Most of us have some upholstered furniture, but not all of it is the same. You need to understand the basics of fabric care and how to clean it. This can also help before the fact, as you consider how easy it is going to be to take care of furniture before you actually buy it.
Vacuuming Upholstery
Furnishings turn a room into a comfortable place to relax. If you take care of them properly, you’ll also keep furnishings looking good while they contribute to your enjoyment. If your house has very young children or pets, it may be an extra chore to maintain upholstered furniture, but it would be well worth your effort to do so carefully.
It’s pretty simple to avoid some types of damage to your upholstered furniture. For example, to avoid fading fabrics, don’t “let the sunshine in” — at least when it comes to direct exposure for your upholstery. Indirect sunlight is best in this case, and you can control the light with curtains, blinds, drapes or shades. For quick cleanup, keep moist wipes close by to deal with spills as soon as they happen.
Vacuuming
The best way to keep your upholstery clean over the long term is to vacuum frequently. This will help prevent dirt, dust and stains from becoming embedded in your upholstery fibers and helps keep them looking new.
Here are some quick tips on vacuuming:
- Before you start, check for worn spots in the fabric, debris they could clog your vacuum, and loose buttons and threads.
- Tighten or repair buttons before you vacuum, and clip loose threads.
- If your vacuum has a soft brush attachment come use it. Keep this attachment free of oily residue and clean in general. You can also buy two of these attachments and use one just for your upholstery. A crevice tool will also help you clean a tight spots in corners.
Cleaning Upholstery
Crucial tip: Always make sure to follow cleaning label and furniture manufacturer instructions before you apply any product to your upholstery.
Deep clean: Depending on how soiled you furniture gats and its color and pattern, deep clean your furniture every year or two. You can do this with do-it-yourself cleaners, commercial cleaning, or phone cleaners.
Avoid soaking the fabric or furniture structure with upholstery cleaner.
Rinse well to get rid of all soap residue so that dirt is not attracted to your now clean upholstery.
You should use a cleaning product that has a soil retardants so that future stains are somewhat prevented. If you’re not sure, check the directions on the label or talk with a professional cleaner about the effectiveness and use of soil retardants. If you have a problem with frequent soiling, a soil retardant that is in spray silicone form can prevent stains and dirt from setting. If this type of treatment was done by the manufacturer prior to your purchase, such as with ScotchguarI, make sure you use compatible cleaning products whenever you clean your piece of furniture.
It’s inevitable that you’re going to get spills, especially if you have small children. To keep your furniture clean, look at the care instructions or keep the instructions handy in a household notebook. Test your cleaning method first on the spot that’s not easily seen, and if there’s still a ring around the stain after you clean it come you’ll need to deep clean the entire cushion or piece of furniture.
Blot spills to get them up, and don’t rub them. Do this as quickly as you can with a white or light colored rag, or with a white paper towel. Don’t use colored towels or paper towels with print on them because this could transfer dye or ink to the piece of furniture.
If you’ve had a particularly large spill, remove as much of the spill before you clean with a clean rag, piece of toweling, etc., then blot the rest up and treat the stain the remains.
Remove slipcovers to spot clean, so that you know that the upholstery under the slip cover is not soiled. You can also place a clean folded towel under the slipcover to protect the upholstery while you spot clean the slipcover on the furniture.
Removing pet hair
You can remove pet hair quite easily with a clothes brush that has either a napped fabric head or a bristle head to collect pet hair. You can also look for a brush like this to be sold in pet stores. If you have nothing else in the house and you really need to pick up pet hair, it’s pretty easy. Just wrap masking tape around your hand, with the sticky side out, and brush along the furniture to pick up loose hair and lint.
The Basics of Fabric
Cotton fabrics are often used for upholstery, but how durable they are depends on their finish and weave. If the cotton fabric has been prewashed, as is often true of slipcovers, you should be able to clean it with soap and water. Check the manufacturer’s recommended cleaning method before you clean anything, though. Cotton fabrics will fade if you leave them in direct sunlight.
Cotton blends are a great choice for families, because their kid friendly and sturdy. Apply a stain resistant finish to make them easier to clean.
Canvas is a good choice for family room furniture or other furniture that’s going to get lots of rough-and-tumble use because it’s really durable. It does show grime and hold onto dirt particles, however, so vacuum frequently. If it’s prewashed, you can probably pop smaller slipcovers into the washing machine instead of trying to spot clean them.
If your covering is damask, this is a formal choice and should be vacuumed gently and brushed without breaking threads.
Microfibers are a great new addition to home furnishings, with a large color range and a soft and pleasant feel. They also are stain resistant and can usually be cleaned quite easily with soap and water. This is a good choice if you have children.
Wool and wool blends are durable and sturdy, and are good to use on chairs and sofas. Blends are pretty easy to spot clean, but you should check your manufacturer’s recommended cleaning method before you clean.
Silk is very delicate and only suitable for areas used by adults, such as formal living rooms. If it gets soiled, it has to be professionally cleaned. Keep it out of direct sunlight to avoid fading.
Sunbrella fabrics are superior for stain resistance, and can be used either indoors or out. They’re also sturdy and stand well against fading. They’re a great choice for busy families.
Leather furniture can be a good choice; damp wipe or vacuum as you need to, using very little water. If it needs to be cleaned, use saddle soap or leather conditioner, buffing thoroughly after you clean to remove any residue.
Suede furniture can be vacuumed with a soft brush attachment. Only clean with leather cleaners specifically made for suede. You can remove small spots with art gum erasers, but do not clean with water.
About the Author…
Leon Tuberman has been in the furniture and home decorating business for almost 40 years. He operates a popular home furniture store and showroom in the San Fernando Valley. They offer American made Arts & Crafts and Mission style bedroom, dining furniture and mission office furniture for your home or office. His store takes pride in offering furniture that’s built to last for generations. It doesn’t matter if your looking for oak bookcases or American made wood desks, they carry only the best in American made quality furniture at everyday affordable prices.