Are you tired of looking at dirt, grime, and fingerprints on your windows that aren’t coming off? You may have answered yes to that question. Have you thought about purchasing a steam cleaner? The steam from a steam cleaner will loosen up the dirt and everything else on your windows to make it easier to wipe away.
Not only will your windows look new again, but they will also be disinfected and free from any germs that may be lingering. Steam cleaners are not just great for windows, but they are great for a lot of other things. For example, many people use steam cleaners for their furniture. You wouldn’t believe the amount of dirt, stains, and spills that end up on your furniture.
Throughout this guide, you will learn all there is to know about steam cleaners and why you should use them.
Can You Use a Steam Cleaner on a Couch?
Of course, you can. In this section, you will understand the advantages of using steam cleaners on couches. You will also learn the specific type of fabric that steam cleaners work great on. Once you have looked over this section, you should have all your questions answered.
It’s a disinfectant. When using a steam cleaner, it is guaranteed to kill germs and any bacteria that may be hanging around. It’s a good idea to use a steam cleaner after someone in your household has been sick because you can use it for everything.
It’s safe. Steam cleaners do not use harsh products or chemicals that are bad for your health or skin. Steam cleaners are also kid and pet friendly because you’re putting water into the cleaner. Not only is it safe, but it’s also good for the environment.
It removes the odor. If you have kids or pets in your home, there’s bound to smell. Your house will reek of pets, vomit, dirty diapers, and urine. When you clean your couches with a steam cleaner, you are removing the smells.
Your couches will look newer. Once you steam clean your couches and they have been dried, your couches will look brand new. All the dirt, stains, and spills have been removed and you will be sitting on clean couches.
Removes mold. Steam cleaners can also remove mold that may be growing on the couches. Mold will get people sick if it’s not taken care of so use a steam cleaner to have this issue resolved.
What Fabric of  Sofa Can/Can’t You Use a Steam Cleaner on?
This is a great question and other people are probably wondering about this too. There are a couple of labels your furniture will have so you can decide on whether or not it’s safe for use. You can find these labels by looking underneath couch or chair cushions or underneath the furniture. You will see a tag with a label on it.
- X- If your furniture has an X label, you cannot steam clean it because it’s not safe to do so. If you were to steam clean a piece of furniture with an X on it, you could damage the fabric. Once it’s ruined, it may not be able to be saved. If your couch has an X label, you can only do some light cleaning, such as cleaning with a vacuum or a brush.
- SW – When you look on your tag and see an SW label, then you have the go-ahead to use a steam cleaner. SW stands for solvent and water, so that means it’s solvent and water approved.
What Types of Steam Cleaners Can You Use for Couch/Sofa/Upholstery?
1. Handheld steam cleaner.
You can use a handheld steam cleaner to spot clean your furniture instead of doing the whole couch. The handheld attachment works great to clean up a stain or two on the couch. You can also use it to smooth a few wrinkles on your sofa.
2. Vacuum steam cleaner
If you have pet hair or crumbs on your couch, you can use the vacuum steam cleaner to vacuum up the mess and steam it at the same time. By using a vacuum steam cleaner, you are saving a lot of time.
3. Vapor steam cleaner
Once the steam cleaner heats up past boiling point, it releases moisture so the furniture can be steamed. The moisture is called vapor, and the vapor loosens the dirt to make it easier to clean the toughest stains.
Suction isn’t required and it dries fast because it uses a minimum amount of water. You’re able to make yourself comfortable as soon as you’re done cleaning. You may have to vacuum up the dirt and anything else after you use the vapor steam cleaner.
4. Cylinder/canister steam cleaner
These are a little different than the previously mentioned cleaners. The cylinder, also known as a canister, steam cleaners have a nozzle attached to a large hose. The hose is connected to a big tank that holds more water.
You can use these if you will be cleaning for a longer amount of time. Attachments come with this steam cleaner to make it easier for you to clean the sofa.
What Traits Should the Best Upholstery Steam Cleaner Have?
Before you begin looking at which steam cleaner to purchase, look at the traits they should have. It also depends on what need your steam cleaner for.
1. Heavy-Duty
You will need a heavy-duty model if you are planning on doing an extensive amount of cleaning. An extensive amount of cleaning maybe if you’re steam cleaning your entire home because it holds larger amounts of water.
Since you’re cleaning your entire home, the steam lasts longer and keeps going for at least 90 minutes. An example of a heavy-duty model would be the canister model as previously mentioned.
2. Lightweight
A lightweight model is easier for you to handle. It doesn’t hold as much water as the heavy-duty models, but it’s only because you use the lightweights for mostly touchups.
It’s convenient and some of these models may be cordless so you can take it around your house to look at what needs a touchup.
3. Powerful
Whether or not a steam cleaner is powerful is based on steam pressure. Low to medium steam pressure is better for cleaning many couches and other furniture because of the delicacy.
Higher steam pressure is the most powerful, and that’s better for cleaning harder surfaces, such as floors. You should use the most powerful setting when you need to do a deep clean of your home.
