Adventures in Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is another valuable tool in your home cleaning arsenal. It won't be the right tool for every application, but it's probably more versatile than most people think.

Here are some of the ways you can use a steam cleaner.

Carpets & Rugs

Steam is a great way to break up old stains. Before you just jump in, do a good thorough vacuum job first. You want to get all the legos out of the way. Also, you may want to find an area that nobody sees regularly as a test spot first. Most carpets should be just fine with steam cleaning, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.

If you rent a steam cleaner, it's best to just use the cleaning solution they recommend. You don't want to mess up their machine and have to buy it. Technically you don't even need a cleaning solution, but it definitely gets you that extra boost in grabbing the dirt. If you've got a serious stain, you'll want to use a separate spot treatment on that first. Follow the directions and give it time to do its work before you hit it with the steam.

Remember what your carpet looked like when it was new?

There are steam cleaners that are specifically built for carpet cleaning. They can apply the cleaning solution along with the steam, and then vacuum it up as you go. All-purpose steam cleaners only shoot steam. If this is all you have access to, you can still use it as a carpet cleaner, but the clean may not penetrate as well. Also, you will need a wet vacuum to pull up the moisture. This is key to pulling out the dirt for a longer lasting clean.

When you finish, you can always use a fan to dry off your carpet a little faster. A standard home fan can help, but not like an industrial fan.

Windows & Mirrors

Steam can speed up glass cleaning by removing the need to scrub.

If you've got a lot of glass to clean, steam cleaning could speed things up for you. There are a couple ways to go about it. First, you can steam the surface with a handheld steamer, and then wipe off the excess moisture with a microfiber towel as you go. You could also use a squeegee instead of a towel. Some steam cleaners come with a squeegee attachment.

One of the tried and tested methods for any surface is to wrap a cloth around the end of the steamer. It can be attached with a rubber band or a hair tie. The steam will shoot right through the cloth, and the cloth can be rubbed across the surface as you go. This saves you the step of going back and scrubbing up the dirt later.

Your glass might have some hard water deposits that are difficult to remove. If this is the case, you may want to put some diluted vinegar on the tough spots and let them soak. Vinegar can break up old gunk exceptionally well, and then the steamer can come in and blast it off. It's a great combo. Alternatively, you can go with the lemon and dish soap duo. Most people recommend Dawn.

Tiles & Grout

Steam is a great power tool for getting grout clean. You can try soap and a toothbrush, but that takes forever. Using a steam cleaner with a rag on the end of the hose should make quick work of your filthy grout. Again, the rag will pick up the old grime as you drag it across. Of course, there may be stubborn spots that you need to get with a toothbrush, but they should come off more easily when you alternate with steam blasts.

Remember what your grout looked like when it was new?

Clothing

There are small steamers made to gently sanitize your clothes. The big benefit is that you can get tough wrinkles out at the same time.

Steam clean it while it's hanging up so you can reach both sides.

Ovens & BBQs

Ovens and barbecues are tough to clean. The food gets burned to an absolute crisp and wants to stay there forever. If you're like a lot of people, you'll tolerate a certain degree of old burnt food on there before finally dealing with it. Well, steam cleaning might make this a bit easier.

The reason the burnt food is so hard to remove is because it's now dehydrated. Dry stuff is very stubborn. It wants to stay in place. A blast of steam will start to re-hydrate the food, making it software and more responsive. If your steam cleaner has a scrubbing brush attachment, you can scrub as you go. Be amazed at how neat your oven or BBQ grates look once again.

Remove the yummy food before proceeding. Invite me over if you need help eating it.

Upholstery

If you have a serious couch situation, you can clean it with a steam cleaner. Definitely do a test spot before proceeding though.

If you need to clean up dirty upholstery, you may want to pre-spot treat it first. You don't want to spend too much time steam blasting it, because you don't want water trapped in the padding. Consequently, good wet vacuuming is a must. Suck out as much moisture as you possibly can to avoid creating a moldy situation.

Outdoor Furniture

Sometimes hosing off the old lawn chairs doesn't cut it. The trouble, once again, is the heat that is applied to the chairs. The sun is hard on plastic, and it can create little cracks and pits. This makes even more surface for dirt to adhere to. Plastic is on the MAYBE list when it comes to steam cleaning. You can try it, but be aware that it could warp or otherwise be damaged.

Metal patio furniture, on the other hand, should generally tolerate steam cleaning better than plastic. It can loosen up dry dirt and allow you to get down to that original surface. Your patio table will be the talk of the neighborhood.

Garage Door

The thing with the garage door is its size. You don't want to be scrubbing this by hand.

If you've ever tried cleaning a garage door with a hose, you know it only kind of works. There's still a lot of built up grime left though. It needs something a little extra, and in this case I'd recommend pressure washing. If pressure washing fails, you may consider steam cleaning some of the tough spots.

Aluminum Siding

This is a similar situation to garage doors. Pressure washing might be a better tool here. However, sometimes you run into green algae. The steam can do wonders for wiping that away. Just check out this example below:

Here's a before and after, steam cleaning algae off aluminum siding.

Which Steam Cleaner Should I Get?

I can't say I've done a review on every product out there, but I do have some experience with Dupray. They've got a great assortment of sizes for various needs, as well as a whole boat load of attachment options. My experience with the Dupray Neat has been great for small projects around the house.

What NOT To Steam Clean

As you can imagine, not every surface will take kindly to being blasted with hot water. Here are a few:

• Water Based Paint - Your drywall might not be a good candidate for steam cleaning.
• Already Damaged Items - If your tiles or flooring have cracks, the steam will likely make it worse.
• Unfinished Wood - The steam will creep into those pores and expand.
• Unfinished Ceramic - Same thing as unfinished wood. The steam can get in there and do some damage.
• Anything Delicate - Your old drapes, a wedding dress passed down since 1904, and your cardboard fort.

If you aren't sure if your surface or material would withstand steam, try searching for videos of people cleaning a similar surface. You may hear some tips for your specific situation.