steam cleaning curtains? I don't get it ..won't they just be wet?

[ggirl]

I don't really get steam cleaning...if it doesn't suck out the dirt how does it get rid of it?
My steam cleaner has no suction

I think a lot of people confuse "steam" cleaning with wet extraction carpet/upholstery cleaning. There are machines that will use hot water, but it's not actually boiling or anything. The heat is good for dissolving the chemicals and helping to lift greasy deposits, but I don't think it's the norm to "steam" fabric.

Your typical professional carpet/uphostery cleaner will use hot tap water in the tank and then the machine will extract most of the moisture through a vacuum hose. Some people call this "steam" cleaning but it's not.

The steamers you're talking about won't do your curtains any good. They'll just make them wet, like you said. They may damage the fabric or cause soiling to set and stain.

but on the same note how does my steam cleaner clean anything?
it just blasts steam
it has worked on carpet stains but I guess we've mopped up the stuff it's blasted out

I've just hoovered the curtains..not going to bother steaming them now

I guess it works by getting the surface really moist and hot, which makes some things easier to shift. Hot molecules move faster and so things get dissolved more easily.

You're lucky it worked on the carpet stains. It could have made them worse. (Although you may have known what they are.)