View all stories

blue background, text reads: Just add water, but is it clean?

Is steam cleaning better than cleaning products?

20 May 2026

Steam cleaning vs cleaning products cheat sheet:

Steam cleaning uses heat to loosen dirt and kill bacteria
It can work well for certain surfaces and tasks
It doesn’t replace every type of cleaning
Heat alone won’t break down grease and stains
Steam often needs wiping up afterwards
Smarter cleaning is all about the right ingredients, used the right way

Steam cleaning is often described as the “no-chemicals” way to clean your home.

Just water. Sounds good.

Although water is still a chemical… everything is. But let’s be fair, steam cleaning is useful.

So, is it better than using cleaning products? Not quite.

What steam cleaning actually does.

Steam cleaning uses high-temperature water vapour to loosen and lift dirt from surfaces and kill bacteria. It’s very good for:

Tiles and grout
Sealed hard surfaces
Certain deep cleaning jobs like stove tops or ovens

Where steam cleaning struggles.

1. Grease.

Steam uses heat to loosen dirt.

But grease and food residue often respond better to cleaning ingredients like surfactants. These will actually break down and lift up the grease, not just soften or liquify it.

2. Removal.

Steam can lift dirt from a surface… but it doesn’t always take the dirt away.

You still need to wipe or rinse off to fully remove it.

3. Suitable surfaces.

Steam cleaning can damage certain materials, including:

Unsealed wood
Delicate surfaces
Some types of plastic

4. Leaves surfaces damp.

Steam cleaning often leaves moisture behind which means you need to dry surfaces afterwards and that can leave streaks.

5. Impractical.

Sometimes steam cleaning is just not practical. It:

Takes time to heat up
Needs equipment and uses electricity
Isn’t always the quickest way to clean
For everyday cleaning it can often feel like more effort than necessary.

man cleaning a kitchen countertop using smol multi purpose spray

Cleaning is more than just heat.

It’s about removing the dirt. And while steam does help with some of that, it doesn’t do it all.

A well-formulated cleaning product will not only break down grease and lift dirt from surfaces, it will also remove stains effectively. And when these products are concentrated (hello smol!) and used correctly, they don’t need excess.

Less chemical cleaning.

At smol, we focus on using less chemical matter instead. Calculating a product’s dry chemical matter involves measuring how much actual cleaning chemical is in a product once all the added water and fragrance is removed. In other words, it tells you how many grams of chemicals are in a dose.

Here’s how that looks in practice:

smol product	Less chemicals than big brand	Works as well as big brands
Bio Capsules	38% less per wash	✅
Non-Bio Capsules	35% less per wash	✅
Fragrance-Free Capsules	35% less per wash	✅
Bio Laundry Liquid	5.5% less per wash	✅
Non-Bio Laundry Liquid	4.6% less per wash	✅
Fabric Conditioner	66% less per wash	✅
Washing Up Liquid	42% less per wash	✅
Dishwasher Tablets	15% less per wash	✅
Multi Purpose Spray	50% less per 500ml bottle	✅
Floor Cleaner	45% less per 500ml bottle	✅

So… steam or cleaning products?

It’s not really one or the other.

Steam can be useful for deep cleaning on ovens or mattresses for example and loosening stubborn grime, but for everyday cleaning you’re better off with an effective cleaning product used in the right amount.

Steam cleaning vs cleaning products FAQs.

GET SMOL ESSENTIALS