Furniture upholstery is the most beautiful and comfortable part of your home. However, its cleaning can be a bit tricky. No matter how you care for your furniture, dirt, and stains can still find their way into the upholstery fibers.
Furniture upholstery cleaning can seem difficult as unlike regular clothes, you can’t just put them in the washing machine. Cleaned upholstered furniture is meant to last longer. Therefore, you should know the ways to best clean your furniture upholstery.
To keep your furniture upholstery cleaned and maintained, you can use the following techniques;
- Regular Vacuuming
If you are very serious about cleaning your furniture upholstery, you need to purchase a good vacuum with the right attachments. You also need to vacuum your furniture upholstery at least once a week. If the dirt ad spills persist for longer, they will penetrate deeper into the upholstery fibers. Vacuuming once a week means you are not allowing the dust to damage your furniture upholstery and it will increase its lifespan.
Start with vacuuming in a single direction, and once the entire section has been covered, vacuum again in the opposite direction.
- Read the Care Label
Every type of upholstered furniture has a care label attached to the bottom or sewn into a seam to it. It has several codes on it, where “S” indicated to use only solvent-based cleaners, “W” indicates you can use water-based cleaners, “X” indicates that you can only vacuum the furniture, and “W, S” means you can use water or solvent.
By following these guidelines, you can better clean your upholstery without ruining it. It is also recommended to first try the cleaning solution at one corner of the furniture to make sure it is not damaging or staining your furniture upholstery.
- Apply Moisture Sparingly
It is also recommended to never apply too much-wet cleaning agents to your furniture upholstery. In the case of using excess cleaner, particularly solvent cleaner, the solution gets deep into the padding which can be the breeding ground for bacteria.
Spraying is one of the best ways of applying the solution to furniture upholstery. Just apply a little cleaner and then immediately blot it up using a clean cloth, so that it doesn’t have time to penetrate into the fibers. Repeat until the stain or spot has completely gone.
- Clean Stains Quickly
If you see stains and spills on your furniture upholstery, be quick to clean it up otherwise it would start penetrating into the fibers. You can do it using a clean, dry cloth. And be very gentle while blotting up the stains and spills.
- DIY Upholstery Cleaners
There is no need to buy expensive upholstery cleaners. You can clean your furniture upholstery with the products you may already have in the home.
- For coffee stains: a drop of dish soap + diluted vinegar
- For red wine stains: salt + hydrogen peroxide + some water
- For grease stains: salt for a few minutes + vacuuming
- For blood stains: hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes + blot with a clean cloth
By not following the above techniques, you run the risk of damaging your furniture upholstery which can be a serious problem in the future!
