My Go With a Steam Cleaner That Sucks Stuff Up

Alright, so the armchair was looking seriously sad. Spills, general grime, you know how it gets. Decided it was time to try one of those steam cleaners, the kind that sprays the hot stuff and then sucks the dirty water back out. Seemed like a solid plan.

First things first, I dragged the machine out of the closet. Checked the tanks – one for clean water, one for the dirty stuff it pulls out. Gave the whole chair a good vacuum beforehand, figured it'd be silly to suck up loose crumbs with the wet cleaner.

Next, I filled up the clean water tank. Just used tap water, though some folks say distilled is better. Didn't add any fancy cleaning chemicals this time, wanted to see what steam alone could do. Plugged the thing in, switched it on. It took a minute or two to heat up, making some gurgling noises.

Testing it Out

Found a spot on the back of the chair, low down, where nobody really looks. Didn't want to mess up the main part if the fabric reacted weirdly. Sprayed a bit of steam using the trigger, let it sit for maybe ten seconds, then used the nozzle to suck it back up. Pulled the nozzle back slowly. Checked the spot. Looked okay, no color running or anything. Good to go.

Getting Down to Business

So I started on one of the arms. Sprayed the steamy water mix onto a section. You could see the fabric get damp right away. I let it soak in for just a bit, maybe half a minute, thinking it would help loosen the dirt. Then, I went over it slowly with the suction nozzle. Man, you could hear the water getting sucked up, and see the fabric getting slightly drier behind the nozzle.

I worked in small sections, maybe a foot square at a time. Spray, let it sit briefly, then extract. Overlapping each pass a little bit. It was kinda satisfying, doing this rhythm. Spray, wait, suck. Spray, wait, suck. Some tougher looking spots needed a second pass, maybe even a third. I just kept at it.

• Spray the section with steam/water.
• Give it a short moment to work.
• Slowly drag the suction nozzle over it.
• Repeat until the section looks clean.
• Move to the next section.

The Dirty Reality

After doing just the arms and the front part of the seat cushion, I checked the dirty water tank. Whoa. Seriously, the water was disgusting. Like, muddy brown. It's crazy how much filth was hiding in that chair. Had to empty it out already. Rinsed it quick and went back for more.

Finished the seat cushion, then moved onto the backrest. Same process. It took a while, probably a good hour just for the one chair, moving methodically. My back was feeling it a bit by the end, leaning over and all that.

Wrapping Up and Drying

Once I'd gone over the whole chair, I did a final pass just sucking, trying to get up as much moisture as possible. The fabric felt pretty damp to the touch, definitely not soaked, but wet. I opened a window and aimed a small fan at the chair to help it dry faster. Didn't want it getting musty.

Last step was cleaning the machine itself. Emptied that nasty dirty water tank again – still gross. Rinsed both tanks out really well with clean water, wiped down the nozzle and let everything air dry before putting it away. You gotta clean your cleaning tools, right?

The chair looked way better the next day once it was fully dry. Not brand new, obviously, but the difference was huge. Seeing that tank of dirty water was proof enough for me. Yeah, it's a bit of work, but totally worth it for heavily used stuff.