Most of the traditional European units are of substantial quality; but, towards the end of the `90's a small number of American (primarily) manufacturers began to introduce low-priced Steam Vapor Cleaners. Such units offer an appealing price point; however, the quality is quite low and, importantly, the temperatures produced are generally neither high enough nor able to be effectively maintained during use. As a result, the steam produced will be wetter and colder than is needed to effectively clean and sanitize. This is to say, such units don't work very well or last.
A good quality Steam Vapor Cleaner will produce a very hot, dry steam. The effect of this is to clean very quickly and efficiently, sanitize (kill bacteria, mold, dust mites, viruses, etc.) and allow the surface being cleaned to be almost immediately dry. The temperatures that are needed are as follows:
1400 F - destroys dust mites
1600 F - destroys mold and bacteria after a "dwell" time
1800 F - destroys mold and bacteria on contact
As can be seen, only a Steam Vapor Cleaner that can produce the necessary high temperature steam in the boiler and at the end of the hose is going to provide the above-listed abilities. At the end of the hose, the temperature should be close to 2000 F. As importantly, the Vapor Cleaner must be able to also continuously provide this type of temperature.
Since many Vapor Cleaners just do not provide usable temperatures to begin with, it can be readily understood that, if the temperature and pressure drops drastically as soon as oneself begins to use the Steam Vapor Cleaner, the unit is failing in its intended use. Even if the initial temperatures are usable, if there are considerable temperature drops during use, the user has to constantly pause the work so that the Vapor Cleaner can "catch up" and build steam temperature and pressure to a usable level.
A good Steam Vapor Cleaner will also boast a wide range of cleaning accessories that are effortless to attach and remove. Almost anything imaginable can be thoroughly and easily cleaned with a good Steam Vapor Cleaner, and, if the manufacturer does not provide a matching range of accessories for this multitude of uses, the main purpose is defeated.
A good unit always features a stainless steel boiler for durability and efficiency. It should have safety features to prevent overpressurizing - optimally, with a backup safety system. It should be shaped like a canister-style vacuum with a removable hose, extensions wands and a range of accessories. Hopefully, there is a tool caddy so that everything is always within immediate reach.
The Advanced Vapor Techologies lineup of Steam Vapor Cleaners - which resoundingly fills the above-noted requirements - also incorporates a very important feature not generally found on Vapor Cleaners. This is that the units are continuous use. What this simply means is that the user fills a non-pressurized reservoir with water (regular tap water can be used; although many users prefer distilled or filtered water). This water is then fed as needed by a pump into the boiler where it is heated into the necessary hot, dry steam. If the reservoir begins to run low on a water an audible signal and a blinking light alerts the user to refill.
In this way, the unit can be used continuously without shutdown - a major advantage over almost every other Vapor Cleaner. When other units, in distinction to the Advanced Vapor models, run out of water need to have the pressure be cautiously bled off, be refilled, and then undergo a good fifteen minutes of reheating before being operational again. This is a considerable nuisance and aggravation, as well as defeating the entire purpose of finishing the task at hand in a timely manner.
We reiterate again that the most important thing is that the temperature of the steam, to be effective, must be heated in the boiler to at least 2850 F. There is a necessary heat loss through the hose and the temperature at the "tip" - i.e., at the accessory installed onto the end of the hose or wands - needs to be about 2000F. If this is not accomplished, the user is likely to merely be cleaning with a hot mist only; not the hot, dry steam needed to effectively sanitize and kill those dust mites, molds, etc.! Only the good quality units will provide usable steam at this temperature.
BREAKTHROUGH: The newest addition to the LadyBug line of Dry Steam Vapor Cleaners is TANCS. TANCS is an acronym for Thermal Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation. TANCS is unique to the LadyBug line of Vapor Cleaners and so accelerates the "kill" ability of the dry steam that this unit is now EPA registered as a disinfectant! This simply means that the application of the dry steam using a TANCS-equipped vapor cleaner results in disinfection of microbiological organisms.
Sanitizing/Disinfecting: What is the difference? Sanitizing essentially means that microbiological organisms are reduced by the sanitizing process to an acceptable, safe level. Disinfection, on the other hand, means that these same organisms are reduced 99.9999% - essentially, a 100% kill rate - just about sterilization.
Please "click here" for a further explanation of TANCS. Today we generally recommend the TANCS equipped LadyBugXLT. An additional capability of a TANCS equipped unit is that the TANCS process eliminates the typical scale buildup that plagues water-using products including a Dry Steam Vapor Cleaner. A simple, monthly flush of the boiler is all that is needed to keep any scale and/or minerals from adhering to the boiler walls and piping inside the LadyBug Dry Steam Vapor Cleaner. This promotes efficiency and wards off service and/or failure issues. Also, a TANCS equipped unit carries a 7-year boiler guarantee!
An Advanced Vapor Technologies Steam Vapor Cleaner provides all the above and more benefits! It is an extremely well engineered and beautifully constructed Italian machine - say, "Bella!" - that works well and will last indefinitely. The LadyBug XL is far and away the most popular machine in the line, and the uses for this unit are, literally, the proverbial "1001". The below list is a partial list of what can be cleaned and sanitize (or, with TANCS, disinfected) with the LadyBug:
