Furniture looks so good when it is new, it feels soft and comfortable and adds so much intrigue to a room, then after some years it normally starts to get discolored, can get damaged and may start to stink, but you can prevent your furniture from getting old by learning some upholstery cleaning tricks.
You make a big investment when you buy furniture, so you certainly should do your very best to keep it looking good for as long as possible. That way you get the most out of your investment, and your furniture will not take up space in a landfill. It is good for your wallet, and good for the planet to maintain your upholstered furniture.
If you have some upholstered furniture that you would like to take better care of, we have created this list of the top four tricks to refresh your upholstery. Cleaning upholstery is a good skill to have so that you can keep your furniture looking and smelling the best that it can.
It is not always in the budget to replace furniture that seems old and worn out. With these upholstery cleaning tricks you will be able to prolong the life of your furniture so that you can enjoy it longer and not feel embarrassed about it looking dirty or distressed.
Vacuum Regularly
One of the easiest tricks you can do to refresh your upholstery is to start making a routine of vacuuming it on a consistent basis. You want to aim for at least once per week if that is possible, but the more the better. Buying a good vacuum with an upholstery brush would be worth the investment to keep your couches and other furniture looking good.
Vacuuming is so critical because over time dirt will make its way deeper and deeper into the upholstery fibers. This dirt not only looks bad, it can be abrasive against the upholstery fibers and tear them. Once the upholstery fibers are torn, they are pretty much ruined and will need to be replaced.
Regular vacuuming makes it so that dirt won’t be able to penetrate deep into the upholstery fibers, you suck it up before it even has a chance. Professional upholstery cleaning always starts with a thorough vacuuming, because surface dirt is one of the biggest problems for furniture, and getting it out will make a big improvement.
Dirt that penetrates deep into furniture can pose another problem, it can become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, viruses and fungi. These can make your furniture smell bad, they can break down the fibers and they could even make you sick.
Having a consistent and frequent schedule for vacuuming your furniture is a sure fire way to make it last as long as possible.
Clean Spills Fast
Spills and accidents are bound to happen on your furniture, there is just no way to avoid it, but if you act fast and use the right upholstery cleaners you can get rid of the spill and it won’t be a lifelong scar. Cleaning the spill as quickly as possible is the key, as the longer it has to soak into the upholstery, the harder it will be to get the stain to come out.
When cleaning a spill from upholstery, be sure to blot at the stain, rather than rubbing on it. Soak up as much of the spill as you can with a clean, dry cloth, then you can start blotting with a damp cloth. You never want to use too much moisture on a piece of upholstered furniture. If moisture gets too far down into the cushion, it can stay there a long time and mold can take a hold and start to eat away at the furniture.
For dry spills you can vacuum them right away to not allow any particles to start making their way into the upholstery.
It is important to never rub really hard on upholstery, rubbing too hard can fray the fibers of the upholstery and it will start to look fuzzy. Rubbing can also push particles deeper into the upholstery, making them more difficult to remove.
Make Your Own Upholstery Cleaning Solution
There are a plethora of upholstery cleaning products available to consumers, but make sure you never accidentally buy a rug cleaner, it could damage upholstery. You can also make an excellent upholstery cleaner with products you may already have in your home. To make your own upholstery cleaner, you should first find out what kind of upholstery you have and what kind of cleaner should be used on it.
You can find this out by checking for the manufacturer’s care label, which is normally sewn onto the underside of the furniture. This label will have a code which can tell you which type of cleaners can be used.
A “W” means that you should use a water based cleaning product. An “S”means that you should use a solvent or alcohol based cleaner. “W/S ” means that you can use water or solvent based cleaners. Following this code will ensure that your cleaning product will not damage your upholstery.
To make a water based upholstery cleaner, just mix one cup of water with one third cup of dish soap. Whisk the mixture until it foams, then put a small amount of the foamy part onto your upholstery. Be careful not to get the upholstery too wet. Let the solution work into the upholstery for a few minutes, then blot it out with a clean dry cloth.
To make a solvent cleaning solution you can simply use rubbing alcohol or even vodka. You can add some essential oil if you want to have a fragrance in your upholstery refresher. Spray your alcohol onto your upholstery lightly, let it sit a few minutes, then blot it as dry as possible.
Hire Professional Upholstery Cleaning Services
To really get your upholstery looking its best, you need to consider getting the help of upholstery cleaning services. An upholstery cleaning service will have all of the best tools that will make refreshing your upholstery easy and effective.
A couch cleaning service will come to your home and do all of the hard work for you, and they will do a much better job than you can do. Hiring professionals is the sure way to make your furniture last as long as possible.
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