User Guide

How to clean with Steam

To make the most of your steam cleaner the following tips will be helpful in making cleaning tasks easier, safer and more productive.

There are no set rules on how to clean with steam. With the vast array of attachments supplied with your machine it is quite possible to achieve the required results using different tools in the same time frame. Most operators find that they can do most tasks using a small selection of attachments. Do not be afraid of trying something new or attempting to clean something that you have not tried to clean before.

Why Steam Clean
Plan Your Work
Which Accessories to Use
Kitchen Areas
Bathrooms
Ceilings
Walls
Upholstery
Carpet
Car Detailing
Chewing Gum Removal
Wood Surfaces
Curtains and Blinds
Bed Bugs
Using Chemicals

Why Steam Clean is better than ordinary cleaning methods

It deep-cleans in a non-destructive manner by using latent heat and moisture to open the microscopic "pores" contained in most solid surfaces - even glass and metal - where chemicals can't reach trapped dirt or stain particles.
It sanitizes on contact by killing bacteria, mould, mildew, fungus spores, and other microscopic organisms with high heat. It is a proven system in maintaining a sanitary and allergen-free environment.
Independent tests show a reduction in the amount of cleaning chemicals used compared to other cleaning methods, by up to 90 percent.
It cleans upholstery, blinds and draperies in place.
It does detail jobs that often can't get done any other way.
It supplements and complements other cleaning systems that are usually special purpose.
It does not always replace them. It is not a miracle machine - even though it is unmatched in its versatility.

Working Efficiently with STEAM Cleaning System - Plan your work

Assess the Job. Try to clean everything that will use the same brush at one time, because changing brushes slows you down.
Don't skimp on towels or mop heads. A dirty towel will drag dirt onto the next surface.
Also, don't use damp towels - they won't absorb dirt into their surface. The idea behind using a towel is that dry cotton sucks up" the dirty moisture droplets from a surface as the superheated vapor works its magic.

Work Techniques

Always work from the top down on any project. This way dirt and drips will not fall on cleaned surfaces.
Work efficiently. Avoid changing back and forth from one type of brush to another. Start with the smallest brush necessary and clean corners and other tight areas first, just as you would if you were painting. Work your way up to larger brushes as you clean.
Speed up your work on hard surface floors where you need to do a two-step process (scrub and clean) by scrubbing 1 to 3 sq. mts and immediately vacuum dry or wipe up with a loose cotton or industrial paper towel if your steam cleaner is not fitted with a vac. system.
Just throw the towel on the floor and mop it over the cleaned area using the brush.
You can also use industrial paper towels (sometimes called "wipes") that can be thrown away instead of cotton towels. This is especially advisable when cleaning bathroom floors so you do not have to handle towels that may be soaked with urine residue.

Clean Up As You Go

A surface will be twice as clean after you finish if you do not allow the cleaned area to dry before wiping it up.
All surfaces-even glass and metal -have pores just like skin does. The superheated vapor works because heat opens the pores, allowing trapped dirt and grease to be released. If you don't wipe off the released dirt immediately, it will sink back into the open pores and trapped once again when the surface cools.

Working Speed

Be thorough but move quickly. The dry steam vapor you are using will clean faster than you think it will.
As a rule it is better to go twice over an area quickly than once slowly.

Temperature Considerations

The temperature of the vapor at the tip of the nozzle is between 130 and 170c, depending on the brush you are using (having a towel wrapped over a brush raises the temperature).

WARNING: A towel clipped over a brush can get hot enough to burn you as long as vapor passes through it but it will cool within seconds after the vapor is turned off.

Adjusting the steam volume

Always start cleaning with low pressure and increase the pressure if the substance being cleaned requires it.
Low or medium pressure is recommended for most cleaning tasks. This will extend the operating time before the water tank requires re-filling.

The Mop Heads & Towels

The purpose of using towels or a fitted mop head with your steam system is to absorb moisture and dirt as a surface is cleaned. 100% white cotton terry cloth towels work best.
Wash towels hot, with strong detergent and bleach.
Always use dry towels. Wet ones will smear dirt.

