Your question is excellent. An old adage is that "actions speak louder than words", and this is particularly true in marketing. Some of the vapor/steam products are excellent and operate as represented while others totally fail and create disappointment. Our Vaporstrike product is being used in Harley Davidson dealers, hospitals, homes, and a variety of places in between.

Steamers and vapor cleaning products operate using the same concept: water is heated and pressurized. The basic differences between steam and vapor are the temperature and moisture content. Vapor is hotter and drier than steam. Its molecules are smaller so they penetrate deeper and, along with the higher temperature, enables more effective cleaning. High end vapor cleaning devices produce "dry steam vapor".

Generally, vapor will clean, sanitize, and deodorize as well as out-perform any other cleaning products. However, I can be much more responsive if you specifically identify your cleaning challenges and how they're presently being addressed.

Inexpensive steam cleaners use a small bottle containing water to make steam. The bottle empties on average in approximately 15 minutes and operations stop. Since the steamer is operating under heat and pressure, it must be allowed to cool down and depressurize before the empty bottle can be removed and refilled, which typically takes another 15 + minutes. Serious injuries can result if the bottle is removed while under pressure. Cleaning capabilities are extremely limited because of the nature of the device.

Many vapor cleaning products likewise stop operating when their reservoirs are empty, and the user must go through the same cool-down and depressurization process of waiting.

The best vapor cleaning systems have the capability of producing "continuous vapor" so there is no "down-time" in the cleaning process. The unit notifies the user when its reservoir is low on water and more can be added without interrupting the job. This is possible because these units have separate reservoirs and boilers: water is added to the reservoir which feeds theboiler where the water is heated and pressurized to create vapor.

Sincerely,

Stan Galkin
Vaporstrike Vapor Cleaning Systems

In our usual way of cleaning, dirt is flushed or washed away, and I am wondering where the dirt, mold,etc, goes when using steam/vapor cleaning. Can someone clear this up, I have looked at the cleaning products websites, but don't see anything that would answer that.

Regarding the Steam Cleaners - my concern is the same as Margo's. When you steam away the Mold/Mildew in your bathroom or steam away the scum around your sink we are then inhaling those mold spores, etc. making them enter our respiratory system much easier than traditional cleaning methods. The steam does not "kill" those spores/toxins. I have learned alot from Dr. Shoemaker's "Mold Warriors" especially re:MCS & EI patients. The less "disturbed" the mold/mildew the better. It must first be killed by a product and then removed/cleaned but inhaling the live spores as they "rise" in the steam cannot be a good thing. If one suffers w/MCS or EI it is highly probable that mold/mildew are a great source of irritation to their systems and this may not be their best option.

I can only address these questions relative to our Vaporstrike product. It produces vapor at 297 degrees F which immediately eradicates microorganisms, viruses, mold, mold spores, etc. on contact. It is therefore impossible to inhale harmful residue because the mold and spores are killed once subjected to the vapor. The temperature emulsifies the spores. The dead mold can be washed away or absorbed into a towel, depending on the implement used in the cleaning process. If the concern is that vapor will agitate spores that can then be inhaled, I recommend cleaning the area with an implement that uses a towel through which the vapor is released. This eliminates any agitation and insures immediate eradication of the mold and spores on contact.

Hope this is useful.

I recently purchased a steam cleaner for approx $40. I used it to clean my shower and it took forever because I had to stop so often to refill (which involvese letting it cool, filling, and then waiting for it to heat up). But the biggest complaint I have about it is that it is LOUD. My ears were ringing worse than when i've gone to rock concerts.

Vapor Steam Cleaners are a terrific way to clean green while saving green ($). “Vapor Steam Cleaners: Knowing What You Are Getting and Where It Came From” is a wonderfully helpful article about these green cleaning devices.


www.epinions.com/content_4824670340

I am very interested in the drier possibilities of the vapor-type cleaners. I live in a very humid area of the country ( south-east Texas). I have avoided the steam cleaners as I felt they would increase the humidity in my home, which I try to maintain with three dehumidifiers. I went to the vaporstrike website. I liked what I read except for my concern about all the plastic components. Is there potential for outgassing of the plastics when in contact with the very hot vapor? I have MCS and am very reactive to molds and plastics.
Thank you for all that you do, Debra!