Steam showers go a few luxurious steps beyond standards showers, but does that make them harder to clean?
Owing to the heightened levels of hot water vapor and humidity, steam showers are notorious for attracting mold. While they’re not especially hard to clean, they do require constant maintenance and attention, more so than a typical shower.
Read on to learn more about steam showers and the maintenance they require.
Full Steam Ahead
In 2020, the cost range for a steam shower was anywhere between two and six thousand dollars. The cost of a regular shower installation was considerably less, starting at around one thousand dollars.
These figures are representative of professional installation services and include equipment and labor. However, many steam shower, or steam room installations are a bespoke, tailored service, making the price differ wildly.
Steam showers transcend regular showers in many areas. They’re more eco-friendly, efficient, and have a more positive impact on the human body itself.
Reportedly, a steam shower can improve your blood circulation, detoxify your body, and help you recover from exercise. The humidity and enveloping effect of the steam works wonders on your skin, and it can even help you sleep soundly.
Modern steam showers have become a luxurious affair. They’re often equipped with music systems, scent emitters, mood lighting, and intuitive temperature controls.
They work instantly, using a steam generator that works actively to evaporate water. Within minutes of entering a steam shower, you’ll feel decongested, more awake, and will have smoother skin.
That’s what manufacturers claim, anyway.
Although a steam shower might cost more to install in the first instance, they offer long-term savings. Where a twenty-minute shower could use as much as fifty gallons of water, a steam shower variant would use just two gallons.
Of course, all the humidity and water vapor contribute massively to one thing: mold.
Move The Mold
Although you’ll use almost the exact same products to clean a steam shower as you would a regular one, it isn’t all that easy. They’ll need deeper cleaning, on a more regular schedule.
Further, a steam shower – as we’ve established – is more expensive, and can feature complex systems. You’ll need to take care not to damage these systems in any way, or you’ll rack up another bill.
The first port of call when cleaning any shower is to target mold, even if you can’t see it. You can use a store-bought product, or mix your own, targeting every surface within the shower.
One of the best examples of a homebrew product would be a baking soda and vinegar mix. This mildly volatile concoction will effectively clean glass, tiling, and metal surfaces.
It’s advised to avoid using abrasive cleaners or rough sponges, and scourers. These can scratch glass and metal, and over time will wear down the shine and gleam of a steam shower.
On the next level, you could go for a much deeper clean. This option involves tooling up and removing fixtures from the steam shower, such as the head, nozzles, and fixings.
Once removed, you can submerge the fixtures in a cleaning solution, to ensure even the smallest spaces are cleaned effectively.
Top guide sites advise that you clean a steam shower in this way twice a month. On top of that, you should be performing smaller, spot cleans once every few uses.
Depending on the size of your steam shower, this job could be a rather daunting task. The finest properties will feature steam rooms; the same as a steam shower, but much bigger.
With steam rooms, it’s the entire space that will need cleaning, not just the shower itself.
Of course, steam rooms are much more expensive in the first instance but can be a huge boon for later home sales. Reportedly, a custom steam room can cost anything up to ten to fifteen thousand dollars.
If you don’t want to spend out to equip your home with a steam shower – or room – you can find them elsewhere. There are countless spas and luxury hotels around the country that offer steam products.
Many top-end hotels offer steam showers as standard, accompanied by Jacuzzis and other hot tubs. If you’re eager to try a steam shower, you could book a night away in one of these hotels.
They’ll usually start at a couple of hundred dollars a night for a substantially luxurious space. You can experience the benefits of a steam shower, without worrying about cleaning it.