Steam cleaning is a method easy to apply and very efficient. It is usually used on carpets, however it can be also used on the furniture fabric with pretty much the same effect, it costs less and it is greener than other cleaning methods.

There are a lot of advantages of steam cleaning for both carpets and furniture:

• Easy to apply: basically, get the equipment, fill it with water, use the carpet cleaning product as advised and start working.

• The equipment is easy to get: in terms of price, a good quality steaming equipment is not cheap, however no one mentioned the need to buy one: they can be rented from the grocery store for a very good price. The same store would sell you the cleaning product. People working at the rental department will also be able to provide advice, as they rent out the equipment for a long time.1

• Besides actually removing the dirt and cleaning the fabric, they also kill the dust mites and other microorganisms trapped in the furniture

• Provides a very deep cleaning and leaves the area almost dry, as the vacuum like suction will remove any excess of water

The steps for applying the method are simple

• Vacuum first: it is always better to remove first whatever dust can be removed through regular vacuum cleaning: this will make the steam job much much easier

• Remove the stains: it is true the steam cleaning is very efficient, however whatever stains are already on the fabric might not be removed in the process. It is better to examine the surface for any stains and try to remove them before the steaming process. Different kind of stains might require a different approach and cleaning material, please make sure you use the right approach

• When you are ready to start steam cleaning, make sure you use the right cleaning product. One specifically designed to be used with a steamer must be used.

• If steaming is one of the cleaning procedure of choice in your household, it is possible that on the fabric there is already some cleaning product residue. In order to avoid excess of foam, it is better to use an anti-foaming product together with the cleaning product

• Have water handy. The material most consumed by the steamer is of course, the water. Have plenty of it handy in order to save time

• Don't remove the covers while cleaning. It is possible that covers separately cleaned will shrink and will never be used anymore. Attention: if you believe that steaming the covers while on the furniture will damage either the furniture or the covers, then better give up steam cleaning for this particular piece of furniture and try a different approach

• Wait till the furniture is completely dry before using

• This process, as mentioned above, involves using chemicals (the cleaning product, the stain removing products). These are toxic in general - make sure you use adequate protection against any possible exposure

Follow the adequate procedure and you will see the results immediately. The method saves time and effort and compared with other methods it is cheaper. However, of course, compared with other cleaning procedures, it is a little bit heavier and puts some strain on the furniture. Therefore, make sure you vacuum often and protect the furniture so that you will not need steaming all the time.