Your “steam” mop actually produces vapor, not steam. Steam is water in gaseous form which is invisible. What you see coming out of the mop is vapor, not steam. A commercial vapor machine, which is over $3,000, may produce enough heat to disinfect, which means killing some of the bacteria. The homeowner “steam” mop you bought does not produce enough heat to kill much bacteria. It may sanitize, but that is the same as cleaning. An autoclave in the dentists’ office sterilizes, which means it kills all the bacteria but that is done through high steam heat and pressure inside the autoclave. The pressure crushes the bacteria dead. The tip of the vapor jet of the commercial machine must be aimed closely at the surface for at least 5 seconds to disinfect. This may not seem like much but if you are doing grout, for example, it could take a very long time to disinfect. Cleaning (sanitizing) can be done more quickly with a vapor machine but you are not disinfecting anything. You are much better off disinfecting with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water and it is perfectly non toxic and not allergenic. How do I know this you ask? I own a specialty cleaning company.