We wanted to do a video on this. But with social distancing in place, we cannot. So this will be in written form. We hope it makes for a good read.
We want to address what seems to be the #1 question that is on your mind. Since the outbreak, we have been asked countless times if any, or all, of our steamers, can kill the coronavirus or any other kind of virus. Before I go on to a long explanation and get into this……the short answer is maybe, probably, we think so……Not trying to be funny or sarcastic, but there are a lot of variables.
Let us begin with claims:
We will not, cannot, and should not claim that our steamers can kill the virus. For obvious reasons, making a claim that cannot be backed up is a legal nightmare. Now, you may have seen other competitors make a claim on general germs and viruses. They may have done this for two reasons.
#1 – they may have has their steamers tested in an actual lab and have had people actually test and kill viruses with steam in a controlled situation. They may have data and paperwork to certify this. And if they do, then they certainly should claim that their steamer will kill a virus and have every right to say so.
#2 – they may have read research on what kind of heat it takes to kill most bacteria and viruses. From data I have read and research I have seen, many viruses and bacteria can be killed after temperatures reach about 140-150 degrees. That is certainly hotter than the hot water from taking a shower and hot water that comes out of your faucet. And its still cooler than boiling water which boils in a pot on a stove at 212 degrees. Steam is not produced until AFTER we boil the water. So it may make sense that ALL steamers can kill a virus or bacteria.
If Steamer companies are making these claims, they certainly may be correct. And if they have had testing done, then they certainly should. We have NOT had testing done. So I CANNOT make any claims. I want people to do their own research on what kind of temperature it takes to kill germs and viruses. And if a steamer is your choice to do this, then I hope you will consider one of mine based on ours have god pressure and heat and very well take care of this.
HOWEVER, we think ALL steamers on the market…..EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM may possibly be able to do this based on the data that is out there and the average temperatures needed to do this. A steamer, as we know, is heating and boiling water and making pressure. And to get to pressure, we have to have water in a boiler that is ALWAYS above 212 degrees. Even entry-level and cheaper steamers have boiler temperatures of about 250 or more. So technically, they are all hot enough to get the job done.
Now, once we get past this point, and you can buy ANY steamer to clean and disinfect, it’s not really about what brand you buy, but what technique you use to clean and the proper way to do it. So if a company is claiming they do it, we certainly will not dispute their claims. But please realize that even the steamers with high pressures and higher heat cannot clean effectively if the USER does it wrong! While we THINK our steamers are more than hot enough to kill a virus, we will not make any claims as there are so many variables in the actual way to do it. And we do think that if you have the correct technique, even the cheapest and ore entry-level machines can certainly work.
In conclusion, if you were debating and comparing a few machines against each other, we still think you should base your comparisons on what you were originally looking for and not if the steamer company makes or does not make a claim on killing viruses, as think they all can if used correctly.