Equipment

• Steam cleaning a sidewalk is not a small task. You will need equipment that is specifically designed for steam cleaning. You can either rent or purchase a high-power vapor steam cleaner. Other steam cleaning equipment for industrial use may also be used. The steam cleaning machine used for cleaning carpets at home is not powerful enough to clean a concrete sidewalk. You will need a sturdy portable steam cleaner to do the job. The portable type of steam cleaner can provide enough power and steam to clean a small stretch of sidewalk. If you need to clean a longer stretch of sidewalk then you will need more heavy duty equipment.
  
  Professional steam cleaners use a steam cleaner that is mounted on a truck to steam clean sidewalks. It provides more power than the smaller steam cleaning units. It also creates more steam to remove the toughest dirt on the sidewalk. The steam is created from the power of the truck on which it is mounted. The heat from the engine of the truck heats the water which creates the steam. This type of unit is obviously more expensive, but it is more powerful and more efficient in cleaning sidewalks.
  
  

Assess the Area

• Before beginning to steam clean a sidewalk, take a good look at the surface that needs to be cleaned. Survey the entire sidewalk to determine which parts need more attention and what type of dirt is on the sidewalk. There are some types of dirt that need to be pretreated with a cleaning solution before steam cleaning. Also check how severe the dirt on the sidewalk is. If the dirt has been there for a long time, it will be really hard to remove and you might need to get professional help in cleaning your sidewalk.
  
  Determine whether the sidewalk can be cleaned by a portable steam cleaning unit or if you will need heavy equipment to get the job done. This way, you will not be wasting your time and efforts steam cleaning when you will still end up calling a professional crew to finish the job.
  
  

Cleaning

• Each sidewalk is unique, differing in the materials used, the thickness of the surface and its overall durability. Steam cleaning uses high heat and high pressure. It could destroy a sidewalk if it is not sturdy enough to withstand the heat and pressure from the steam cleaning.
  
  Clean only a small portion of the sidewalk first to determine how it holds up to the steam cleaning. If there is no damage to the surface, then you can go on cleaning the entire sidewalk. If it is your first time to steam clean your sidewalk, never do the entire sidewalk right away or you may end up ruining the entire sidewalk.