# Dry Steam Cleaning



## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

I hope this will not be considered off-topic because it isn't seagoing but basic engineering. I am trying to keep the wife safer after she survived chemo recently so any advice gratefully received 

As a former sparky then ETO, I have a basic knowledge of steam plant from my HND at STC 25 years ago (bloody hell time flies!) but would like some advice on buying a dry steam cleaner as I am not confident of correctly interpreting the specs. 

I need something that will deliver steam at not less than 55C (approx temp to kill dust mites I believe) and penetrate a mattress sufficiently without resulting in hours waiting for it to dry. 

I previously tried a Vax S6S which dripped profusely and since that seems to be considered a reasonably good consumer model and most consumer brands don't give temperature and pressure specs it is impossible to make comparisons on that basis, so I looked beyond the usual well known consumer brands and found this Vapline http://www.vapourtek.co.uk/vapline_steamcleaner.htm - the seller says that some dripping may occur but is less likely because of the superior control mechanism in Italian made machines, and the Vapline is both hotter and drier than the Vax S6S machine which is made in China. 

Comparing the Vapline with a much more expensive Karcher SC5800C, with 1800W heating capacity and 4.0 bar steam pressure and the Vapline of 1350W and 4.8 bar, I feel that the lower temp/higher pressure Vapline would give better penetration but would the steam temperature be adequate? I'm not even sure that the 1800W 'heating capacity' of the Karcher and the 'Boiler Power' of 1350W for the Vapline refer to the same thing. 

Thanks
Jon


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Welcome back Sparkyjon. Maybe you should ask Gwyneth Paltrow - see thread "Only in America".

John T


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Have no experience of their steam cleaners but can recommend Kärcher, both as a supplier of products that perform as claimed and as a provider of excellent after-sales services. Usual disclaimer.


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Ron Stringer said:


> Have no experience of their steam cleaners but can recommend Kärcher, both as a supplier of products that perform as claimed and as a provider of excellent after-sales services. Usual disclaimer.


Good after sales is always good, but I have seen some bad reviews for Karcher steam cleaners on the Which website including 'Do Not Buy' for their SC 2500 C Plus and SC 1020 models.


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

Assuming both cleaners deliver steam at their rated pressure the 4.0 bar one will be at 143C and the 4.8 bar one 150C, but there will be considerable loss of both temperature and pressurein the pipe between the cleaner and the cleaning head - don't think there will be much to choose between them. 

If you are worried about flow rates for depth of cleaning then the Karcher appears to be about double the Vapline.

If I could make a practical suggestion? is it possible for you to buy a second mattress and alternate then you are not quite so concerned about the length of time to dry?


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## Split (Jun 25, 2006)

sparkyjon said:


> I hope this will not be considered off-topic because it isn't seagoing but basic engineering. I am trying to keep the wife safer after she survived chemo recently so any advice gratefully received
> 
> As a former sparky then ETO, I have a basic knowledge of steam plant from my HND at STC 25 years ago (bloody hell time flies!) but would like some advice on buying a dry steam cleaner as I am not confident of correctly interpreting the specs.
> 
> ...


Do you look at The Motley Fool UK? I was reading a thread on steam cleaners, just a few days ago on the "Does Anyone Know?" thread. Some posters liked them but most seemed disappointed. One or two different makes were mentioned.

Pest control teams use them for bedbugs and other beasties.


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Duncan112 said:


> If I could make a practical suggestion? is it possible for you to buy a second mattress and alternate then you are not quite so concerned about the length of time to dry?


There are also (at much lower cost) mattress protectors that are proof against dust mites and the like. You can just stick 'em in the washing machine as often as you require.


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Duncan112 said:


> Assuming both cleaners deliver steam at their rated pressure the 4.0 bar one will be at 143C and the 4.8 bar one 150C, but there will be considerable loss of both temperature and pressure in the pipe between the cleaner and the cleaning head - don't think there will be much to choose between them.


I assume that you mean not much between them apart from flow rate? The Karcher SC5800C is £130 more so the Vapline seems better value if it can do the business. From what you have said it seems that other factors like hose length and diameter are significant as well. Which formula are you basing flow rate on? 



> is it possible for you to buy a second mattress and alternate?


Unfortunately not enough space.


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Split said:


> Do you look at The Motley Fool UK? I was reading a thread on steam cleaners, just a few days ago on the "Does Anyone Know?" thread. Some posters liked them but most seemed disappointed. One or two different makes were mentioned.
> 
> Pest control teams use them for bedbugs and other beasties.


Never seen it before but had a look at a few threads there. Unfortunately it is a familiar story. Overall, the performance of even the better steam cleaners seems quite variable based on peoples comments and user reviews in various places. To get one that actually does what is says on the box may be a pipe-dream!


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Ron Stringer said:


> There are also (at much lower cost) mattress protectors that are proof against dust mites and the like. You can just stick 'em in the washing machine as often as you require.


We do have such covers but I'm beginning to think that a combined approach may be the way to go. I assumed without any real justification that it would be necessary to penetrate deep into a mattress to wipe the dust mites out, but since they feed on flakes of dead skin, I should probably research their social habits to see where they actually hang out. 

If they stay near the surface of mattresses and upholstery maybe one of the much cheaper handheld steamers would do the job if the temperature is adequate and since these don't have a long hose between the tank and the steam outlet temperature drop should be less of a problem.


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

My comments on the flow rate and hose length were based on my experience with an electrolux cleaner - the difference between the pressure of the steam coming out of the machine where the hose clips on and the end of the hose is most noticeable. 

