Keeping the upholstery in your home clean and sanitised is important for multiple reasons. The most important one is that you are likely in love with watching TV, while comfortably lying on the sofa or snuggled on the chair. Another reason is that upholstered furniture is usually the focal point of the room. This is why it has to always look absolutely perfect.
While it is true that you have to pay close attention to upholstery cleaning, it may not always be easy, as there are certain things you have to keep in mind. Whether it is regular cleaning service or treating an accidental spill or other emergency, you have to be very careful. Using inappropriate solution may not only prove ineffective, but also cause damage to your fabric upholstery. Read the following tips if you want to avoid such problems.
- Clean the upholstery with a vacuum cleaner – it is very important to keep your upholstery clean of dust and other spoils. Vacuum cleaning is the easiest method that you can use to take care of the problem. And, when there is a problem with your upholstery, it is important to first clean the dust and dirt, as it can further dirty fabric when it is wet. During this method of upholstery cleaning you have to use the appropriate attachment of your vacuum cleaner. If vacuuming fails to deal with pet hair, get rid of it with a pet hair remover.
- Effective cleaning of spills – when it comes to cleaning spills on your upholstery, it is important to keep in mind that it pays to act quickly and efficiently. But often times you can forget that when a spill occurs you don’t have to panic and come in rushing with a sponge, cloth or towel to rub it off. That would be a mistake, as rubbing and scrubbing will only cause the stain to spread further and set in a large area. Instead, what you should do is blot it by applying gentle pressure with a clean cloth. Do this as soon as possible, and you will not require further upholstery cleaning. Do consider that blotting stains up is also effective in other aspects of home cleaning, such as when dealing with stains on your carpet or rug.
- Determine the type of upholstery cleaning you need to use – this is very important, as using the wrong type of cleaning solution can actually cause damage to your upholstery. The main factors that determine the type of cleaner are type of fabric and the type of stain you are dealing with.
- Type of Upholstery – various fabrics can be used for upholstery, among which cotton, wool, silk, linen, acetate and many others. To make matters even more diverse, the upholstery may be dyed with various colors and in different ways. Additionally, you should take into account the age of your upholstery – if it is old one, you might want to resort to professional cleaning service. There is a code that can help you determine the type of upholstery, which is located on the tag – W stands for cleaning with water, S stands for dry cleaning only, WS stands for cleaning with water and dry cleaning solvent and X stands for upholstery that should be cleaned by professionals (you may only vacuum and brush it) and you should avoid using any upholstery cleaner on it.
- Type of stain – there is no product that will work against all types of stains, this much you should know. You have to carefully determine the type of cleaner you use for the stain, or otherwise you will not be very effective.
- Commercial or homemade upholstery cleaner – there are merits to using your own homemade cleaning solutions, especially if you have tested the product before and found it effective. Many homemade cleaning solutions work well for stains or general sanitation, so you should not be quick to discard the idea. If you want to be sure your upholstery cleaning is going to work, or you don’t know how to make your own cleaner, you can always buy a commercial product.
Upholstery cleaning is not an easy task, but you have to do everything in your power to maintain the good looks of your upholstery. Definitely consider professional cleaning service if you are unsure of anything.