How to do Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning with Steam Cleaner

Carpet steam cleaning and Upholstery Cleaning with a steam cleaner is much easier. With it, you can quickly remove dirt from the surface of the sofa, straighten the crumpled pile, smooth out folds on the fabric cover. Cleaning furniture and carpets with a steam cleaner will take a little effort and save money that would have to be spent on dry cleaning.

Benefits

The steam clean has many advantages over traditional cleaning methods. This device is very maneuverable. Unlike a vacuum cleaner, it can penetrate tight, hard-to-reach areas. With the help of different attachments, it is quite convenient to process surfaces of varying complexity.

Steam gently cleans many types of materials. Penetrating deep into the structure of fabric fibers, the steam jets remove impurities that have stuck in them, without causing damage to the material, without stretching it. This method of upholstery steam cleaning and carpets is considered one of the best.

Preparation

Before proceeding directly to the processing of the sofa with a steam cleaner, carry out preliminary preparation.

The upholstery must be vacuumed first to remove any debris that may have gotten into the corners between the upholstery. If your sofa and armchairs have removable cushions or cushions, they must be unfastened and removed. Their covers are best washed in a washing machine if the manufacturer allows machine washing. Non-removable parts can be separately treated with a steam cleaner.

Selection of nozzles

When cleaning, you may need to use flat and round brushes, as well as tapered brushes for hard-to-reach areas. You can also use absorbent towels to wick away excess moisture. Microfiber works well for this.

Detergent

If your furniture is stained or dirty, you can additionally use fabric cleaners. Regular shampoo, dish soap, or upholstery cleaner will work.

How it works?

The principle of operation of a steam cleaner is quite simple. Particles of water vapor capture dust particles from the surface of the carpet and, thus, clean it. The same thing happens with particles of water-soluble contaminants. It would seem that cleaning carpets with steam is the ideal type of cleaning, but there are still several nuances.

• Firstly, steam cleaning is aimed at “freshening up” the appearance of the carpet rather than deeply cleaning it.
• Secondly, as mentioned earlier, only water-soluble contaminants and dust are removed. For example, stains of blood, wine, and fruit juices cannot be removed by steam cleaning. Moreover, they can also additionally gain a foothold on the surface of the carpet!
• Thirdly, steam cleaning works well for synthetic pile carpets, but not at all for natural pile carpets. After cleaning with steam, a woolen carpet can “age”, the pile can become felted and take on a completely non-aesthetic appearance. That is why you should be very careful with natural pile carpets.

For the rest, apart from the above-mentioned nuances, steam cleaning of carpets is a fairly good way of purely “cosmetic” removal of dirt. That is, if you need a deeper removal of dirt, it is better to turn to dry cleaning.

Upholstery steam cleaning

Before cleaning the sofa, first test the operation of the steam cleaner on a small area such as the bottom or back. If the material is not damaged and has not changed color, you can proceed to the main processing:

1. Pour clean water into the reservoir. Use filtered water for light-colored items.
2. Add detergent if necessary.
3. On dirty areas, use microfiber while wiping the area after steaming. If the stain does not come off well, it is recommended to walk over it several times.
4. Be careful not to steam up to avoid wetting the upholstery.
5. Use caution in the vicinity of metal and wood elements. Do not let them get wet. If steam accidentally spills on such parts, wipe them dry immediately.

Process sequentially, dividing the entire surface into sections. Clean the main body of the sofa first, then move to hard-to-reach areas.

When using the spotting nozzle, tilt it at a slight angle to the fabric for optimal steam output. 

Advantages of Steam Cleaning

1. After processing with hot steam, the carpet or sofa takes on a fresher, updated look;
2. Let’s also highlight the ecological component, since the key element in the cleaning process is just the most ordinary steam, which is absolutely harmless to the environment;
3. High-temperature steam allows you to destroy all bacteria inside the product, as well as get rid of the dust mite;
4. Steam generators are usually equipped with a certain number of nozzles, thanks to which the cleaning efficiency increases significantly;
5. These devices can also be used in conjunction with special cleaning agents if the carpet is too dirty. However, remember that some cleaning products simply lose their properties when exposed to elevated temperatures.

This also has disadvantages:

 

1. Carpets are difficult to clean with a steam cleaner. This difficulty is due to the lack of a suction mechanism, because of which, after softening the stubborn stains and dirt, you will have to carefully work with a brush or napkin;
2. Before proceeding with the treatment of carpets with steam, they must be thoroughly vacuumed;
3. This cleaning method is not suitable for all materials. That is why, before purchasing a miracle device, you need to consult with a specialist;

Important! Do not use steam to remove protein stains. These include blood, milk or egg stains. The fact is that under the influence of excessively high temperatures, the structure of this product changes, and the stain becomes simply irremovable.