Do You NEED To Vacuum Before Steam Cleaning? Getting The Stains Out For Good
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How long did it take you to choose the perfect carpet that matches your home’s vibe?
Carpeting your home requires dedication, creativity, and a bit of looking ahead: as beautiful and comfy your carpet is, you’ll need to know how to properly keep it clean and healthy so it could last you a long time and keep tying your home into one synchronised living space.
Steam cleaning your carpet is the best way to achieve both a clean and a healthy environment for your family. But is it enough just to go over the carpet with a steamer, and how does the good ol’ vacuum cleaner fit into the entire process?
When the time for thorough cleaning of your carpet comes, steam cleaning is the most efficient way to get all the stains out. Whether you’re going to deal with the carpet yourself or are hiring a professional to do the work, vacuuming the carpet before the steam does its magic is NOT an option: it’s mandatory!
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How To Prepare Your Carpet For Steam Cleaning?
Nevermore will your eyes, heart, and soul start to burn when the stain starts staring at you!
Follow these steps to make the preparation for steam cleaning easy as Sunday morning:
1. Preparing The Terrain: Clearing Out The Room Before Steam Cleaning
Before you start cooking, you make sure that there’s enough space in the kitchen for you to perform miracles, right? Same with steam-cleaning.
Remove everything from the room: furniture goes without saying, but also, don’t forget toys that might be laying around, bits and pieces of this and that you’ve been keeping for God knows why, and hey – there’s your mobile charger that you thought you lost last year! Celebrate by putting it somewhere you can find it with ease next time and keep it clear from the carpet.
2. Getting The Machine Up And Running: Vacuum Cleaner Comes Before The Steamer
There are many reasons you should vacuum before steam cleaning. Here are some of them:
- The small particles of dust which may later, in the process of steam cleaning, stain the carpet will be removed
- You will get rid of the hair that’s been intertwined with the carpet fibers
- You will make the carpet fibers fluff, automatically loosening deep down dirt from within and making it easier for the steam cleaner to get the job done
3. Pre-Dealing With Stains: Ensuring Success
Before the steam cleaner arrives in the room, it’s a good idea to treat the most arrant stains with proper chemicals. You probably don’t even have to go shopping to successfully complete this task: all you need is washing soap and vinegar to make the stains stay away for good.
Congratulations, you are now ready to steam clean your carpet!
All By Myself: Help, I Need a Tutorial on Steam Cleaning Carpets
You’re in the right place then!
Although this article is NOT meant to teach you how to perform steam cleaning by yourself, but to answer the forever existential question of “do you need to vacuum before steam cleaning carpets”, we will let you in on a few basics:
- Steam cleaner has a water tank that needs to be filled with distilled water. Fill it up. You can add a cleaning solution if you like, or can use scented distilled water brands.
- The water needs to heat up and boil. Wait for it to do so.
- You want dry steam. To make this happen, adjust your steam cleaner’s settings for a high temperature and low pressure.
- Take straight rounds across the carpeted room. Cover every corner and dirty spot.
- Exit the room. The carpet takes about 6 to 8 hours to dry well. If there is an emergency which requires you to step over your freshly cleaned carpet, put on white cotton socks to walk over it.
Vacuum Before Steam Cleaning: But What About After?
Before steam cleaning, vacuuming is a must, but after what about after? Not many people think of this question, even though it’s a perfectly logical thing to ask. (Even when the answer isn’t the most pleasant thing to hear!)
And no, you are not obsessed if you feel the urge to vacuum after the carpet has dried from steam cleaning. You are just on to something!
As the carpet dries after being steam cleaned, the dirt that was too deep to reach from the carpet-base might surface. Vacuuming when the carpet is completely dry removes this last bit of dirt. There’s one fact for the go-ahead!
Vacuuming soon after the carpet is dry restores the pile to its plump, fully-fluffed state, giving you a better-looking, softer carpet to walk on. Who says you can’t hear a sentence? This one is followed by the sound of a vacuum cleaner approaching from behind.
Frequently Asked Questions About Steam Cleaning Carpets
How does steam cleaning work?
Steam cleaning carpets is a process that works like a charm – that’s the short answer.
Behind the scenes, steam cleaning looks like this: when you treat the dirt and dust particles that have been adhering to your carpet fibers with hot steam it makes the dirt become loose and gets broken down by the heat from the water vapor. It’s then easy for the steam cleaner’s mop to remove the dirt. If you vacuum after steam cleaning, you make sure that nothing is left behind, and you can relax and enjoy your (almost) brand new (old) carpet.
How long does steam cleaning take?
We all hate “it depends” answers, but – this time it depends is the only true one. Steam cleaning itself can take you about 20 minutes on average, but the preparation (scroll up to see the steps) and the finishing touches may prolong the process.
Steam cleaning does not require special dexterity. But if you live in a mansion and decide that you want to perform cleaning your gigantic living room by yourself this may turn into a lifelong project.
Does steam cleaning help sanitize your home?
Yes. Steam cleaning is the most natural way to keep your home sanitized and healthy. Steam cleaning kills germs, viruses, and molds. Even the strongest pathogens like E. Coli and Salmonella are not immune to steam’s powerful sanitizing properties.