4. High Temperature
No matter which steam cleaner you purchase, they heat up to high temperatures. Before plugging it in to begin heating up to boiling temperature, it’s best to put the pad on the cleaner first.
You won’t end up burning yourself if you take care of that. The higher the temperature, the better it will clean. The temperature usually goes over 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Top 5 Best Steam Cleaner for Couch and Sofas Reviews
In this section, we’ll go over a few of the best steam cleaners to look at.
If you’re looking for one of the most powerful steam cleaners to purchase, you should look at this product first.
The Bissel steam cleaner will get stains out of your couch or other furniture in no time at all. It has unbelievable suction so you don’t have to struggle to get anything off. It doesn’t matter how tough the stains are.
Since the suction is top-notch, you are looking at a deep clean that will look like professionals came to clean your couches instead of yourself.
If you only have one or two stains and you don’t need to clean your whole couch or all of your couches, this steam cleaner comes with attachments that are necessary for what you need to accomplish.
This Bissell product is geared specifically for what you’re looking for, upholstery cleaner. If you’re looking for something that will bring the deepest stains to the surface, this is the steam cleaner to buy.
Not only is it strong, but it also can hold up to 48 gallons of water. It’s perfect if you have more than one couch to clean. Another great feature about this product is that it comes with extra tools.
If you need a little something extra to help get the stains out, then you will receive a small bottle of formula for extra assistance. They only give you a small bottle so you can try it out. If you love how it works, then you can purchase more.
If you have pets that love to go on your furniture, this cleaner will take care of the hair and other stains they leave behind.
If you thought the others were powerful, this steam cleaner is the strongest one they have and will move stains to the surface to make things easier for you to wipe the stains away.
To aid in removing the stains, this machine is multi-functional meaning you can use additional tools to help you out. It comes with a scrubbing brush and has outstanding suction. If this sounds good to you so far, then you will love the stain trapper tool that will assist you further.
The stain trapper tool will remove messes from your pets that are the dirtiest you have ever seen. To help you out even further, this steam cleaner will include small trial bottles of Oxy Urine Eliminator.
The Wagner Spraytech is a must if you’re planning on cleaning all the furniture in your home. It has a total of 12 accessories that come with the product.
You will find brushes, a cleaning towel, a window squeegee, a fabric steamer, a microfiber bonnet, a fill funnel, a jet nozzle, a straight adaptor, a measuring cup, and a crevice tool.
If you have tough stains on multiple couches, you may want this product because it will allow you to have around 45 minutes of constant steam time. In addition to all of that, it will disinfect your couches at the same time you’re cleaning them.
If you’re the kind of person that’s attracted to the convenience of everything, then you will love this steam cleaner. It’s on wheels to make it easier for you to move from room to room wherever your couches are located. It’s also convenient because it has a long cord attached.
If you have more than one couch in one room, it will reach easily so you don’t have to transport the cleaner. Just like with the previous steam cleaner, this steam cleaner also has about 45 minutes of steam time. If you have more than one couch to clean, this will be beneficial to you.
No matter how dirty your couches are, this steam cleaner will get the toughest stains out and your couches will look brand new. This steam cleaner is top-notch because it comes with 18 attachments making it easier for you to get the job done just like the professionals do it.
Once you plug it in, the steam cleaner will climb up to at least 98 degrees Fahrenheit. If something happens to your steam cleaner, you are covered under a 2-year warranty so you can get another one free of charge.
What Is the Best Way to Clean a Fabric Sofa with a Steam Cleaner?
If this is your first-time steam cleaning your couches, you should do it the right way. It’s best to follow a certain order when you’re steam cleaning so you don’t end up making a bigger mess. Follow these steps below so you can be sure you’re steam cleaning the right way.
Vacuum first. The first thing you do is vacuum your couches before steam cleaning. If it looks like you only have stains on your couches, you should still vacuum anyway. There could be crumbs small enough that you cannot see and you can’t steam those. You should prepare the area before going in for the deep clean.
Spray solution on the stains. When you purchase a steam cleaner, you may receive a trial bottle of spray that you can use to try out. It’s best to spray the stains first as additional support to help the stains rise to the surface when you’re steam cleaning.
Use a brush. Once you have sprayed the solution on the affected areas, you can use a scrubbing brush to scrub the solution into the fabric.
Prepare the steam cleaner. Before you turn it on, you have to pour water into the compartment. If you need to put a pad on to clean the whole couch, do so before turning it on as well. Once you turn it on, the cleaner will heat up pretty quickly so be careful.
Begin steam cleaning. Be sure to start with the cushions first, and then you can clean the rest. If you’re only doing spot removals and not cleaning the whole couch, you can just put the attachment on that you’re planning on working with and then begin cleaning the spots.
Concluding Thoughts
As you can tell there are a lot of factors that go into picking the right steam cleaner. Be sure to put your needs over anything else. Think about that first before you start shopping for steam cleaners. You should also be sure that it has a lot of attachments so you can use your steam cleaner for other things. Hopefully, this information will help you narrow things down and will lead you towards the right steam cleaner for your home.
