Steam Cleaning Guides and Tips: Kitchens and Bathrooms

Some useful guides and tips on steam cleaning kitchen and bathrooms.

Kitchen Cleaning

•  Counter Tops and Cabinet Facing

Steam volume level – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn)

Tools needed – Triangular brush with towel and nozzle with brush

How to steam clean

When steam cleaning, use triangle brush directly and wipe with towel. On its moldings, use nozzle with brush and then wipe with towel too. For cabinet facing, pre-steam with nozzle 6-inches away from the surface, let it stand a moment and wipe with towel. Repeat if necessary.

•  Stove Tops and Ovens

Steam volume level – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle with brush (nylon, brass), large brush, stainless steel pad, extension tube and towel

How to steam clean

For oven surfaces, oven racks, glass in door, use large brush with stainless steel pad. For steam cleaning tight areas, corners and burner bibs, use small nylon or brass brush.

•  Small Appliances

Steam volume level – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn)

Tools needed – Medium nozzle brush and triangular brush with towel

How to steam clean

For steam cleaning large areas use triangular brush with towel or large nozzle brush directly. For the nooks & crannies, use nozzle without brush and then wipe with towel.

•  Sinks, Faucets and Drains

Steam volume level – Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle with brush (nylon or brass)

How to steam clean

Use nozzle to reach tight areas when steam cleaning, use it with brush when needed and rinse or wipe surface.

Bathroom Cleaning

•  Tile & Grout

Steam volume level – Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle and medium brush, triangular brush and extension tube

How to steam clean

Use nozzle brushes, triangle brush with no towel to clean grout, rinse or wipe clean. Use triangular brush with towel to maintain.

•  Shower Stalls & Doors

Steam volume level – Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle, nozzle brush - nylon, triangle brush with towel, extension tube, large nozzle brush with stainless steel pad

How to steam clean

Use triangle brush without towel or large nozzle brush with stainless steel pad to remove heavy soap scum from glass panels. You can also pre-treat the area with mild detergent if necessary. Rinse tools often and wipe away loosened dirt.

•  Fiberglass

Steam volume level – Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Large round nozzle brush, triangular brush, extension tube and towel

How to steam clean

Direct steam to the fiberglass with the use of a triangular brush without towel. For stubborn areas, use large round nozzle brush and rinse or wipe away the soil. You can also use the extension tube to easily reach areas.

• Porcelain and Chrome Fixtures

Steam volume level – Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle, nylon brush, triangular brush with towel and extension tube

How to steam clean

When steam cleaning larger areas, use triangular brush with towel.  For corners, hinges, ledges and bars, nozzle brush with towel or nozzle with nylon brush and then wipe or rinse away dirt.

To know more of these products, visit Tecnovap - has been steam cleaning experts since 1992, a leading supplier of highly quality and effective commercial and industrial steam cleaners and steam vacuums, the cleaning solution for all surfaces. Distributed Australia and New Zealand wide.

Call us:  Australia - (03) 9482 4900 or 1 800 622 770 (toll free) ; New Zealand - (09) 889 2750 (north and south) or Email: info@tecnovap.com.au

Steam Cleaning Guides and Tips: Walls, Upholstery, Blinds and Glass

Here are some useful guides and tips on steam cleaning walls, upholstery, blinds and glass.

Wall and Ceilings Cleaning

• Vents 

Steam volume level – Medium to high (½ turn – fully open)

Tools needed – Large brush with towel, nozzle and extension tubes

How to steam clean

With the use of large brush with towel, wipe vent surface. If necessary, pre-treat with extended nozzle. Use nozzle with nozzle brush and towel for cleaning louvered vents.

• Wall Painted, Wood Paneling and Acoustical Tile

Steam volume level – Low (¼turn)

Tools needed – Large or triangular brush with towel and extension tubes


How to steam clean

These kinds of walls are heat sensitive. Remember to always use 2 to 3 layers of towel on brushes when cleaning these surfaces. Do not stay on an area too long. Treat once, let it cool and treat again. Heavily soiled areas, pre-steam with nozzle 6" from surface and then use brush with clip towel. On steam cleaning wood paneling, move quickly and check towel surface for color transfer.

• Wallpaper Removal

Steam volume level – Low (¼turn)

Tools needed – Large Steam lance or nozzle, stripper and triangular brush


How to steam clean 

Use nozzle or steam lance on seams.  On large areas, use wallpaper stripper and then a triangular brush with towel to remove residual paste.

