Steam cleaners for furniture: characteristics, rules for selection and operation
Favorite sofa has lost its former beauty. There can be many reasons - the child poured a glass of juice on him, the husband, in a sporting excitement while watching football, dropped a fat cutlet on the upholstery. Blush or powder spilled onto the sofa. All this is unpleasant, but it is not at all a reason to go to a furniture salon for an expensive purchase, to call a master for upholstery upholstery and not even a reason to immediately go to a dry cleaner. Modern manufacturers of household appliances have long come up with a miracle machine to combat such stains - furniture steam cleaners.
Characteristic
The beauty of furniture steam cleaners is that they are suitable not only for upholstered furniture - sofas and armchairs. Most of the offered models can easily cope with dirt on plastic, ceramic, metal surfaces. Textile for them is the simplest and easiest task.
The furniture steam generator can also be used to clean carpets, pillows and mattresses. With the ferry, you will not only return them to their former purity, but also get rid of possible invisible parasites, laundry and dust mites, which often settle under the thickness of the bedspread.
Professional steam devices provide steam penetration into the surface to a depth of 10 centimeters. They can easily remove almost any dirt: grease, makeup, fruit stains and even hair.
Views
There are several types of household furniture steam cleaners. Let's consider the main ones.
Manual
These are compact, lightweight and easy-to-use steam cleaners. They allow you to quickly clean almost any surface without significant effort. Another advantage of such devices is relative cheapness and availability for any budget.
Compact
Such models are somewhat reminiscent of a vacuum cleaner. Their reservoir is located at the bottom. Hence the visual resemblance to a vacuum cleaner. The compact steam cleaner is equipped with attachments for various furniture textures and structures.
But remember, when choosing such a model, you should pay attention to the length of the hose connecting the steam reservoir to the nozzle so that cleaning the surface you need is not hampered by limited access. The same goes for the network cable.
Vacuum cleaners
Such models are more suitable for professional use. And their price is not affordable for everyone. However, the power of the vacuum cleaner-steam cleaner and its efficiency can hardly be compared with the above-described devices. Vacuum cleaners are more durable.
Modern models
Specialists of many cleaning companies have long made a choice in favor of steam cleaners. Such a device is versatile. He has a lot of advantages over his competitors for the right to be called the best mud fighter. Here are just a few of its benefits:
- copes with most types of pollution;
- can be used on different surfaces;
- easy to use;
- penetrates into hard-to-reach places;
- fights unpleasant odors;
- produces moderate disinfection;
- does not require special cleaning agents, which means it is as environmentally friendly as possible;
- does not leave streaks.
Features of choice
The first thing to look out for is this is the power of the steam cleaner. The larger it is, the higher the efficiency of its application. It ranges from 700 watts in handheld steam cleaners to 2300 watts in floor standing ones. The next parameter is the volume of the steam boiler. The larger it is, the longer your device will work without "recharge".
Keep in mind that one liter of water is enough for thirty to forty minutes of continuous operation.
If you opted for a manual steam cleaner, then pay attention to its weight. And remember - manufacturers most often indicate the mass of an "empty" device. Add water to it and you get the weight you have to lift when cleaning.
The next circumstance requiring attention is the number of nozzles. The more of them, the more abilities the machine has. There should be at least three of them, the value of the maximum is difficult to determine. Manufacturers offer a variety of attachments for different types of flooring, cleaning mirrors and windows, textiles.
The length of the electrical cord and hose was discussed above. We will only add that the flexibility of these elements is also important in order to easily remove hard-to-reach places.
When choosing, pay attention to the heating time of the device. Some will be ready to go in 10 seconds, others will chug for 10 minutes.
The next item is steam pressure. Everything is more complicated here. Manufacturers claim what is created inside the tank, but at the outlet it all depends on the length of the hose and the configuration of the nozzle.
So, the choice is made, it's time to start cleaning, but first, we recommend that you study the operating instructions for the device. This will help eliminate annoying errors in use.
Recommendations for use
Before you start processing your favorite sofa, try the device in an inconspicuous area, hidden from the eyes, and only if it does not change the structure, you can clean the entire furniture.
The procedure can be as follows.
- Remove all debris from the surface. At home, this is easy to do with a vacuum cleaner. And only then use your steam cleaner.
- Pour liquid into the water container. Manufacturers recommend using filtered liquid.
- If the stains on the furniture are tough or if the appliance needs detergent to operate, add it to the water. But only first carefully read the instructions. Remember: Bigger is not better, too much powder can ruin your furniture.
- During work try to keep your "helper" in parallel the surface to be cleaned.
- The more delicate the fabric on the furniture, the less pressure should be exerted on it.
- Particularly greasy or greasy areas will be easier to clean, if steam is directed at them from the bottom up, as if blowing out the dirt.
After finishing cleaning, check if there is any moisture left, if so, you need to blot this place with a microfiber cloth.
For an overview of the steam cleaner, see the video.
