Cleaning your home effectively requires more than just vacuuming and dusting. To maintain a safe home and keep your family healthy, you have to regularly kill the germs present in your home.
While many people reach for chemicals like Lysol to achieve this, that method isn’t especially environmentally friendly.
Steam mops are a viable alternative, but you may be wondering — do steam mops kill bacteria?
Houses that have pets or teenagers are prone to odors. Steam mops are effective enough to remove odors from soft surfaces like carpets, upholstery and mattresses.
Steam is actually one of the most preferred ways to kill bacteria at home since it can be used on nearly any hard or soft surface. It can sanitize everything from the floor but the ceiling as well.
Here’s a list of just some of the things that can be disinfected with steam:
- Pet bedding
- Mattresses
- Upholstery
- Sealed flooring (hardwood, tile, natural stone, laminate)
- Toilet and surrounding area
- Countertops
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Pantry shelves
- Laundry areas
- Stovetop
- Children’s toys
If your house is infested with bacteria, germs or dust mites, a steam mop can kill 99.9 percent of the impurities.
This also includes Staph bacteria, surface molds, bacteria, includes E. coli, viruses Salmonella and other micro-organisms lurking in your house.
Not only do steam mops kill bacteria, but they also make the house clean and fresh, removing stubborn grease, dirt and grime.
The use of steam drastically reduces the amount of elbow grease you need to use, saving you both time and energy.
So is a steam mop worth buying?
Yes! Now that you know the answer to the question “Do steam mops kill bacteria?”, you can clearly see that a steam mop is a wise investment.
Although it may be a bit pricier than a regular mop, steam mops are the best germ killers for the price.
To effectively kill bacteria, keep in mind you will need to hold your steamer over the floor you intend to sanitize for at least 10 seconds.
If you already have a steam mop and aren’t sure if the temperature is high enough to eliminate the germs, simply set a thermometer under the steam, being careful not to burn yourself.
If you register a temperature above 212 degrees, then you’re good to go.
Choosing the right steam mop
However, you are advised to avoid using a steam mop on your sealed hardwood floor since high temperatures may damage it.
Steam mops also aren’t great for vinyl plank flooring, and you’ll want to use a lower steam setting on laminate flooring. But this doesn’t mean that all steam mops will damage your floor:
Look for a steam mop that allows you to customize the level of steam according to the surface you are cleaning.
Whatever your needs, check out our roundup of the Best Steam Mop Reviews to find one that’s right for you.