USEFUL TIP: Using a scented fabric softener when washing the towels or mop heads will "per- fume" the air when the heated vapor goes through them later.

Which Accessory to Use

TIP: When attaching an accessory to the hand piece. Clean the inside of the fitting were it slides onto the hand piece with a shot of steam to remove grit that will make attaching of the accessory difficult. Appling some light oil to the O rings will help to increase their life.

The Multifunction floor tool for floors.

Use the Triangular Brush for upholstery, spot cleaning carpets, detailing corners of floors, walls, etc. (Use it with the 900 elbow for surfaces where you need to add an extension tube to reach them.) Cover the brush with a mop head or Clip a towel over the brush for cleaning upholstery or draperies; heavy spot removal from carpets or cleaning textured vinyl wallpaper.

Suction tool comes with two removable attachments. One Squeegee and one Brush attachment.
Rectangular Brush is for large flat surface areas. It also has towel clips for simultaneous wipe-up.
Nozzle for directing a lot of vapor at a surface or blowing loose debris out of cracks and crevices.
Brass detail Brush on most metal surfaces. It is also ideal for cleaning chrome, brass and glass.
Nylon detail Brush on soft surfaces.
Stainless steel brush is ideal for baked on grease and grime. It is perfect for cleaning the BBQ and kitchen grills.

Optional Accessories Not Available with All STEAM Australia Models (call for availability)

There are numerous other accessories for both the steam only and steam and vac models. Ask steam Australia for the complete list of accessories to see what other accessories might make your specific jobs easier.

Kitchten Areas

Cleaning the floor

Attach the floor tool and lock it in place at the bottom of the extension handle.
Notice the bottom of the tool consists of bristles and a squeegee. To scrub the floor, use the steam only and angle the head so that you are scrubbing with bristles and not the squeegee. Scrub about one square meter. Switch off the steam and switch on the vacuum and use the squeegee to suck up all the moisture.
Do not use the vacuum and steam simultaneously for long periods (2-3 minutes) at a time if at all.

To clean the grout (Floor and walls)

Use the nylon or brass brush.
Gently rub brush along the grout and watch the dirt pour out. The dirt here is a build up of years of cleaning with a mop.
It may be a huge task to clean the grout on a large floor area, so I suggest not spending too long on a section at a time. After a week or 2 you can cover a large area and it should not require cleaning again for some time.

Bench tops

Stainless and laminate bench tops can be cleaned using several different methods.

Spray and wipe method. Hold detail nozzle about 10-20 cm from surface. Direct steam onto surface and wipe with cloth. Use detail nozzle in cracks and seams.
Use the small squeegee tool. Apply steam and squeegee along the bench top systematically working your way along the surface. Steam a small section the go over again with the vacuum on. For small periods you can use the steam and vacuum together.

Fridge seals

Wear your safety gloves.
Use the detail nozzle. The detail nozzle is what the small nylon and brass brushes attach to.
Hold a rag or tea towel in your left hand about 25 cm away from the nozzle (Or opposite if you re left handed) Spray the steam along the fridge seal and blast the steam into the towel. The purpose of the towel is to avoid blasting the dirt all over the room and yourself.

Exhaust hoods

Wear your safety goggles.
Cover the 300mm floor tool with the steam mop or an absorbent towel such as a cloth nappy.
Hold the head on the range hood, allow the heat to build up for 5 to 10 seconds then slowly drag it along the area to be cleaned. If the area is heavily soiled you may need to change mop head or towel when it gets very dirty.

Ovens, Grills

To remove baked-on grease: No need to pre-heat the oven or grill. In fact, it works better if the surfaces are cool.
To clean stoves ovens and hotplates of baked on food take the 2inch round nylon brush and fit to the detail nozzle. Fit a stainless steel pot scourer to the round brush. The scourer will become heated by the steam and will cut through baked on food from grillers, oven door glass and stainless steel surfaces. When complete make sure that no pieces of the scourer remain to contaminate food preparation areas. For smaller areas the detail nozzle can be fitted with the small stainless detail brush for use in more confined areas. The longer detail lance comes with it s own detail brushes and may also be used to reach tight areas.

