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Updated on May 5, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.

What are your questions about the coronavirus?

ideastream is answering as many questions as possible, with help from local experts in a range of fields. You can  send us your questions with our online form, through our     and   or call us at 216-916-6476. We'll  keep the answers coming on our website and on the air.

Many of you want to know if steam kills the virus, including Susan from Willowick and Gloria, who asked on Facebook.

There鈥檚 a lot we don鈥檛 know about the new strain of coronavirus. But University Hospitals鈥� Dr. Keith Armitage said he believes steam can kill the virus, if it鈥檚 a high temperature.

鈥淐oronavirus does not do well in extreme environmental conditions," he said.

That means a steam cleaner may work, if the temperature is hot enough, but steam from a humidifier would not.

A study from Case Western Reserve University and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center doctors found steam from rice cookers is an effective way to decontaminate some face masks. 

However, when cleaning materials at home, it's best to use soap and water, said Case Western Reserve University鈥檚 Dr. Scott Frank. He said the temperature of the water doesn鈥檛 matter 鈥� it鈥檚 the soap that鈥檚 important.

鈥淭he virus is constituted by a lining that is essentially fatty in nature and easily dissolved by soap,鈥� said Frank.

In addition to this, he said any other method of cleaning masks could destroy the material, or worse, start a fire.

Linda from Broadview Heights wants to know  how hot the steam needs to be. 

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center Dr. Curtis Donskey is the author of a study that examined the effectiveness of rice cooker steam on decontaminating cloth face masks. He says the temperature needs to be 212 degrees Farenheit. 

But just because extreme heat from steam could potentially kill viruses, doesn't mean you should try it at home, says Dr. Nikita Desai from the Cleveland Clinic. 

"It's very difficult to achieve the standards of humidity, temperature, length of time, and sterility that you need to completely sterilize something at home," Desai said. 

She's concerned that people might hurt themselves trying to achieve steam sterilization at home. 

The CDC has no guidelines on using steam to clean or disinfect. The organization recommends cleaning with soap and water to reduce the number of germs in your home, and disinfecting with diluted bleach, alcohol solutions with at least 70 percent alcohol, or a .

Laura from St. Louis wants to know if saunas can help sick people fight infection.

Cleveland Clinic鈥檚 Dr. Nikita Desai said there鈥檚 no scientific evidence that saunas can help sick people fight infections, and she doesn鈥檛 recommend using them if you have an illness that can cause a fever, like the coronavirus.

鈥淚f you have a fever and then go sit in a really hot place, that鈥檚 not going to be good for you," she said. "You鈥檙e going to have insensible losses and get very dehydrated and you could pass out, and that鈥檚 even worse.鈥�

She says using a steam inhaler 鈥� which another listener asked about 鈥� also won鈥檛 do much to fight the infection, but breathing in steam might help alleviate some symptoms of respiratory illnesses.  

Frank asks: If a person breathes in steam after being exposed to the virus, would it stop the virus from attaching to cells and causing an infection?

University Hospitals infectious disease specialist Dr. Keith Armitage said this wouldn鈥檛 be effective. Steam hot enough to kill the virus would likely kill the person inhaling it as well. Steam needs to be 212 degrees Farenheit in order to kill the virus.

Doctors say breathing in steam from a bath or pot of hot water can be soothing for people experiencing a stuffy nose or other common symptoms from respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, but it鈥檚 not going to kill the virus outright.

Many listeners have questions about steam though, and a recent study did find steam from a typical household rice cooker may be an effective way to decontaminate cloth face masks.