Vapor Cleaning Systems – Answers to Common Questions
What is it?
A vapor system may look like a vacuum – it is not. It is not the conventional “steam” cleaner nor is it a pressure washer. It is a new appliance that uses only a little water and a little electricity to sanitize, clean, and deodorize virtually any surface – without using chemicals.
How does it work?
Using less than a gallon of tap water, this multi-purpose appliance creates a low moisture vapor that carries heat to the surface you wish to treat. The heat combined with light agitation does the work for you. This appliance comes with a variety of accessories creating a system that can be used for an unlimited number of applications. The system can be used for carpets as well as oven cleaning. The process eliminates chemical residues while sanitizing the surface being treated. Because so little water is consumed, approximately 1.5 quarts per hour, it’s virtually “mess free.” The vapor system is quiet and portable, allowing for use anytime and anywhere.
What is “Dry Steam Vapor?”
An oxymoron? Perhaps. This describes a system which produces a high temperature and low moisture vapor. The vapor contains only 5-6% water and is much less dense than the air we breathe. Over the past few years, you have been exposed to products being promoted as “steam cleaners” that in fact use no steam at all-maybe warm water on a good day. Theses so called ‘steam machines’ spray on large amounts of water using quantities described in ‘gallons per minute’. You may ask, “Where’s the steam?”
The vapor system, by contrast, is equipped to safely produce thousands of gallons of live, dry steam using only about 1.5 quarts of water per hour. This significant difference relates directly to the versatility and capabilities of the vapor system. It is unlike anything you have used before. It is mess free with temperatures hot enough to kill bacteria and germs, emulsify grease and oil as well as other surface contaminates. The system is also quiet and portable so it can be used anywhere at anytime.
What can I use it on?
The system is practical for any surface with the exception of those surfaces that are extremely heat sensitive. Surfaces such as silks, some very thin plastics, and some types of velour upholstery must be treated with great care. The system has additional uses besides sanitation—defrosting freezers, thawing frozen pipes, dusting and misting live plants, treating hang-overs, and polishing jewelry are but a few of the non-cleaning applications. The use of the system in general contributes directly to better indoor air quality by reducing chemical residuals and removing airborne particulates.
Where does the chemical go?
The appliance only uses potable water. No chemical is used in this system.
Where does the water go?
The water is put into a special tank or boiler that super heats the water and changes it into a hot “dry” mist or vapor. Therefore the name-vapor system. The unique benefit of this system is that it produces a low moisture, high temperature vapor that carries only about 6% water. We like to call this a “Dry Steam Vapor” because so little water is left behind and so little is used. This patented system gives us the proven power of heat to safely sanitize and clean while reducing chemical use. Carpets are dry within minutes. Floors are also dry within a few minutes. This reduces the time and effort required for many tasks.
Where does the soap go?
The system uses only potable water and heat to sanitize and clean. This reduces the amounts and residues of “chemical” cleaning. This lowers your exposure to toxins and helps prevent further degradation of the environment at the same time. It also saves us from pouring expensive chemicals down the drain. Flushing waste down the drain ultimately contributes to the contamination of our limited fresh water resources and costs us more in terms of more expensive sewer treatments.
How much pressure does it produce?
The appliance produces only low pressures, usually in the range of 50 to 60 psi. The low pressure creates a very safe and easy to use system. Low pressures are also essential for getting the job done without making a huge mess. The work is done by the heat concentrated at the work surface. The heat dissipates quickly once the vapor expands into the atmosphere. This system is designed to be used through “surface contact” with the areas of concern.
Why don’t I just scrub away with soap and a sponge?
Our existing cleaning regimen consists of applying a chemical or abrasive cleaner, then wiping or scrubbing the surface until the contaminant appears to be removed. This method is superficial at best, requires much physical effort, often degrades the surface, exposes our skin and lungs to harsh or toxic fumes, and leaves behind chemical residuals which dull and attract dirt to the finished surface.
The vapor system removes surface contaminants without degrading the surface. The heat combined with very fine water particles penetrates even the pores – whatever the surface. This proven process thoroughly removes contaminants plus leaves the surface free of residuals. Visually superior results are achieved with less effort and no exposure to potentially discomforting or harmful chemical effects. The vapor system also allows you to sanitize and deodorize areas that are impossible to treat mechanically or chemically. Why not let the heat do the work? It’s easier and does a better job in less time.
Where does the dirt go?
Depending on the application, the dirt loosened by the vapor system is simultaneously absorbed in a terry cloth bonnet, or rinsed, or wiped away using an absorbent cloth.
I have terrible allergies to common house hold pests like dust mites and fleas. How can this system help me?
The vapor system, unlike other cleaning or pest control methods, uses heat to do the work, NOT CHEMICALS OR POISONS. Let’s consider the dust mite, which lives in our clothes, mattresses, carpets, and upholstery. The recommended treatment for dust mites is to launder the concerned item in water at a temperature of at least 130 degrees F, or treat the surface with a tannic acid solution. This may be difficult to do with carpets, couches and mattresses, or your best suit coat which probably is the most highly contaminated. The vapor system comes to the rescue in this case because it provides you with a method of penetrating all of these surfaces thoroughly with temperatures in excess of 180 degrees F. The heat kills the mites without over wetting the surfaces. Minimal wetting is important because mites favor a humid environment. Using the vapor system’s fine hot mist prevents this from occurring. The articles treated are completely dry in a matter of minutes – not hours. After treating a surface it is recommended that you vacuum it thoroughly with a HEPA equipped vacuum to remove any particulate matter.
Fleas, flea eggs, and flea larvae are also killed by short term exposure to high temperature heat carried by very fine vapor reaching into the pores and pockets of fabric and carpets. No poisons here to affect children, pets, or indoor air quality.
I have chemical sensitivities, how can this help me?
Because this system uses only water, you are not introducing anything into your environment that has NEW chemicals or NEW odors which may affect your well being. Using the system will actually remove chemical residuals left behind from previous cleaning procedures as well as remove odors, such as perfumes, from garments and other fabrics. In addition, using the system provides you with a means to sanitize many critical surfaces which are important to your health without using odiferous toxic germicides.
However, if you suffer from chronic and severe chemical sensitivity, you should actually have someone else do the work, particularly during the initial cleanup. Because the system even reaches into the pores of fabric and hard surfaces, it will drive out contaminates and chemical residue from those surfaces. This may have an adverse effect on you until those contaminates are completely removed.
Why haven’t I heard of this before?
If you reside in North America, the answer is very straight forward. This appliance, while having been available in Europe for several years, is just now being introduced to the North American market. Because our electrical power supply is different from the European electrical system, the products were re-engineered for use here. Safety-minded suppliers have also taken it upon themselves to be sure that safety approvals such as Underwriters Laboratory or ETL listings were in place before introducing them to this market.
