Steam Cleaning
Full steam ahead Thomas Stuecken, chairman of OspreyDeepclean, reports. The cleaning industry can generally be divided by healthcare, education, commercial/FM, specialist cleaning (such as street cleaning and gum removal), and industrial cleaning. For those working in these sectors, the advantages of using dry steam technology are no secret. Dry steam cleans and sanitises to provide a deep down, hygienic clean with minimal effort. No chemicals are required, minimal consumables are needed, it can be used on more or less any surface, and - of course - it’s environmentally friendly. Additionally, OspreyDeepclean’s recent launch of the world’s first battery powered dry steam units as part of its GumBusters range adds to convenience and practicality. With all of these benefits and more, the dry steam cleaning market is evolving at a record speed. Google ‘steam cleaning’ and, for the domestic market, you’ll find a multitude of different companies selling dry steam units. Turn on your television and you’ll be bombarded with adverts for hand held dry steam units for use around the home by commercial manufacturers trying to break into this sector. People don’t just iron their clothes any more, they use a steam generator. Why simply clean your windows when you can steam clean them? Don’t just use anti-bacterial wipes on your surfaces, deep clean them with steam. But how do you, the consumer, know that you are getting the right machine for the job? And this is the issue across all of the cleaning sectors, not just the domestic market. There is no ‘one machine fits all’ when it comes to dry steam cleaning. There’s steam only, there’s steam and vacuum, there’s steam and chemical - and there is even steam, vacuum and chemical. How do you know what you need? Some companies sell one machine under the guise that it is suitable for every cleaning task. Other companies, such as OspreyDeepclean - the original dry steam supplier and with over 16 years’ industry experience - know that the most important advantage to using dry steam is having the right technology for the task in hand and the same is true no matter which cleaning sector you work in. Earlier this year in Cheltenham (where OspreyDeepclean is based) puzzled locals took to social media to discuss mysterious, huge ‘snail trails’ that had suddenly appeared etched into town centre pavements. In fact, the trails were caused by high-pressure washers being used to blast discarded chewing gum off the pavements. The resulting unsightly trails now simply serve to illustrate just how dirty the remainder of the pavement is and is a reminder of the huge amount of water needed for the highpressure approach to cleaning - which is both costly and environmentally wasteful. At one time, blasting surfaces with highpressure water was a mainstream method of cleaning. Nowadays, it is the perfect example of how the dry steam market progressed to meet today’s needs. Being more environmentally friendly is one of the current buzz phrases that companies like to use and those in the dry steam industry are some of the few who can say their products 26 l C&M l SEPTEMBER 2016 l www.cleaninghub.net
The GumBuster: before and after use.
truly meet this aim. The use of dry steam for busting gum uses less water, leaves no unsightly residues and is generally a much more fit for purpose method of removing discarded gum deposits. Going one step further in the constant quest for innovative technology to achieve even better results saw OspreyDeepclean introduce the world’s first battery powered dry steam unit - the GB1. The GB1 busts gum one deposit at a time and costs as little as £2.50 per hour to operate, including
consumables. Acting on the demands of the industry, the next logical step was cable-free and generator-free steam production. The GB1 operates for up to six hours on a single battery charge and its silent operation means it can be used in populated areas with minimal disruption. The technology has been so successful that we have already introduced a smaller version of the battery technology - the GB Compact. Battery technology for removing chewing gum could be just the tip of the iceberg for the cleaning industry. It has the potential to re-write the cleaning rules and completely change the current state of the cleaning industry. There is the potential that cleaners will no longer have to work antisocial hours because there is no need for heavy, cumbersome machines with trailing cables. Daytime cleaning could actually become a mainstream approach. Simplistic controls, cordless and virtually silent, battery powered steam units could be coming to a workplace near you. Dry steam really can be used to clean virtually anything and OspreyDeepclean has always firmly advocated that it is the ideal modern tool for old fashioned deep cleaning practices. Discarded gum and graffiti are probably always going to be an anti-social issue yet we can be confident that with the evolution of innovative technology such as the GB1 - we can keep instilling the positive ‘see it clean, keep it clean’ mantra to minimise any negative impacts on our world. www.ospreydc.com
Advancing and enhancing the cleaning process Diversey Care offers five steam cleaning machines in conjunction with specialist manufacturer, Matrix Cleaning Systems, to provide healthcare, food service and building care customers enhanced cleaning, hygiene and infection prevention capabilities in demanding environments. The machines are available exclusively in the UK and Ireland and are offered by Diversey Care alongside its range of Taski floorcare equipment. “Steam is highly effective when cleaning many different hard and porous surfaces and is ideal for periodic and deep cleaning where users want to refurbish and transform the appearance of their facilities,” said Lawrence Osborne, Taski’s marketing lead for Diversey Care in the UK and Ireland. “Teaming up with Matrix means we can offer class-leading equipment to complement the unrivalled capabilities of our Taski floorcare range and support our customers with a total solution from a single source.” The range comprises five compact and lightweight models offering different capabilities to meet demand in a variety of applications. The two simplest machines are steam-only with a choice of models delivering 4.5 (Model SO4) or 8 (SO8) bar pressure. One of the mid-range machines (SD4) incorporates a chemical delivery system to accelerate the removal of ground-in grease and grime. This model can be used with routine and problem-solver products from the Diversey Care range including formulations to remove chewing gum and mould from tile grout. The other mid-range machine (SV4) incorporates a vacuum pick-up that removes condensate and debris to leave the working area clean and dry. Its 12 litre collection tank can double-up as a wet pick up during emergencies to maximise the machine’s utility and save storage space by avoiding the need for additional equipment. The top-ofContinued on Page 28.
Building exteriors kept clean with steam Doff steam cleaning is one of the safest ways to clean any substrate without causing damage to the surface being cleaned. Purple Rhino can Doff steam clean your building or other surfaces wherever you are in the UK. Its Doff access platform has been adapted to ensure it can carry out safe, high level steam cleaning on any building. Stone Doff steam cleaning should be undertaken by experienced exterior building cleaning companies who understand safe working practices. Different types of stone require different levels of expertise, and the company trains its operators in how to clean hard and soft stone. Purple Rhino is accredited to ISO9001 A company spokesperson said: “We strive to be the very best Doff steam cleaning company in the UK. Each of our vans is kitted out with the latest equipment to enable us to Doff steam clean stone and brick quickly and easily. Our employees have CSCS, IPAF, PASMA, and WAHR safety training to ensure all Doff steam cleaning works are carried out efficiently and safely.” Brick Doff steam cleaning equipment has been around for a number of years. Doff is a portable, super heated steam cleaning machine and operators must be trained by Stonehealth. These machines are not available to hire as they are extremely difficult to operate and maintain correctly. Purple Rhino can remove all types of organic and man made stains using a Doff machine, and offers the following services: Stone steam cleaning; Steam render cleaning; Brick steam cleaning; Concrete steam cleaning; Metal steam cleaning; and Paint removal from all types of exterior surfaces. The benefits of using super-heated steam on buildings include the fact that no harsh pressure is used to clean the substrate and therefore no damage can occur. The Doff steam cleaner is, according to Purple Rhino, the only machine English Heritage approves for use on its buildings. www.purple-rhino.co.uk