Is It Safe To Steam Clean Sofa?

Sofas need periodic cleaning to keep them fresh, clean and striking. Dirt from body sweat and oils can become embedded on their fabric, dull their colors, change their texture and cause musty odors. Spills that go unwiped may also form part of dirt, together with dust that get grounded into the fibers. If this is the case and you want to give your sofa a new appearance, you must be thinking of sofa cleaning.

Do you want to do sofa cleaning and wondering whether steam cleaning is a good option? One thing for sure is that steam cleaning is a great option when it comes to cleaning your home- every part of your house can be left spotless with steam. One of the main concerns when it comes to sofa steam cleaning is safety. Safety of both the sofa and the person doing the cleaning. How safe is it to clean sofa through steaming? Are they any dangers involved or precautions needed to be taken? Consider the following:

Safety of the sofa
· Not all sofa upholstery can be steam cleaned. Always look at the manufacturer��s tag to determine whether your sofa can be steam cleaned before you begin any cleaning procedure.
· A sofa with a tag of X code is definitely a no no for steam cleaning. This means that water can damage the fabric and so this particular sofa cannot be cleaned through steaming. It can only be dry cleaned.
· W tag stands for ��water�� meaning that you can clean the sofa with a water-based cleaning product.
· S tag means that you can use a solvent or a water-free product to clean the sofa. This means that cleaning with a water-base product could fade away the dye or leave a water ring.
· SW tagged furniture can be safely steam cleaned. It means it is ��Solvent and Water Safe��. Most furniture belongs to this category.
· If your sofa is made of delicate fabrics such as silk, do not steam clean it as silk is fragile and steaming it would be an automatic damage.
· If your sofas do not have such tags, it is advisable that you consult the manufacturer to determine whether it can be steam cleaned or not, before you make a mistake of steam cleaning a sofa that is supposed to be dry cleaned.
· Before trying any stain pre-treater or cleaning solution, try it on a hidden area to monitor the impact first.
· Try applying it on inconspicuous area and leave it for some time before wiping it with a damp cloth. Check the impact it has on color or texture. This should tell you whether that specific cleaning solution is safe for your sofa.
· Check the manufacturer��s manual for the steaming machine to adjust it to fit that specific area you are cleaning. Check for upholstery attachments and adjust them right so that you do not find yourself using the ones for main floor cleaner.
· For the safety of your sofa, do not do vigorous scrubbing. Excess friction on your upholstery fabrics may damage them.
· It could be safe to steam clean your sofa, but then the warranty indicates otherwise. Probably the warranty advocates for professional upholstery cleaning and you want to DIY steam cleaning. This could invalidate the warranty.
· After steaming your sofa, you will still need to wipe them with a cloth for you to safely say that you have done sofa cleaning. This is because the steam��s work is to loosen dirt, but then removing it is left to a piece of cloth.

Safety of the person doing the cleaning
· Steam cleaners can reach high temperatures which can burn or scald you. You need to put on protective clothing and goggles when steam cleaning to avoid these burns.
· Excess steam may cloud in the room in the process of sofa cleaning. This may impair your vision, something that can be controlled by pausing steaming until the cloud evaporates.
· Steam cleaners always come with instruction manuals. Be keen to follow all of them to the later to ensure safety of both the furniture and yourself.
· Room ventilation is necessary when steam cleaning regardless of whatever you are cleaning. In some cases, the upholstery cleaning products are dangerous especially if they contain organic compounds.
· If you have used such products, ensure to open all your windows and doors to let the smell escape. Once they have dried, they are safe. But before they dry, they can cause respiratory problems when inhaled.
· Steam cleaning in a well-ventilated room is also good because drying of the cleaning substance will be faster than in an enclosed room. The sofa is able to air thoroughly, hence drying up quickly.
· When cleaning your cushions, ensure that the first cleaned side dries first before cleaning the other. This is to ensure that steam does not build up due to undried upholstery as it may cause respiratory problems when inhaled.
· Once you have all your windows open and probably a fan, there is no need to introduce a heat source directly to your sofa. Air will circulate well in a ventilated room and in the next 6-8 hours, you sofa will be dry.
· Introducing a heat source may be risky because this could possibly result to a fire outbreak.

How is steam cleaning safe and good for sofa cleaning?
After you have ensured that it is safe to steam clean your sofa, go ahead and do it because of the following reasons:
· It is eco-friendly because it does not involve chemical usage.
· Steam is able to evaporate quickly, so your sofas dry faster when compared to cleaning with water.
· Difficult-to-clean crevices and cracks of sofa can be excellently cleaned through steaming.
· Hard-do-dissolve substance can be easily dissolved by steam. Any chewing gum, glue and ground-in-wax stains can be easily cleaned through steaming.

If you were not sure whether sofa steam cleaning is safe, now you know. Both your safety and that of the sofa depends on whether you take the precautions required and follow the instructions as indicated. Reading the manufacture��s guidelines, steaming as required and letting your sofa dry completely will ensure that sofa steam cleaning is safe.