but can also contaminate a surface with things like oxidizers that are toxic to humans. As well, pathogens have been proven to build resistance towards certain chemicals. However, no bacteria or virus has been proven to build immunity against the high temperatures produced by steam cleaning