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A clean-cut result: Kärcher steam cleaners eliminate 99.99% of house hold bacteria
Posted on
2 October 2017
| Last updated on 19 January 2020
Does steam cleaning really work? And what are its advantages compared with traditional methods of cleaning? These questions are often asked when household tips and advice are dispensed.
Now, a study Kärcher commissioned from the highly regarded Enders Laboratory for Medical Diagnostics has provided the answers. Researchers found that cleaning with a Kärcher steam cleaner eliminates 99.99 percent of common household bacteria on a hard floor covering such as PVC, and does so without using chemicals. Hygiene and natural cleaning are especially important in households with children, pets or allergy sufferers.
The Stuttgart-based laboratory conducted a “before and after” experiment to establish the efficacy of steam cleaning in removing bacteria from a PVC floor. It tested for bacteria that can occur in kitchens or toilet areas, for example. The high temperature of the steam and excellent saturation of the cloth on the nozzle ensure that common household bacteria have virtually no chance of survival. “We were able to show that the bacteria the terry cloth cover picked up had been killed by the steam and are not spread about during the wiping process”, said university lecturer Dr. Maren Eggers of the Enders Laboratory.
How does steam work?
Steam cleaners work on the same principle as a pressure cooker. Water is heated in a closed boiler until it evaporates into steam. Just one litre of water generates 1,700 litres of steam, enough to clean an area of roughly 60 square metres. Microscopically small steam particles penetrate even the tiniest pores. “The water vapour loosens dirt and the high temperature kills bacteria. Kärcher steam cleaners come with a wide range of accessories to ensure that not only floors but also many other problem areas such as taps and tile grouting are cleaned quickly and thoroughly.
Background: Where bacteria lurk in the home
Every home has places where bacteria feel especially at home. A toilet seat, for example, has around 200 microorganisms per square centimetre. That is not a lot when you consider that a computer keyboard harbours around 13,000 bacteria per square centimetre, and a kitchen floor 100,000. A refrigerator may have as many as eleven million bacteria in one square centimetre, especially on the rear wall where condensed water runs down. However, top of the league of germ harbourers are sponges and such, with around 100 million bacteria per square centimetre!
About the Enders Laboratory study
In a study commissioned by Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG, at the start of 2013 the Enders Laboratory in Stuttgart tested how effective a Kärcher steam cleaner was at killing bacteria. The aim of the study was to prove the machine’s germ-reducing capacity on contaminated floors. After carrying out a standard test procedure– there was a 99.99% reduction in germ.
