About Steam Cleaning Upholstery

Upholstery becomes dirty over time and cleaning it becomes necessary. Fortunately, you may be able to clean your upholstery with a steam cleaner and restore its original beauty. There are however, precautions you should take and things you should know so you do not damage it or void your upholstery's or steam cleaner's warranty.

Steam Cleaning

To steam clean upholstery, you will need a carpet-cleaning machine, which comes with an attachment for cleaning upholstery. There are several manufacturers that make steam cleaners such as Hoover, Rug Doctor and Bissell. Each manufacturer states that you must use only their products in their machines for safety reasons and for better results. You can also void your warranty if you use a different recommended product.

Steaming

Steam cleaning upholstery does not mean that you are spraying a steam mist on your furniture in order to lift up dirt and clean it. It is a deep cleaning where, as you move along the furniture, the machine sprays a cleaning solution into the fabric, which is then vacuumed up right away, along with the dirt. There is often a a brush that helps to loosen the dirt.

Upholstery

If your upholstery is dry clean only or labeled with an "S", it cannot be steam cleaned. Leather upholstery cannot be steam cleaned. Look at the tag to see what the cleaning instructions are for your specific upholstery before proceeding. Whatever method of cleaning you decide to do, you should always test it in an inconspicuous spot first. Let it dry before making the decision to go on.

Preparation

Remove pet hair with a lint brush and take off any throw pillows. Vacuum your upholstery first by using the upholstery attachment of your vacuum and crevice tool to get into all the nooks and crannies. Follow manufacturer directions in order to use your steam cleaning machine. Add a small amount of upholstery cleaning solution (recommended by your manufacturer) and water to the reservoir tank. Securely put the reservoir tank back in place. Attach the proper attachment--usually a scrub brush--and set the steam cleaner to upholstery, if necessary. Sometimes just attaching the brush will signal the machine to clean from the attachment tool rather than the carpet cleaner.

Cleaning

Start a thte top of you upholstery and slowly move the attachment across. Do not go so slow that you are saturating the material, but don't go too quick that you barely clean it. Work your way down and be sure to allow the fabric to completely dry before using it again.

References

• Sample Steam Vac Manual