How to clean upholstery with a steam cleaner?

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Cleaning is a way of making your upholstery look new and last longer. But it is not just cleaning that will help you achieve this you need a good device and a knowledge on how to use it. There are so many cleaning devices that you can get, but you will truly appreciate the services of a steam cleaner. Having a steam cleaner is the first step to ensuring this. A steam cleaner can be used to clean a lot of places in your house. The upholstery is one of them. You again need to know how to use it on your upholstery to get the maximum benefits; otherwise, you will be among the list of people who bought the product and were not satisfied with it. Simply follow the manufacture’s guidelines, and you will be good to go. However, those guidelines are some times hard to comprehend. That is why we have come with this article that will help you clean your upholstery with a steam cleaner. We assume that you already have a steam cleaner and are wondering about the best way to use it. Luckily you are at the right place. We will help you with this.

Benefits of using a steam cleaner

If your choice is to use a steam cleaner, here are some of the benefits that you will get by using it.

1. It’s an eco-friendly way of cleaning the house.
2. It is a disinfectant. It helps remove all micro-organisms that can be found inside the sofa. This is because those organisms cannot survive at the temperature that comes with the steam cleaner.
3. It’s portable, which means that you can carry it around to where you want to use it.
4. Has a varied usage. It’s not restricted to only your sofa; you can use it on the floor, couch, carpet, kitchen, and even the bathroom.
5. It makes your upholstery very clean.

Guideline to use while cleaning the upholstery with a steam cleaner

1. Before using a steam cleaner, always ensure that a large particle is removed. This is the first step on a surface that you will be using a steam cleaner. In our case, the upholstery, a vacuum cleaner, will do the task. The reason for this step is that those large particles or hairs might make the upholstery dirtier while using a steam cleaner. Use the vacuum cleaner to remove them from every part. If possible, use attachments where necessary. Take your time to remove these particles. Removing a lot of dust will make the work easier for the steam cleaner.
2. Pretreating. Preparation of the upholstery for steam cleaning does not stop there. You need to pretreat using a spot upholstery cleaner. This is especially so if there still exists some stains on it. Generally, there is some time that is left for the cleaner to set in. This will depend on what you are using. It will be between 3-5 minutes. Again you can use other products known as emulsifiers. They, too, help loosen other stains that might exist in the fabric. Spray this emulsifier on the fabric and leave it there. You don’t need to remove it; the steam cleaner will remove it.
3. Put water into the tank. Water is a necessary ingredient if you are using a steam cleaner. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on filling the tank. Again you will have to wait for some minutes before the water heats up. To some, they heat the water immediately. A steam cleaner uses the steam produced from the water to clean. This is because steam will loosen the adhesive characteristics that are common in stains.
4. Now that you have everything set to clean up the upholstery. Take your time and do it slowly. If possible, you can clean other places such as the windows.
5. When done, give some time for the sofa to dry. The best way is to let fresh air into the sofa. Or alternatively, you could use a fan that can speed up the drying process. Letting the sun into the upholstery is not recommended as it might damage the fabric or lead to discoloration. Let it dry out slowly.
6. If there are still some stains or discoloration after drying out, you can repeat the process again.

 Safety precautions

This is an electrical appliance that needs to be handled with a lot of care. That is why you need to follow the following precautions while using it.

1. When refilling the tank with water, it’s advisable to ensure that the cleaner is disconnected from the power source and is off.
2. Wear shoes while using the steam cleaner since it’s an electrical appliance.
3. Ensure that all attachments are properly connected before using the steam cleaner.
4. Check if the product is certified.

The right steam cleaner

There are so many steam cleaners out there, some tailored for cleaning specific surface. But if you want the best steam cleaner for your upholstery, you should find upholstery steam cleaners, which are designed for this task and fabric steam cleaners, which will clean the fabric on the upholstery. Generally, the best be portable and easy to carry around. You want to avoid the large floor steam cleaners that are only used on the floor.

Conclusion

If you have a steam cleaner, you have a cleaner that not only cleans and removes all the stains but disinfects the surface. You will not be discouraged by its service, especially if you follow the above guidelines of using a steam cleaner. Always ensure you have the appropriate tools and your safety fast. It’s an electric appliance; sometimes, it’s prone to risks that can cause death. Know the type of steam cleaner that you are buying if it’s well suited for the task. You could also hire one to help you with the task. All the procedures in this article were generally to help you use the steam cleaner easily. Sometimes the stains could persist. In such a case, you could hire a specialist who could help you with the task.