How to Use Portable Steamers
A portable steamer is a household tool that emits hot steam from a hose, similar to a push vacuum cleaner or handheld vacuum. Because you can move around your home with a portable steamer or carry it along with you on a trip, it has a variety of uses in your home or office, including cleaning and making your clothes more presentable.
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Instructions
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Add water to the steamer reserve bucket up to the fill line. Switch on the portable steamer, and allow it a few minutes to get hot. You'll know it is ready when steam starts to trickle out of the handle. To emit an even stream of steam during use, press and hold the button on the portable steamer.
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Vacuum your furniture, and run the portable steamer over your upholstered couches, sofas, and chairs. The steam kills germs and bacteria on the surfaces of your sitting areas. Use long, slow, even strokes across the surfaces, but keep the steamer about three inches away from the surface. Otherwise, you could inject too much moisture or burn the surface with the steam. Some portable steamers come with cleaning brush attachments similar to a vacuum that you can press directly onto the upholstered surface during cleaning.
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Use the steam cleaner in your kitchen on stubborn grease stains on your stove and countertops. You can also use it to remove caked-on food in your refrigerator. Place the mouth of the steamer handle over the stain for 30 second to a minute to allow the hot steam to loosen up the stain, and wipe it up with a rag.
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Clean hard floors and carpet with your portable steamer using slow strokes about three inches from the surface. Attach the brush head. if available, to clean carpets, and use the standard flat nozzle for hard flooring.
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Get the wrinkles out of your clothes using your portable steamer instead of using an iron. Hang the clothing item on a hook first; some portable steamers come with rolling bars for this purpose. Move the steamer over the clothing in slow, even strokes at least four inches away to avoid damaging the fabric. Go over the same area a few times until the wrinkle is gone. Apply less strokes with the mouth of the handle farther away on more delicate clothing like silk or satin.
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Steam clean the grout and tile in your bathroom. Move the mouth of the steamer over your tiles and the grout cracks slowly to remove dirt, mold and mildew. Some steam cleaners come with special nozzles that you can fit right into the cracks for cleaning. In this case, attach the nozzle and slowly run the mouth of the portable steamer inside of the cracks after steaming the tiles with the standard attachment.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not use a portable steamer on cold glass because the heat can cause it to crack.
