Should You Use a Wet Steam Cleaner for Weeding Your Paved Areas?

Should You Use a Wet Steam Cleaner for Weeding Your Paved Areas?

Thinking about using a wet steam cleaner to tackle those pesky weeds growing between the rigid pavements? While they might seem like a cost-effective option, they might not be the best tool for the weed/algae/moss removal job.

Here’s why:

What Matters Most When Weeding Paved Areas and pathways?

The key to effectively eliminating weeds in paved areas lies in these 3 main factors:

• Pressure:  This one’s crucial. You need low pressure (around 40-90 psi) to avoid unwanted consequences like surface abrasion. High pressure can cause the following:
  1. Splashback: Superheated water spraying everywhere is not ideal.
  2. Off-target application: You might end up scalding nearby plants and surface.
  3. Displaced mulch and soil: This creates extra mess and exposes desirable plant roots.
  4. Damaged pavements: High pressure can remove sand grout between pavers, adding another maintenance hassle and additional cost.

• Flow Rate: When dealing with hard surfaces like pavements, a flow rate of 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 gallons per minute is ideal. This allows for:
  1. Effective weed killing: Proper infiltration into cracks and crevices ensures the weeds get a good dose of the heat to cook the weed or algae or moss.
  2. Minimal surface flow: Less water means less mess to manage afterward.  

 

• Temperature: Here’s where wet steam cleaners might seem like a good fit.  Hot water can kill weeds on contact. However, the ideal temperature for weed control is around 212°F (boiling water). Satusteam™ uses pressurised water heated to 120°C, delivered to weeds gently at 40-60 psi (similar to the pressure of rain) and at 100°C  causing the plants cells to burst on contact. Read more about our Satusteam™ technology here.

Disadvantages with Wet Steam Cleaners for Weeding

While wet steam cleaners deliver hot water, they often come with high pressure (think 2750 psi compared to the desired 40-90 psi) and a higher flow rate (3-4 gallons per minute). This can lead to the issues mentioned above:

1. Excessive pressure: Damaging your pavers and surrounding plants.
2. High flow rate: Inefficient heating and unnecessary water runoff.
3. There’s also the issue of managing the large volume of water produced by a pressure washer.

The Satusteam™ Saturated Steam Solution

Here’s where a specialized tool like the Green Ninja with its Satusteam™ technology comes in. It delivers a unique combination of:

1. Low pressure (40-90 psi): Safe for your pavements and plants.
2. Ideal flow rate (1 1/4 gallons per minute): Efficient heating using the concept of thermal shock and minimal runoff.
3. Perfect temperature (212°F): Satusteam™ destroys all soft-leaved and stemmed vegetation on contact and has some penetration into the meristematic growth points, eliminating the weed or dramatically  retarding its regrowth.

This targeted approach eliminates weeds without the mess and damage associated with traditional pressure washers.

The Green Ninja doesn’t stop at weeding! With a quick nozzle change, it transforms into a powerful cleaning system for various outdoor surfaces, tackling moss, algae, grease, oil, and gum. {Insert image and video}

So, the answer to the question: Should you use a wet steam cleaner for weeding? It depends. If you’re looking for a targeted and efficient solution for your paved areas, a  specialized Steam weeding tool from Weedtechnics with Satusteam™ technology might be a better choice.