Benefits of Steam Cleaning

by Diane Calabrese |Published February 2025

 

Gardeners know weeds and so do landscapers. Weeds may not be the biggest nuisance as there are pesky insects and rodents, after all, but getting rid of unwanted plants and weeds is a must. Elimination without chemical application or down-in-the-dirt extraction sounds too good to be true. It’s not.

When we talked with Dave Johnson of Steam Cleaners Inc. in Fresno, CA, he was on his way to inspect a site where his company had provided the equipment to destroy weeds with steam. His enthusiasm for the process was palpable.

Johnson says that in the realm of all the benefits of steam cleaning, the destruction of unwanted organic matter using steam is “the thing that is really interesting to us.” He estimates using steam is “three to four times more productive” in weed removal than handpicking.

The absence of herbicides in the scenario is a big plus as well. Then, there’s the recurring benefit of steam wherever it’s used: no runoff.

Application of the steam to kill weeds may be targeted at specific plants, such as a cluster of thorny thistles, or it can be applied between rows of plants.

Johnson’s company is a U.S. dealer for Weedtechnics™ headquartered in Terry Hills, NSW, Australia, which has patented the process it uses in its Satusteam™ system. The process stretches the many benefits of saturated steam to a unique kind of cleaning—killing weeds.

Interest in and adoption of the Australian system is exciting, explains Johnson. The ability that institutions, such as universities, now have to remove weeds without exposing passersby to chemicals is a boon to the environment and to people’s health and safety.

So, there we’ve begun with one of the newer benefits attached to steam cleaning. Among the other products Johnson’s company sells are Optima Steamers™, which are deployed in many of the situations where we have come to expect steam to be in use.

At the home of the Optima Steamer, Steamericas in Gardena, CA, Yujin Anderson is general manager. Her enthusiasm for the benefits of steam runs high.

Anderson points to the many ways in which steam supports environmental goals because it allows more to be done with less. Less, in this case, encompasses water input and waste output, as well as fewer—if any—chemicals.

“The top benefit is significantly reduced water consumption,” says Anderson. Not only does that alleviate the need to deal with wastewater, but it also means that contractors need not use much water. Even better, contractors need not carry large amounts of water to a site if there’s none there to tap.

“Cleaning contractors could certainly use steam cleaning more frequently,” says Anderson. “Many are still relying on traditional methods while remaining unaware of the efficiency and versatility steam offers.”

Anderson cites the wide range of settings in which steam cleaning achieves excellent results. Settings include healthcare, food service, facility management, and manufacturing.

In environments where hygiene and safety are top priorities, steam is an especially good choice, explains Anderson. And contractors should consider adding it to their roster of tools.

“By adopting steam cleaning, contractors could improve their service quality, reduce environmental impact, add value-added services, and streamline operations,” explains Anderson.

With steam, each plus often adds another benefit. Thus when fewer, if any, chemicals are needed to complete a job, workers benefit.

“Steam acts like air rather than liquid, allowing it to reach farther and naturally sanitize,” explains Anderson. “This improves working safety by minimizing exposure to hazardous chemicals and eliminating the need to clean hard-to-reach areas manually.”

Worker safety also improves when team members have less to move (water, which is weighty), store (chemicals), and transport. Cutting down on the weight of vehicles to transport everything to a jobsite is also a plus for the environment.

Anderson notes the increasing interest many companies have in aligning with ESG [environmental, social, governance] investment goals. Adoption of an ESG framework demonstrates a commitment to maximizing good outcomes while minimizing risk to people, communities, and environment.

Gentleness matters when many kinds of structures and equipment are being cleaned. Steam often helps provide it.

“Steam excels at cleaning HVAC equipment, particularly coils and radiators, which are difficult to clean with traditional methods,” explains Anderson. “High-pressure water can damage delicate fins, but steam safely cleans them while penetrating deeper into the coils for a more thorough cleaning than water-based methods.”

Then there’s the odor-free after-cleaning space to appreciate. “One of the least-known benefits of steam cleaning is its ability to improve indoor air quality,” says Anderson. “By using high-temperature vapor instead of harsh chemicals, steam cleaning prevents post-cleaning odors.”

Grease is a reality in kitchens and beyond commercial kitchen doors. It’s also a safety hazard. Steam can be a very good choice when cleaning commercial kitchens.

Since 1985 Therma-Kleen in Au Gres, MI, has been making a range of cleaners from dry vapor to wet steam machines. Chris Caulfield is general manger at the company, which manufactures all its equipment in the United States.

Caulfield emphasizes the benefit of reduced water use with steam. “Cleaning with dry vapor steam uses only about one gallon of water per hour.”

One gallon is an impressively low amount of water when we match it against a typical four gallon per minute flow rate from a pressure washer. To be sure, not all jobs can be done with either steam or water, but many can.

“Very few cleaning companies are currently using dry vapor steam in their cleaning processes,” says Caulfield. “Many of them are simply unaware of the advantages and cost-effectiveness of cleaning with steam.”

Caulfield suggests some contractors may not have adopted steam yet because of the up-front cost. “While there is an initial investment to obtain the equipment, the savings from not having the ongoing expense of chemicals compensates.”

And the chemical savings result in tandem with the savings in dealing with wastewater and potentially hauling water to a site. Caulfield’s company works with prospective buyers to help them identify the best steam machine for their needs.

“By far, the top benefit of steam cleaning is the elimination of harsh chemicals that can result in harmful effects to sensitive individuals and the environment,” says Caulfield. “By using only water, steam cleaning offers an all-natural alternative without chemicals. Steam cleaning can kill 99.99 percent of household bacterial while reducing the amount of chemicals that end of up the water supply.”

The list of benefits from steam cleaning is long and growing.

“Some of the other, little-known uses and benefits of steam cleaners are eradicating bed bugs, reducing allergens such as dust mites and pollen, cleaning stains from fabrics, eliminating pet odors, removing mold and preventing future mold growth, and sanitizing nearly every surface,” says Caulfield.

Bed bugs in the 21^st century? Yes. They can be a problem not only in homes but also in commercial and institutional settings.

It’s not exactly a secret, but it’s something that many of us don’t think much about—the need to keep hospital and long-term care beds free of bed bugs, which can be carried in by new patients. Cleaning beds and frames with chemicals works well, but that adds risks to those who will occupy the beds.

For a wide range of projects, you may want to tap into steam—it’s versatile, safe, environmentally friendly, capable, a weed killer, and more.