Pre Spraying

For even faster results you can spray with a light misting of degreaser 3-4 minutes before cleaning or with Vega or Contractor models use chemical injection as you scrub.
Clean up with towels or vac as you go before the cleaned area dries.

Other Kitchen Areas

Industrial can openers and other kitchen equipment: Use the small detail brush on the nozzle to clean thoroughly into all nooks and crannies of the equipment.
If in doubt use the steam only without scrubbing. In many cases steam only will do the job.

Bathrooms

Toilets

Use the long steam lance and run it under the toilet rim.
Spray the steam over the whole toilet inside and out.
Wipe down the toilet seat with a clean cloth or paper towel. You can use the squeegee tool with vac on flat surface areas if desired, but make sure to clean attachment well before using it on other areas.

Urinals

Use the brass detail brush or stainless steel scourer to give the urinal a good scrub. You may want to use the extension handle or two so not to get too close. You will find this has most likely never been properly cleaned before.
No chemicals required.

Taps and sinks

Using the detail nozzle spray around the base of the taps, the dirt will be easily blasted out.
Use the nylon or brass detail brush to scrub the tap handles, spouts and drains.
You can then use the squeegee tool to steam and vac the vanity top. Or use a cloth over the triangle head for non vac models.

Windows or mirrors

If cleaning glass with vapor for the first time, clean with vapor squeegee two times (low pressure).
First, to remove all old cleaning chemical residue from the pores of the glass.
There after, only one time for regular cleaning.
Remove leftover water with the squeegee or squeegee and vac.
For smaller windows use the triangular brush with a towel (low heat - i.e., let it cool slightly first).

Auto hand driers

You can use the nylon detail brush to clean the push button. You will find that has never been cleaned before so it will make a very nice difference.

Fibreglass Fixtures

Bath Tubs: Use the round nylon brush -low pressure - Scrub bottom of tub in all directions with a non-abrasive detergent containing bleach. After cleaning, repeat the action with a cleaning/whitening agent so the whitening particles can enter the pores of the surface. Estimate 20-30 minutes per tub on the initial cleaning to completely remove all body oils and soap scum from the pores of the fiberglass.
Repeat every 2- 3 months.

Porcelain Fixtures

Use only nylon detail brushes as dictated by the space -low pressure. Use only very light hand pressure on the brush. It may be necessary to wrap a towel over the brush if it appears the bristles are leaving scratch marks.
For rust stains use a non-scouring detergent (without beach if the porcelain is coloured).
Or mix your own rust remover by creating a paste of salt and lemon juice. Use the Nylon circular brush.
Caution: It is possible to scratch porcelain with the nylon bristles on the brushes and to discolour some enamel paints with too much heat. Use only a low vapor setting and light surface pressure.
Wrap a towel over the brush and reclean the surface if scratching occurs.

Soap Scum

Soap scum dissolves almost immediately under a combination of heat and moisture.
Use the triangular brush without a towel or with a towel clipped over it - medium pressure -and move quickly. Rinse the surface with a small amount of water afterwards or go back over it once more with a clean towel.
Notes: Soap scum sometimes will develop a hard surface from water- born minerals. If this is the case, use the triangular brush with no towel first to break up this surface -or spray and wipe first with a mild acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice to soften the minerals.
Moving too slowly can dry out the soap scum and cause it to granulate on the surface.
The surface will have a gritty feel. If this happens, apply vapor to the surface with the open brush again and re clean.

Cleaning Around Electrical Outlets or Switch Plates

Triangular brush with a towel (low pressure)
Wipe quickly to clean away dust and dirt from the outlet.
Do not blow vapor directly into the front of an outlet or switch plate.

Ceilings

Wear your safety goggles
Cover the 300mm floor tool with the steam mop or an absorbent towel such as a cloth nappy.
Hold the head on the ceiling, allow the heat to build up for 5 to 10 seconds then slowly drag it along the area to be ceiling in a slow back and forth motion.