Upholstery Cleaning 

• Leathers – Low (¼turn) ; Triangular brush with towel
• Cotton – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn) ; Nozzle without brush  
• Vinyl, Synthetics - Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn) ; Triangular brush with towel

How to steam clean 
Prior to treatment, test first because some velour’s are very heat sensitive and may deform. Pre-steam the area using the steam gun at 6" from surface. Using a triangular brush with towel, work over the surface moving from top to bottom. Make sure that the towel should be hot and moist, not wet. Use steam lance or nozzle on seam lines at 2" from surface and then wipe away dirt with towel. After treating, condition leathers.

Blinds and Glass Cleaning

• Blinds - Levelor, Venetian type and Horizontal

Steam volume level – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle, extension tube and extended nozzle


How to steam clean 

When steam cleaning blinds, use care because there are some blinds that may deformed by too much heat. For blinds with light dust – half open the blind and use nozzle on medium to high 4-inches away from the surface. Blinds with heavy or greasy dust – fully close the blind, mist with mild detergent and use nozzle 4-inches away from the surface, wipe with towel. Vertical vinyl blinds - use triangular brush with towel on one side and large brush with towel on opposite side moving from top to bottom and switch sides.

• Glass - Windows, Mirrors and Window Screens

Steam volume level –Medium (½ turn)

Tools needed – Window cleaning tool, triangular brush with towel and extension tubes


How to steam clean 

For initial steam cleaning, use triangular brush with towel over entire surface. Follow up with window tool or squeegee and wipe the blade often with towel. Avoid steam cleaning cracked mirrors or windows. For window screens, use triangular brush.

• Glass - Window Frames

Steam volume level – Low to Medium (¼ - ½ turn)

Tools needed – Nozzle with nozzle brush, extension tubes and towel 


How to steam clean

To clean frame area and latches, use nozzle with brush and towel over nozzle brush for polishing and finish cleaning.

To know more of these products, visit Tecnovap - has been steam cleaning experts since 1992, a leading supplier of highly quality and effective commercial and industrial steam cleaners and steam vacuums, the cleaning solution for all surfaces. Distributed Australia and New Zealand wide.

Call us:  Australia - (03) 9482 4900 or 1 800 622 770 (toll free) ; New Zealand - (09) 889 2750 (north and south) or Email: info@tecnovap.com.au

Using a Steam Vacuum Cleaner for Hard Floors and Carpets

Below is a guide and tip on how to use a steam vacuum cleaner for hard floors and carpets cleaning. These are somehow the correct and recommended way in using a steam vacuum cleaner.

• Cleaning Hard Floors

Cleaning hard floor efficiently, it is recommended to treat small area by small area. This can be done by starting first with steam only function to let the steam treat the dirt. When the dirt has melted, stop the steam and start vacuuming to collect all the dirt water from the floor. After which, you can move to the next area and do the same procedure until you are done. Doing this soon makes cleaning operation becomes very simple and quick.

During the operation, the steam coming out from the brush head holes destroy the dirt, dust, mites and germs on the surface. Steam action together with the brushing action can remove even the stickiest dirt. The black water forming up on the treated area after steam cleaning will then be collected using the steam function of a steam vacuum cleaner. Activating the suction collects everything in the recovery bucket.

• Cleaning Carpets

Cleaning carpets effectively, it is recommended to use steam and vacuum function simultaneously. However, not all steam machines in the market has this feature, but with Tecnovap steam vacuum cleaners, it is guaranteed that it has this function.

Why use steam and vacuum function simultaneously? The reason this method should be used is because with steam only the carpet gets too much humid where germs and mites can proliferate and may take time to dry out.

At 4-6 bar pressure, hot dry steam is sprayed into the carpet deep inside the fiber where it can do its cleaning and disinfectant actions. With the vacuum function, the steam does not have the time to deposit in form of water because it will be sucked together with dirt, germs and other small particles.

Recently, most models of steam vacuum cleaner has a detergent injection/extraction function. This feature is very useful when there are high resistant stains that steam cannot get rid of. In this case, it is recommended to spray the detergent then working with vacuum simultaneously and brushing out the stains.

To know more of these products, visit Tecnovap - has been steam cleaning experts since 1992, a leading supplier of highly quality and effective commercial and industrial steam cleaners and steam vacuums, the cleaning solution for all surfaces. Distributed Australia and New Zealand wide.

Call us:  Australia - (03) 9482 4900 or 1 800 622 770 (toll free) ; New Zealand - (09) 889 2750 (north and south) or Email: info@tecnovap.com.au