Home · Cleaning · Best practice · Hot-water extraction versus steam on upholstery
Cleaning best practice
The short answer
Hot-water extraction injects solution and vacuums it back out with the soil; steam cleaning applies heat and moisture but leaves the soil in the fabric.
The two are often sold as the same service. Only one of them physically removes what is in the fabric.
How it is done
- Identify the fabric code before anything wet touches it.
- Pre-treat, agitate gently, then extract in overlapping passes.
- Make dry passes until the recovery tank stops filling.
- Move air across the piece afterwards to shorten drying.
Why it matters
Under-extraction is the cause of nearly every complaint about upholstery cleaning: a stiff feel, a returning stain that wicks up as it dries, or a smell a day later.
questions
Asked about this
It wicked. Soil left deep in the padding travelled up the fibres as the piece dried. It signals under-extraction rather than a failed product.
No. Some fabrics are solvent-only and some are not cleanable in place at all. The manufacturer's code decides, which is why we check before starting.
references
Background reading
- Carpet cleaning — Wikipedia
- Upholstery — Wikipedia
External encyclopaedia entries for the underlying concepts. They explain the science; the practice above is how we apply it in UAE properties.