Acoustic Tile

Caution: some commercial Kitchens use a ceiling tile with a very thin textured vinyl coating. The heat from a vapor cleaning system will remove the texturing and smooth out the vinyl.
Do Not attempt to clean this type of ceiling.
Vacuum the ceiling first or wipe it off with a ceiling fan brush to remove all loose materials before you try to clean it.

Walls

Tiled walls

Use large brush with towel or Mop head-low heat.
Move quickly with smooth strokes.

Painted walls

First, look carefully at the condition of the paint itself. If it is thin or was a very cheap grade of paint originally, cleaning it with anything may cause the paint to dissolve and wipe off.
For heavy stains or extremely dirty walls mist the towel with a light detergent before cleaning the wall. Follow up with a clean towel. Change towels often.
Caution: Water based paint of any kind can be removed with a vapor cleaning system just by applying higher heat and moving slowly. The paint will absorb into the towel.

Wallpaper

Vinyl or normal paper. Use a pad inserted under the towel with the triangular or rectangular brushes.
If no pad insert is available, clip towels over the rectangular brush to prevent bristles from poking their way through the towel while you are cleaning the wall (low pressure).
Use smooth, rapid strokes. Spray light detergent on the towel to clean greasy stains.
Go back over the area with a clean towel after cleaning with detergent.

NOTE: Use only low pressure and clean quickly while you are cleaning any kind of wallpaper.

Upholstery

Triangular brush with clean all-white towels.
Never use more than a fine mist of detergent. The fabric should not even get wet.
Only use low pressure when cleaning any kind of fabric.
Use fast, light strokes, and avoid getting the fabric wet.
When cleaning silk, warm up the towel and then turn off the vapor entirely before touching the fabric -i.e. if the towel is too hot to touch with your hand, it is too hot for silk.
Be patient with stubborn spots; work on a spot gently for no more than a minute at a time, then wait five minutes for the area to dry and repeat.
Use circular movements or back-and-forth and side-to-side movements to get all sides of surface fibres.
Finish with a brushing in one direction that will give the fabric a uniform appearance.

NOTE: Always determine the colour-fastness of any fabric -especially with reds or blues -by taking a clean, moist, warm towel and gently rubbing a small area as far down on the back or other out of the way place on the furniture as possible. If colour comes off on the towel you may need to have the piece dry-cleaned.

Carpet

Cleaning carpets with your Steam machine is a three-step process:

Vacuum the entire carpet first.
Spot-Clean the Carpet with your STEAM Australia vapor cleaning system. (The vapor causes the dirt and soil particles to loosen their grip on the carpet fibres and opens up the fibres.) Work about 5 square mts at a time. Rectangular or triangular brush -two towels are recommended when using the rectangular brush since the nylon bristles on it are stiff and cause too much drag -low or medium pressure. Use vigorous back and forth and side-to-side motions to loosen dirt on all sides of the fibres. Pre-mist with a light detergent if heavily soiled. You will see the towel get dirty as stains come off on it. Change the towel as often as necessary . Remember, the towel is your 'extractor' in this process, and you are removing the stain without leaving the carpet wet.
Use the triangular brush with a towel . low pressure - to remove any remaining spots.

NOTE: If you choose to vacuum again while the cleaned area is still warm be aware that a dirty beater bar brush on the vacuum cleaner can actually deposit more dirt back on the fibres.

Most protein-based stains - like food or bloodstains - can be "set" at temperatures above 1800F or by the passage of time. Once 'set' the stains are chemically bonded to the surface and cannot be easily removed. If they have not been 'set', most of such stains can be removed by soaking them for 10-15 minutes beforehand with an enzyme detergent in cool water.
Man-made carpet fibres have a melting point of 250deg.c and above, so they cannot be melted by the heat generated by a steam vapor cleaning system, but they are like hair in that they can be heat-set to retain a physical shape at temperatures ranging from as low as 200deg.c to around 300deg.c. In other words, you can't melt them but you can change their shape with the heat generated by a vapor system, especially if you linger too long in one place.
Normal back-and-forth motion used in cleaning a carpet prevents heat build-up in the fibres and you don't need to worry about damaging it.
Carpet fibre colour is also sometimes heat sensitive, especially some oriental carpets that were made with vegetable dyes, which were never "set" by boiling during the process of making their original threads. The colours in these carpets can bleed into surrounding fibres.
Such sensitive carpets can be successfully cleaned with steam, but always use extreme care not to expose them to high temperatures, excessive water or harsh detergents.
You have an advantage with a STEAM Australia cleaning system in the ease with which you can control both heat and moisture quite easily with your cleaning technique - without using chemicals that leave destructive residues.
Most carpet cleaning systems don't allow this much finesse and cannot be used on oriental carpets.

