Steam or Chemistry: Which Suits Which Surface

Dry steam is excellent on some surfaces and damaging on others. The choice is about the material, not about preference.

What matters, and why.

Where steam works

Grout, sealed hard floors, sanitary ware, sliding tracks and sealed upholstery. It cleans and sanitises with almost no chemistry.

Where it does not

Laminate, engineered timber, unsealed stone, and most foam or acoustic surfaces. Heat and moisture do permanent damage.

The honest limitation

Steam sanitises but does not remove soil on its own. It is usually paired with extraction rather than used alone.

Why it suits families

No chemistry means no residue, which is the right answer in a nursery or playroom where a product film would otherwise be picked up.

If this is something you would rather hand over, our non-toxic deep cleaning is scoped at an inspection and confirmed in writing before any work begins. We will also tell you when a job does not need us.

Questions

Answered plainly.

For sanitising a clean surface, often. For a soiled one, no — the soil has to be removed first.

Heat at the surface addresses them where it reaches. In a mattress, extraction removes the allergen residue as well.

Not recommended. Heat and moisture affect the sealer and can drive moisture into the stone.