Mrs. Clean's House Cleaning Forum

[jutemill]

You often see those little steam cleaners advertised (ex. the "Hot Shot").
They have several attachments and you'll see them taking grease off nasty stoves or cleaning under the rim of the toilet. One of the selling features is the fact that the steam "disinfects". Does it? Would a surface have to be exposed to the steam for a certain amount of time?
Thank you

[mrscleannw]

Hi Jutemill. Welcome to Mrs Clean!

These hand held steamers will do a great job disinfecting if used properly.

You can do research on the web for reviews as to what users think of these steamers. I found mostly positive reviews. Here is a link to one of those sites, although there are many other good review sites out there:
http://www.burningvoid.com/weblog/revie ... eam_1.html

Also, here's the web page that contains instructions for the "Hot Shot" and what it will and won't do at http://www.eureka.com/service/manuals/70397.pdf
There was not any information provided by the manufacturer on how long you would need to apply steam, but I found a university site that stated 7-10 seconds of steam will disinfect a surface.

One reviewer stated that it didn't clean tile as promised. I usually clean my bathroom after a shower to "pre-steam" the tile. This would probably help with this issue.

You can see other tips at http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/shower-cleaning.html As mentioned above, you should check out the manufacturer's recommendations on what surfaces each type of steamer may be used on.

[One eyed Kiwi]

I have one and use it often. They are very effective as a mild disinfectant/antimicrobial sytem. But beware, if your toilet seat is plastic, don't leave stain running in one spot for too long. It'll take off the hard surface of the plastic leaving a 'fuzzy' surface.