Nicotine and Tar

The combination of nicotine and cigarette tar forms one of the most distinctive substances you will encounter in cleaning. It is a light yellow film on every exposed surface in a room where smoking has occurred. The yellow film gets hard but stays slightly sticky, so that dirt and grease stick to it. It is difficult to wash off without hard scrubbing with strong detergents or an alkaloid solvent. Fortunately, it dissolves at high temperatures and becomes a light yellow oil that has the consistency of sewing machine oil. When this nicotine/tar film is touched by a hot towel clipped over the triangular brush it immediately dissolves and flows into the towel, turning it yellow all the way up the side of the brush.

You can remove it from flat surfaces as fast as you can move the brush over the surface.

Car Detailing

Floor mats

Remove from car and clean first with nozzle (high pressure) from 2-3 inches away.
Blow from the side to remove most surface dirt and grime. Spray them with light detergent.
Allow detergent to work about 4 minutes then use triangular brush without towel (low pressure) to loosen embedded dirt in the fibers, brushing in all directions.
Place towel over triangular brush and use back and forth and side to side movements to remove remaining dirt.

Floor boards

Blow loose debris out of car using high pressure and nozzle. Then use same procedure as above for floor mats.

Instrument Panel

Use nozzle -medium pressure -to blow dust and dirt from all vents, ashtrays, and other parts of instrument panel.
Reduce vapor to low to clean around the radio.
Wipe clean with towel.
Top of instrument panel and rear package shelf: Nozzle with towel wrapped over small brush -low pressure. If the surface bleaches out, refresh it with a silicone treatment.

Chewing Gum Removal

Use wire detail brush or nylon for carpets.
Heat up spot of gum for 1-3 seconds, release small amount of approved Gum remover using the chemical injection facility or pre spay the spot.
As the chemical hits the gum, scrub for few seconds and gum will dissolve.

Removing Wax, Tar, Etc.

Comment: Many stains are only stuck on the surface of materials and can be quickly removed by 'blowing' excess material away from the surface from the side. This prevents driving the particles deeper into the fibres. This applies to things as copier toner, gum, crayons, dirt, makeup, tar, etc. Always try to vacuum any loose residue off the surface before you apply vapor to it!

Wood Surfaces General

Avoid getting natural wood too wet or hot. Also, if the wood surface is waxed, use only cool moist towels to wipe down the surface.
You can remove old wax with smooth cotton fabric, such as a cotton nappy (several layers) wrapped over the triangular brush (low heat).
Do not use a regular terry cloth towel because of the towel's rough texture, which will leave stroke marks in the waxed surface.
To clean fine wood floor surfaces, use the appropriate brush for the size and texture of the surface (low pressure) with a clean towel clipped over the brush. Heat up the towel away from the surface and turn off the vapor before applying the brush to the surface to do the cleaning. Use light detergent only when absolutely necessary and spray it on the towel before wiping, not on the surface.

Curtains

Draperies

Triangular brush with towel -low pressure - hold a folded second towel: in your "off" hand. On single-ply draperies the stain will usually go through and be deposited on this towel.

Sheers or One-Ply Fabric

If the drape is heavily soiled, mist the soiled areas very lightly with a gentle detergent. (Don't use enough to get the fabric wet.) Use the triangular brush on one side of the pleat at a medium pace (about 100cms per second) from the top of the drape to the bottom, moving with another towel against the backside of the drape at the same time. The vapor will go through the fabric and remove dirt from both sides simultaneously.

