Steel staircases are a well-loved choice for many buildings and households for so many reasons. It’s durable, it stands the test of time, can go through heavy foot traffic, and it’s easy to maintain. If you want your steel staircase to look its best all the time, it’s very important to keep it well-maintained. Otherwise, rather than contribute to your building’s aesthetic design, your stairs are going to stand out like a sore thumb.
Given its size, different designs, and elements like stair nosing types, and the position it holds in a building, people are going to notice your stairs. Furthermore, if not cleaned and maintained well, your steel staircase can also become a breeding ground for bacteria and dirt buildup, given the foot traffic your staircases receive every day. Surely, this isn’t one you’ll want to have in your building.
In this article, you’ll learn how you can properly maintain your steel staircase.
Power Wash The Stairs
This first strategy applies if you have outdoor metal staircases. Because it’s exposed to a lot of harsh elements from the sun, it can easily be a catch-all location for dirt and outdoor debris. Don’t leave it as it is, thinking your outdoor stairs have no impact on your indoor sanitation anyway. Your outdoor stairs are visible to the general public, so it’s just as important to keep them well-maintained as the indoor ones.
A power washer is your best friend to make this task easier. All you need to do is give your outdoor stairs a good wash to remove any dirt and debris that has accumulated. If you don’t have one, a mixture of soap and water will do just the trick. After that, you can simply rinse it with your ordinary hose.
Wipe It Regularly
If you have a steel staircase in your home, make a habit to wipe it regularly with a soft microfiber cloth. You can simply include that chore along with the other wiping chores you’ll do weekly, if possible. This will save you the hassle of a longer, more tedious deep-clean when dirt, dust, and grime have settled and accumulated.
For steel staircases in a commercial building, the higher foot traffic you have necessitates a daily clean. Your janitorial or cleaning team can take care of that task with great efficiency.
Dust It
Especially if you know you live in an industrial or dusty area or building, it’s expected that your steel staircase will also become dusty. You can make your cleaning tasks easier when you take the time to dust first. You can use ordinary cloth or a feather duster for this purpose.
Dusting may seem like a simple step, but it’s very important to keep the stair landings clean and well-maintained. Doing so will also prevent dust from being transferred from one floor to another so frequently. Debris and dust can be tracked indoors from the outside. This is why you have to stay on top of dusting your steel staircase.
Avoid Harsh Cleaning Products And Tools
Steel staircases are made to be durable, but they’re not the most scratch-resistant. As such, you must avoid harsh cleaning products and tools if you want to keep your steel staircases well-maintained. These include metal scourers, abrasive powders, and metal cleaners. These can destroy your steel staircase’s paint or finishing when used too frequently.
Other harsh cleaning products you should avoid include:
- hydrochloric acid,
- steel wool, and
- chlorine.
Rather than using harsh cleaning products, it’s a better choice to opt for gentler and milder cleaning agents instead. These can keep your steel staircases clean while not being too harsh on their surface.
Use The Proper Designated Cleaner
When you had your steel staircase installed, you may have been given some tips by the installer on how to clean your steel staircase. This may have included ideas on the recommended cleaner for the kind of staircase you have. The recommended cleaning agent might vary, depending on the paint applied, the location of the stairs, the foot traffic, and even the finishing.
If you’ve been told what the ideal cleaning agent is, stick with that instead. Doing so ensures you’re cleaning and maintaining the steel staircase in the best way possible, as recommended by the manufacturer or installer themselves.
Clean Immediately
When you have a household steel staircase, a good habit to apply is to wipe down any spills right away as soon as they happen. Don’t wait for them to settle for long or else the spills will already become too troublesome to clean up.
While that cleaning habit applies mostly to tables, floors, and countertops, your stairs shouldn’t be left behind too. As soon as you see dirt, stain, or spills on your steel staircase, wipe it immediately. It only takes a few seconds to do so. This keeps you in control of the cleaning so you don’t get overwhelmed by how dirty your stairs have become when the dirt accumulates.
Protect Steel Staircase From Rust
There are many advantages that come with a steel staircase—or anything steel, for that matter—if you’re planning to use steel to renovate your home and old staircase. But it has its own set of disadvantages too. One of these includes a higher chance of getting corroded and damaged due to rust. When your steel staircase gets rusty, it’s not a very pleasing sight. And the rust may weaken your steel staircase’s strength too.
If you live in an area where there are high levels of airborne pollutants, there’s a higher chance that your steel staircase will get corroded. The reason behind this is the pollutants that land on the steel surface gets gradually absorbed by the moisture.
To avoid this scenario, you’ll need to add a protective coating. By applying one, you’re able to keep your steel staircase looking good while also being able to maintain its top quality.
Conclusion
If you’re after a more minimal, contemporary, and sleek design in your home, a steel staircase is definitely going to be your best bet. But for it add some plus factor to your building, it needs to be cleaned and well-maintained. If manufactured properly, a steel staircase is supposed to last your building through many years. When coupled with proper maintenance, you don’t just extend your steel staircase’s life span but also make it aesthetically pleasing as well. The tips in this post can help you out.
