Steam sterilization to kill viruses is very effective at hospitals — but it’s not necessarily a great option for people’s homes.
With disinfecting wipes destined to be a rare grocery store find for the remainder of the year, people might start eyeing steam cleaners as a new way to rid their home of SARS-CoV-2. But is a consumer steam cleaner all that effective against the coronavirus?
Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida, can see why people might be asking this. People often hesitate to use bleach or other harsh cleaners around their home, and some of her own friends checked in with her about their own concerns with their new cleaning regimens. The kind of steam-based sterilization you’d want to pull off at home, however, likely doesn’t come with the consistency and reliability you need to ensure you’ve destroyed all the coronavirus in its path.
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