Insulated or Multiple-Layered Fabric

Same technique as for single-layer but be extra cautious about moving too slowly if cleaning insulated draperies, since the insulation is generally heat sensitive. It is better to go over the surface twice at moderate speed than once at low speed.

Blinds

Horizontal Blinds

If they have a lot of accumulated "crud" on the surfaces, pre-spray the blinds with mild detergent that you have thinned out 3:1 with water. Use nozzle with no brush. Use open vapor -medium or high pressure - to blow loose dirt and dust off surface of horizontal slats.

Switch to triangular brush with towel.
Close the blinds with top of slats facing you. -low pressure -brush side-to-side from the top down.
Close the blinds from the opposite direction and clean with a side-to- side movement from the bottom up.
Without opening the blind, remove it from its bracket and turn it so it now faces the wrong direction; put it back in its bracket and clean from the top down again. (This ensures that you have covered 100% of the slat surfaces).

Tip: For blinds, which have lots of mildew, spray the slats with a detergent that contains bleach before you begin. Allow five minutes before you start cleaning the blind.

Vertical Blinds

Triangular brush with towel (low pressure)
Open the blinds. Begin at the top of each slat.
Hold a towel in your opposite hand against the back side of the slat and move smoothly downward with the triangular brush on the front side.
Switch hands and repeat on the opposite side of the slat.

Caution: Too much heat can damage Vinyl blinds. Consider replacing rather that cleaning them.

Using Steam Clean to Kill Bedbugs

Bed bugs are very sensitive to heat and are rapidly killed when exposed to temperatures over 45oC. If heat is used for bed bug control it is important that the high temperatures are applied suddenly; a gradual rise in temperature will cause the bed bugs to disperse, thereby potentially spreading an infestation. Thus using heaters to heat up a room to a lethal point for bed bugs is inappropriate.

The most practical method of exploiting heat is through the use of steam. The great advantage is that it will kill all bed bug stages including the eggs (most insecticides are non-ovicidal).

A study from the United States (Meek 2003) has shown that using a combination of steam and insecticides provides better long term control than by using insecticides alone. As steam is composed only of heated water, some clients favour this treatment over chemicals, particularly for their mattress and bed. In fact at least one company in the United States will only use steam for controlling bed bugs on mattresses due to fears of litigation in case a guest has an adverse reaction to the insecticides.

It is important to note that there any many different brands and types of steam machines on the market, however not all are appropriate; the unit must be able to produce steam of a low vapour flow and high temperature. Steam flow rate must be kept to a minimum to avoid blowing bed bugs about and to reduce wetting. Like any tool, steam machines are only as effective as the operator. To achieve anywhere near eradication, an intimate knowledge of the pest and its ecology are essential, inspections must be diligent and the treatment process must be meticulous. The instructions of the steam machine must be read thoroughly noting all safety instructions prior to use. As all steam machines take time to reach operating temperatures, this can be done while the inspection is in progress.

As the steam machines are operated with a low vapour flow rate it is necessary to place the nozzle directly onto the surface being treated; the temperature drops away rapidly from the nozzle and a separation of only a few centimetres will not be lethal to the bugs. The nozzle should be moved along at a rate of only 30cm per every 10-15 seconds.
The steam treatment should start with the mattress and be applied to the seams, under labels and handles, and both inside and out of an ensemble base.
It will be necessary to remove the material base of the ensemble which should be kept, and if required, re-stapled after the infestation has been eradicated.
Cushions of chairs and sofas should be treated next, paying particular attention to seams and buttons.
Always check if the sofa is a sofa bed, and if so, treat the mattress as above. Carpet edges can also be treated with steam, along with the straight edge both above and below.

It is often promulgated that bed bugs can be killed via heat by placing infested materials into black plastic bags and then into the sun. However, this has never been fully scientifically investigated and is probably not effective with large items, which have a high thermal inertia. Thus this method is not recommended.

Chemicals

Using Cleaning Chemicals with Steam

An important factor with a steam vapor cleaning system is that no chemicals are added to the water. If something extra, such as detergent, degreaser or rust remover, is needed, pre-spray directly on the stain before cleaning it with steam. Or if equipped as on the Vega Plus & Contractor models use the chemical injection facility. In those cases where there is danger of causing a stain to 'run' if the surface is sprayed directly, you can spray a light mist onto the surface of a towel and pass vapor through the towel to clean the stain.

NOTE: Because heat makes chemicals work faster, the rule of thumb is to use so little that you do not get the stained surface wet. An easy way to do this is to use a spray bottle that you can adjust to a fine mist. a 2 second press of the chemical injection switch will deliver approx. a teaspoon of chemical to the steam.

Avoid exotic chemicals and use "natural" chemicals where possible.

Lemon juice will soften hard water deposits in bathroom areas, and is also a natural bleach. A paste of lemon juice mixed with salt is a good rust remover.
Vinegar is also a natural acid for removing hard water deposits but has no bleaching action like lemon juice.
Either baking soda or plain carbonated water will polish stainless steel if you need to leave it looking extra bright after you clean it.

A STEAM vapor cleaning system eliminates the need for cleaning chemicals in most ordinary jobs, which involve water-soluble dirt or substances. However, some stains are not water-soluble, such as grease. If a degreaser or solvent has to be applied, keep in mind that heat makes any chemical work better. Use only about 1/10th as much of the cleaning agent as you would without the STEAM.

Adding Chemicals to the Tank

Never put anything in the water tank or boiler but water. Distilled water is better than local tap water.

Other Things You Can Clean With Steam

Motor Homes and Boats
Gardening Areas
Golf Clubs and Carts
Tools and Equipment
Garage Floors
Motorcycles
Telephones
Computer Keyboards
TV Remote Control
Barbeque Grills
Bird Cages
Awnings
Patio Umbrella
Patio Furniture
Children s Toys
Mattress s (Bed Bugs and Dust Mites)
And the list goes on...

Using Distilled Water

If you are in a hard-water area, use demineralized or distilled water to eliminate the possibility of creating hard water stains while you are cleaning fabrics and to prevent build up of mineral deposits around the valves in the system.

Important: Your Steam machine will work with hard water, but minerals will build up on the heating element and around the valves if you don't take the time (once a month) to run a mixture of white vinegar and water through it. These mineral deposits can eventually cause the valves to stop working.

Preventive Maintenance (For Steam only machines)

For continuous fill models, consult Steam Australia s service department on 1300 79 50 50

Your STEAM Cleaning System is designed to provide years of service under constant use.

However, there are several things that you can do to avoid annoying problems that might necessitate the need for repairs.

Normal tap water contains a variety of elements and minerals which can collect on the heating element and the pressure switch. This will eventually cause the heating element to lose effectiveness, and the pressure switch to fail. While ordinary tap water is fine to use in the system-with normal cleaning, you can extend the life of your system by using either distilled or filtered water. Use any normal filter that you would use to filter drinking water!
Drain your Steam machine once a week! While it is fine to leave water in your system between uses, it is highly recommended that you drain the water from the system once a week to flush out any collected elements or particles. Simply use the tool on the bottom of the pressure cap to unscrew the drain plug on the bottom of the unit, and let the water drain into a bucket or basin. Run a tank of water through, then replace the drain plug. (Note: It is not necessary to use undue force to replace the drain plug!)
Clean your Steam machine once a month! This will remove any collected elements and mineral deposits from the heating element, and dramatically extend the life of the system!
Add two to five oz of White vinegar, Lime Away, C.L.R., or other commercial coffee maker or humidifier cleaner to 32 oz of water and pour into stainless steel tank.
DO NOT turn on the system power.
Allow the mixture to sit in the tank for 12 hours.
Unscrew the bottom drain plug and drain the tank.
Fill and drain the tank 3 times with clean water to totally flush out the cleaning solution. Replace the drain plug. Your system is now ready to be filled with clean water and restarted!

WARNING: CONSULT THE MANUAL APPLICABLE TO YOUR MODEL BEFORE ATTEMPING ANY MAINTENANCE. THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS A GUIDE ONLY.