Cleaning With a Garment Steamer & Other Uses You Didn't Know About
Contents
- 1 Can You Use a Clothes Steamer to Clean?
- 1.1 Sanitize countertops
- 1.2 Reduce and remove grease
- 1.3 Removing wallpapers, stickers and labels
- 1.4 Refresh upholstery
- 1.5 Rejuvenating surfaces
- 1.6 Defrosting the freezer
- 1.7 Clean windows and mirror surfaces
- 1.8 Remove rug and carpet stains
- 1.9 Clean car fabric
- 1.10 Seat and spot cleaning
- 1.11 Unclogging
Garment steamers are easily among those ‘must-have’ home devices that can come in really handy, especially due to their versatility in every-day home use. With a fabric steamer, you will be shocked to learn that you can benefit from several other uses. Yes, your steamer can do a whole lot more than just straighten your wrinkled clothes. (1)(2)
Can You Use a Clothes Steamer to Clean?
If you have been using your steamer exclusively for straightening clothes and delicate fabrics, then it is obvious that you are under-utilizing your device. Below are 11 surprising garment steamer uses you probably didn’t know about.
Sanitize countertops
Since garment steamers rely on high pressure steam to function, the steam can also come in handy when sanitizing kitchen counters. Due to its temperature, the high-pressure steam has the ability to wipe out bacteria and leave your surfaces spick and span.
By virtue of being among the most used areas in your house, it is inevitable for kitchen and bathroom counters to accumulate dirt over time. As a result, it is important to disinfect such home countertops every now and then to prevent hygiene related infections.
Luckily, due to the use of high-pressure steam, a garment steamer provides an eco-friendly, chemical free way to eradicate bacteria from your countertop surfaces. To remove the dirt from your counters, ensure you are armed with a dry cloth to wipe out the condensed steam from the targeted surfaces.
Reduce and remove grease
The kitchen environment is convenient for grease accumulation. As you must have noticed, cooktop surfaces, utensils, oven doors, fans and other frequently used home equipment tend to have regular grease build-up. Without proper cleaning, chances are high that the grease will build up gradually and eventually destroy your equipment; or in even worse situations, expose your family to various health risks.
With a garment steamer at your disposal, you will manage to remove 99%, if not all the grease. To do so, you will need to direct your nozzle towards the targeted greasy area and wipe off the grease once it has melted.
Despite being effective at removing caked up grease in your kitchen area, you should always be cautious of the risk of burns when using the device; that is, avoid standing too close to the surfaces you are cleaning.
Removing wallpapers, stickers and labels
Removing stickers and labels can be a daunting task, especially when looking to avoid damaging the surfaces. Stickers and wallpapers are known to leave surfaces in bad shape due to the goop that usually remains. Worry not, though, as with a clothes steamer, you will no longer struggle to remove sticker or wallpaper remains.
To remove the sticker remains, all you have to do is point the steamer towards the surface, and release the steam until the sticker comes off. Before using your steamer to remove sticker and wallpaper goop, allow the device to heat up and convert water to steam. The higher the steam temperature the more efficient the steamer at removing glue or wallpaper remains.
Refresh upholstery
In addition to removing stickers completely off of surfaces, your garment steamer can also help in refreshing your upholstery. Although hard to believe, curtains, beddings and furniture covers can be cleaned and refreshed by the use of a steamer. All you have to do is point the nozzle towards the targeted areas and steam until the surfaces appear crisp clean.
A steamer will help you minimize trips to the dry cleaner which translates to increased savings. However, when using a steamer to refresh your upholstery, it is advisable to be extra careful to avoid damaging fabric.
Rejuvenating surfaces
Your garment steamer is also useful when it comes to rejuvenating surfaces such as floor and bathroom tiles. Over time, grout usually accumulates in between tile surfaces making them appear unattractive. Bathroom tiles are usually affected with mold, especially if not cleaned regularly. Accumulated mold can dampen the appearance of your bathroom, making it look dull and unhygienic.
To restore a kitchen or bathroom surface to its initial appearance, point the nozzle in the hard-to-reach spots and clean thoroughly with a brush. When aiming to rejuvenate dull surfaces, remember to be consistent as you will need to remove the dingy gout regularly for your surfaces to remain clean and rejuvenated.
Defrosting the freezer
When in a rush, defrosting your freezer can feel like a lifetime activity. Luckily, through the help of a steamer, you can defrost your freezer quickly, and with ease. Since garment steamers rely on high pressure steam, the high temperatures will help melt and break the ice into large, manageable chunks. You can then proceed to wipe out the large pieces of ice with a cloth before cleaning your freezer.
However, since a garment steamer is an electronic device, it is advisable to take extra caution when using it on your freezer. Avoid bringing the steamer in direct contact with water from the freezer.
Clean windows and mirror surfaces
Another unbelievable benefit of fabric steamers is their ability to clean mirrors and window surfaces. Getting that streak-free, squeaky clean look is not a hard task for your steamer.
In fact, all you have to do is identify the surfaces you want to clean and proceed by pointing the nozzle. The condensed water will remove all the dirt which you can then clean further using a squeegee.
For best results, it is advisable to allow water to heat enough until it becomes steam. Due to high pressure and temperatures, steam is effective in removing notorious stains, or dirt on your windows and mirrors.
Remove rug and carpet stains
When dealing with items such as carpets and curtains, it is important to avoid permanent stains as such stains make your textiles look unattractive. A small stain can easily ruin your expensive curtain or carpet.
However, through the use of a garment steamer, you can remove the stains immediately they occur. Steamers are known to remove tea stains among other common type of household stains. However, if your rug or carpet has chemical stains, you might need to consider using more complex stain removal techniques.
Clean car fabric
Your car seats and interior, too, can benefit from a garment steamer. It is not unusual to spill drinks or stain in your car every now and then. However, with the help of a handheld steamer, you can access difficult-to-reach areas and clean up your car before the dirt accumulates.
Also, since spilling products such as milk can leave your car with a stale smell, it is advisable to steam stained surfaces immediately you reach home. By using the steamer regularly to clean your car's interior, you will never have to deal with bad smell, grease, or stains whenever you are on the move.
Seat and spot cleaning
With a garment steamer by your side, worrying about cleaning seat stains will be a thing of the past. In fact, your seats together with other fabric surfaces at home can benefit from the use of a steamer. When you want to clean a specific area, point the nozzle and ensure you hit the surface with enough pressure. On top of removing food and soup stains from your seats and dining chairs, a handheld steamer can leave your furniture looking fresh and new.
Unclogging
Most people who own clothes steamers rarely use them for unclogging pipes or blocked surfaces. When unclogging or looking to remove oil from pipes or even kitchen sinks, using a steamer can make your work fairly easy.
If looking to unblock a kitchen sink, point out the nozzle to the sink area and release the high-pressure steam. Within minutes, the high temperature steam will melt the oil causing blockage and consequently allow water to flow easily down your sink.
Although the product is designed to straighten fabric and remove notorious wrinkles, the garment steamer, as is evident, can perform several other functions at home.
As always, before using the garment steamer, be sure to practice caution since it is an electrical appliance and can cause injury and damage if used incorrectly. Now that you are in the know about the various uses, do not hesitate to utilize your steamer effectively, especially when looking to clean different areas in your home.
