Starting spring steam cleaning

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Previously I have spoken about doing a big spring clean in January, I like to get organised at the start of the year and having a big clean is a good way to help with that. But that doesn't mean that I don't do a spring clean in spring. As the weather is slowly improving and we're seeing more of the sun I start to notice a few things that could do with a good clean. That's why I've been starting my spring cleaning process this past weekend.



A good tidy


I spent some time this weekend cleaning, or rather tidying the house. Picking up bits and pieces that didn't belong. Putting shoes in the shoe rack rather than on the kitchen floor. Putting Xbox controllers and games back into the cupboard instead of being on the floor. It's amazing how just a quick pick up can make the house look loads better.





Excuse the mess, but we live here.

Roseanne Barr





Sofa maintenance


Our sofa is quite a few years old now, it's been subjected to toddlers jumping up and down on it. Sickness bugs. School aged children climbing all over it. And then there's the temper punches when the kids fail at one of their games.

Starting Spring Steam Cleaning | Our sofa is looking old and worn these days.
 This sofa is more than 14 years old, and it's looking it. It needs a boost.


It's been showing signs of age for a while and I thought it could do with a good clean. So when Wayfair got in touch and asked if I'd like to review something I thought a steam cleaner could be useful. I'd heard that using them on leather sofas was a great way to clean them. With that in mind I decided on a steam cleaner.

We have a brown leather sofa, it's about 14 years old now and is looking worn. I tried to give it a good clean before the steam cleaner arrived but it was a lot of work. It took so much scrubbing that I hurt my arm and couldn't stretch it out all the way the day after I'd done the cleaning. That's why I was hoping the steam cleaner would work. 

When I received the steam cleaner I gave it a quick go on our sofa but it quickly became apparent that steam cleaners and leather sofas don't go together. Not only was it not easy to clean but I think it could've damaged the leather a little. I stopped before I damaged it properly. 

Sofa maintenance is still on our list - although we have just bought some sort of dye that will hide the more worn areas. Until I can come up with a better plan that will have to do for the sofa. 



Kitchen floor


Our kitchen floor is made of tiles, it's fairly easy to clean but as I had a steam cleaner I thought I'd give that a go. It would be lovely if I could just run the steam cleaner over the floor instead of having to get the mop and bucket. Again though I was disappointed.

Starting Spring Steam Cleaning | My kitchen floor looking rather dirty!
 After cooking the night before the kitchen floor could do with a good clean!


The steam cleaner, although it did actually clean the floor very well, left a cloudy layer on top of the tiles. So instead of it being just one job, it turned into two - and that's not really what I was after. I wanted to be able to use the steam cleaner and leave it at that, so again I decided I'd stick with the mop and bucket.

Starting Spring Steam Cleaning | After steam cleaning the kitchen floor I still had to get the mop out!
I still had to get the mop out after steam cleaning - boo!





I look forward to spring cleaning and putting things in their place. It's therapeutic for me.

Kimora Lee Simmons





Steam cleaning


So far I hadn't had much success and I was starting to worry about this review. The steam cleaner wasn't working as well as I'd hoped on anything I'd tried so far. 

But then the Hubby suggested trying it on the tiles around our downstairs bathroom sink. In between the tiles, where the grout goes, was looking grimy and old. The last time I tried to clean it I had to use a toothbrush and lots of effort on my part to shift it.

Starting Spring Steam Cleaning | Our tiles looking worse for wear, they need a good clean.
In between the tiles always gets so grimy!


After the unsuccessful tries I didn't hold out much hope that it would work on the tiles either. I had started to think that the steam cleaner was a waste. 

It didn't take long, just a minute or two, to realise that this is what the steam cleaner was made for! The dirt and grim in between the tiles lifted easily and with a quick wipe it was sorted. The whole area took me about 20 minutes, with drying in between a few bits. While the grout was still wet it did look like it could be stained from all the dirt but once it had dried properly it looked like new! I couldn't believe that I'd managed to get it that clean with such little effort. I suddenly had a huge smile on my face.

Starting Spring Steam Cleaning | Our tiles looking better after using a steam cleaner!
The perfect job for the steam cleaner!


Finally having some success with the steam cleaner I had a few ideas for where to use it next. Our bathroom has tiles all over the walls and it's been wanting a good clean for ages. And now I have just the tool to use, it shouldn't even take that long - I just need to make sure to dry it before the drips hit the carpet! 

Once I've cleaned the bathroom walls I'm going to try the steam cleaner on my cooker. There are areas that get grimy and rather than trying to scrub it with a metal brush I'll give the steam cleaner a go  first. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it'll work. There's also the glass on the cooker door - maybe it'll work on there too?


While I had little success to start with, once I'd worked out the kinds of jobs the steam cleaner is good for I was very happy with it. It was easy to use, simply filling the compartment with water and turning it on. It has a long handle, for when you're trying to reach high up areas or using it on the floor, that you can detach so you can use the cleaner as a handheld machine too. The machine does get hot, so you have to be careful when you're finished. You don't want to try and empty the thing straight after using. 

When it comes to cleaning I like machines that don't take a lot of messing about to use and this steam cleaner is one of those. It doesn't take much to get it sorted for use and putting it away is just as easy. I'm so glad we have it and now that I know where to use it I'm looking forward to getting the other things cleaned.



Have you tried a steam cleaner?




If you enjoyed this post you'll like How to get organised for the new year, so you'll have more time for you or if you're looking for more cleaning tips check out Cleaning hacks to save you time.

Stop by Facebook and let me know how you're getting your spring cleaning done.

And don't forget to grab the Wonderful Winter Activity Book to keep the kids busy so you can get your cleaning done in peace!


Shank You Very Much



My Random Musings