Steamy chance

I gave a lawn chair cushion destined for the dumpster a steamy chance at survival this week.  I dragged the cushions for all of the chairs from the back of a closet only to discover that our cat (‘September’) at some point between last Fall and this week had decided that one of the cushions would be her little ‘nest’.  (Now I know where she was hiding every time company came over this past winter!)

So, I vacuumed the cushion.  Still, cat hair remained woven all through the fibers. I steamed it with my EnviroMate VIVA’s triangular brush with a terry cloth over it. The cushion looked fresher and brighter after steaming of course but still had too much cat hair remaining on it to let anyone other than September continue using the cushion.  A last ditch effort ensued by removing the terry cloth from the triangular brush and steaming the cushion at the same time as gently rubbing the bristles of the brush in a circular motion all over the cushion. The results were fantastic! The combination of steam and the firm bristles of the brush lifted all the cat hair from the cushion.

Getting creative with the steam cleaner attachments spared me from having to invest in a replacement cushion and it renewed my affection for September.  Here’s a picture (not for the faint of heart) of the Viva brush with some of the hair it removed. Oh, and a picture of the culprit – who was also given a second chance…she still has nine left.