[davetherave]

I am looking at going into commercial kitchen cleaning, but am unsure whether to buy the s04 or larger s08 matrix steam cleaner.

The s04 is a 4.5 bar machine, while the s08 is an 8 bar.

The guy on the phone from matrix seemed to think it would be better to buy the larger, and a lot more expensive s08. But then he would say that wouldn't he.


Just wondering if anyone has any experience using a 4.5 bar steam machine for commercial kitchen cleaning, and if that is powerful enough for the job?

[Smurf]

The higher the bar pressure the quicker the clean apparently so your choice really.

You may find this interesting too http://www.matrixcleaningsystems.co.uk/why-steam-clean/

Do I need detergents in combination with steam?
In most cases you do not need detergents. With the MATRIX dry steam technology the highest results are maintained with almost every common cleaning activity. However, MATRIX acknowledges the fact that in some cases the cleaning process can be accelerated through the use of a detergent combined with steam. Therefore we offer a MATRIX range of machines that have detergent facility, and recommend that only approved detergents be used, advice should be taken from detergent suppliers and MATRIX Cleaning Systems.

[David Deer]

I presently use both. The 4 bar is OK for grouting and sinks and just about suffices for most general cleaning I smaller kitchens so you could get away with it. Tiles and canopies are steam mopped at lower pressure anyway so it doesn't matter so much. Where the 8 bar really comes into it's own is on ovens and friers. You really do notice the difference. Fit a metal scouring pad over the steel detail brush attachment and the carbon, browning and grease just dissolves before your eyes. It also works more rapidly so cuts down on time. Chemical injection is useful on floors and walls and some heavier grease accumulation but to be honest I seldom use that function (8 bar does a great job on chewing gum on hard surfaces).
Be aware that more steam = more water so the oven may drip for some time afterwards.  The so8 has a 2.5 litre tank and the so8 a 5 litre one, so you'll be topping up more often with the so4, although they both have the benefit of continuous fill.. Neither machine has chemical injection.  You need the sdv4 or sdv8 for that.
Don't imagine that the steamer will get rid of everything. That really gummy yellow goo that covers the edges of the friers and ovens still has to be scraped away first (trust me I've tried every chemical known to man on it).

[davetherave]

Thanks for the replies guys. Helps loads

[davetherave]

I was gonna say, with regard to the chemical injection matrix steam cleaners. Surely it would be equally effective to just spray any chemicals down with a separate sprayer?

Or am I wrong in thinking that?

[Tadgh O Shea]

I was gonna say, with regard to the chemical injection matrix steam cleaners. Surely it would be equally effective to just spray any chemicals down with a separate sprayer?

Or am I wrong in thinking that?

Dave you are right its more effective if you pre spray from a separate sprayer as with longer dwell time you will achieve better results, steam cleaners are great for deep cleaning grout lines or into tight spaces crevices etc, but for deep cleaning large surface areas using melamine hand or mop pads in combination with your cleaning solution will give quicker and more effective results.