How to Properly Steam Clean Your Floors

Over the last century, products like vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, and steam cleaners have made every home owner’s list of chores shorter. Though the origins of steam cleaning aren’t entirely known, Romi Haan, a South Korean woman, largely takes credit for making steam cleaners (sometimes called steam mops) go mainstream. Steam cleaning takes the hard work out of scrubbing your floors to remove stubborn stains and dirt. It safely sanitizes hard surfaces without using harsh chemicals and still produces great results. Before you go crazy cleaning your floors, here are some helpful tips.

Steam Cleaning Wood Floors

Wood can be tricky to clean but a steam mop can help. First, be sure to double-check your floor supplier’s care guide. Use it on a low setting and continuously keep the mop moving, avoiding keeping it on one spot too long. Check the cloth every few minutes to see if it needs replacing. If your wood floors are treated with wax, a steam cleaner could damage the surface.

Steam Cleaning Marble

Steam cleaning marble is usually safe when taking normal precautions. However, use your steam cleaner on a low setting because high heat steam cleaners (usually commercial grade) can damage marble floors. Check with your marble supplier’s care guide for cleaning best practices.

Steam Cleaning Laminate

Before you begin steam cleaning laminate, check your steam cleaner’s care manual. Sometimes you can steam clean laminate but you need to use caution. Test a small, inconspicuous area of your laminate floor to see how it reacts to your steam cleaner. If you notice curling or unnatural discoloration, then it’s probably best not to steam clean. Otherwise, it’s usually safe to steam clean laminate.

Steam Cleaning Tile

Ceramic tile is relatively simple to clean. Keep your steam cleaner on high heat and pass over each tile quickly, going back to particularly stained areas and lingering on the spot for a few extra seconds. Grout on the other hand, can be difficult to clean. You’ll probably want to use a detachable hand unit that can deliver a concentrated blast of steam on portions of the grout. While steam cleaning grout may get the worst of the stains out, it likely won’t be pristine.

Buy a Quality Steam Cleaner

Steam cleaners aren’t all the same, some are simply made better. Allergy Buyers Club’s selection of steam mops and cleaners are tested by their experts for quality and performance. If you have questions, get in touch with them through chat or by phone.