Effect of steaming on COVID-19

When COVID first started in the UK there was only limited understanding of how the virus was transmitted. So we sanitized everything; from hands to clothing. Now an article from Health shows the thinking is now that clothing only plays a minor part, but still concludes that clothing can hold the virus for limited periods, and that it is still best to keep clothes clean and virus free.

In 2021 Propress commissioned De Montford University to investigate the benefit of steaming clothes with a Propress steamer in combatting the transmission of coronaviruses.

The scope of research included porous natural fabric, and non-porous manmade fabrics, to determine efficacy of both steam and steam combined with the contact of the unique Propress aluminium steam plate to inactivate the virus.

Treatment with steam alone proved successful when applied for 10 seconds in reducing viral load by ≥4.1 log10 (99.99%), on non- porous polyester fabric.

However, when contacting the fabric with the unique Propress aluminium steam plate, combined with steam, the time to get below detectable limits (≤0.5 log10 TCID50/ml) was dramatically reduced to 2 seconds on the porous textiles tested (cotton and leather), and by 2.1 log₁₀ (99%) on polyester. (More details on this research will be published shortly.)

With a time of just 2 seconds the implication is clear – steaming clothes with a Propress steamer can be an effective way to reduce the presence of Covid on our clothes, and be another way we can minimise the presence of Covid in our homes.

And it’s important to also note that whilst tested specifically against COVID, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the steam and heat from a Propress Steamer will also kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria found in the home.

So check out our range of steamers, from the MINI handheld steamer (our portable steamer for use on fabrics right across the home) to the PRO Series (our upright range for heavier workloads).