If all you want it for is steaming the mattress consider a steam wallpaper remover - I got mine from Aldi I think reduced to £15 https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/specialbuy-sale/product-detail-page/ps/p/wallpaper-stripper-1/

But the more I use the cleaner the more uses I find for it - particularly cleaning wooden floors!!


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Duncan112 said:


> My comments on the flow rate and hose length were based on my experience with an electrolux cleaner - the difference between the pressure of the steam coming out of the machine where the hose clips on and the end of the hose is most noticeable.
> 
> If all you want it for is steaming the mattress consider a steam wallpaper remover - I got mine from Aldi I think reduced to £15 https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/specialbuy-sale/product-detail-page/ps/p/wallpaper-stripper-1/
> 
> But the more I use the cleaner the more uses I find for it - particularly cleaning wooden floors!!


We do have a steam wallpaper remover but I think it would be difficult to provide an adequate seal on bedding and upholstery, though I might give it a try. I seem to remember though when I last used it 10 years ago that it did produce a lot of water. 

After doing a bit of research into dust mites, I think a reasonable and cheaper solution will be a good handheld steamer for bedding etc together with tightly woven covers for pillows, mattresses and duvets together with a HEPA air purifier. Apparently if you use a vacuum cleaner on them it just disperses them even more into the atmosphere.

Which online gives the Kärcher SC952 Handsteam cleaner as a best buy but there is a newer 3 bar handheld Kärcher SC1 Premium Steam Cleaner with Floor Kit (at twice the price) so I will check out the specs of both in more detail.

Many thanks for the input


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## sandhopper (Mar 15, 2013)

Hope your wife soon regains her health. The multi-attack approach might be your best bet. You already mentioned covers and steamers. My experience of Karcher has not been positive. Would using covers, a good suction va***m cleaner and a steam iron be a possible solution?


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

sparkyjon said:


> We do have such covers ...


Are they waterproof? 15 or so years ago, when the grandchildren were regular visitors, in order to protect our beds and to avoid embarrassment to the children and their parents, we bought waterproof mattress protectors from John Lewis' for the beds in the visitors' bedrooms. On the upper side they are a sort of slightly-rough towelling (not as coarse as terry-towelling), coated with a smooth, rubber-like material on the mattress side. So although scales of skin dust mites can get through the bed-linen onto the towelling, they cannot penetrate the waterproofing and never get to the mattress. (Nor could the products of the occasional accident).

I have slept in one of the beds so fitted and could not feel any difference from beds without them; visitors (young and old) never realise they are fitted. They just go in the machine for the weekly wash with the rest of the bed-linen.


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

sandhopper said:


> Hope your wife soon regains her health. The multi-attack approach might be your best bet. You already mentioned covers and steamers. My experience of Karcher has not been positive. Would using covers, a good suction va***m cleaner and a steam iron be a possible solution?


Vacuum cleaners disperse the dust mites into the air so not recommended, though a HEPA air purifier can be used to scrub the atmosphere. Despite being in the higher price range Karcher and other makers reviews are ambivalent which is probably a good thing as having looked at the problem in more detail a simpler and cheaper solution seems better all round.

I found nothing useful on the web that concerns this particular aspect of steam cleaners. The facts as far as I know so far are that dust mites can be killed in a number of ways including exposure to direct sunlight and temperatures over about 55C. However dust mite s**t and their dead bodies constitute the allergens that can badly affect someone with asthma for instance, but someone unaffected by a serious allergic reaction can get sniffles and cold like symptoms which happens to both of us quite often in the morning. 

So an old mattress/pillow/duvet etc can be full of dust mite bodies etc. Modern pillows and duvets are often advertised as hypo-allergenic which just means that the fibres of the material covering them are tightly woven enough to prevent the dust mites getting through them.

So after killing the dust mites in the mattress, and putting a cover over it and pillows etc, it should be enough to wash covers regularly at a high temp. I have seen people talking about putting down duvets in the washing machine but I don't see the point - if they can't get into the duvet, then presumably they will just be on its surface so either exposing it to sunlight or a quick pass with a handheld steamer should do the trick. Aiming for genocide might be a bit time consuming as I think the cold like symptoms are probably triggered by a substantial amount of them.


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## sparkyjon (Jul 30, 2013)

Ron Stringer said:


> Are they waterproof? 15 or so years ago, when the grandchildren were regular visitors, in order to protect our beds and to avoid embarrassment to the children and their parents, we bought waterproof mattress protectors from John Lewis' for the beds in the visitors' bedrooms. On the upper side they are a sort of slightly-rough towelling (not as coarse as terry-towelling), coated with a smooth, rubber-like material on the mattress side. So although scales of skin dust mites can get through the bed-linen onto the towelling, they cannot penetrate the waterproofing and never get to the mattress. (Nor could the products of the occasional accident).
> 
> I have slept in one of the beds so fitted and could not feel any difference from beds without them; visitors (young and old) never realise they are fitted. They just go in the machine for the weekly wash with the rest of the bed-linen.


Fortunately we have not reached the incontinent stage (Thumb) so a waterproof cover isn't necessary. Its a bit too late for the mattress which is now over 10 years old so it looks like it is more a matter of keeping them in rather than out, but rather than repeat myself see my proposed strategy in my last reply to Sandhopper. I forgot to mention in that reply that I think you can also kill dust-mites by freezing as well.


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Like others have I do wish your Wife well, it is indeed a difficult situation, my advice should you take it is to buy a couple of sleeping bags with spare Liners, these can be put through a hot wash along with the Sleeping Bags as many times as you want on the basis of one in the wash and one out. When you have had Cancer treatment you do tend to feel the cold more as your system is out of kilter.


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## Duncan112 (Dec 28, 2006)

Asda this morning had Karcher Steam Cleaners in £120 - not on their website though


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