Not the Greatest Ideas for Cleaning and Maintenance of Your Upholstery

Usually, furniture upholstery is one of the elements of the interior which attracts and accumulates most of the dust, dirt and other residues.  This is why, regular and appropriate cleaning of the upholstery is essential, not only to keep it looking fresh and good but also to ensure that the air in your home or office is clean and will not cause health problems or allergic reactions.

First of all, regular hoovering is a great way to ensure that much of the dust and dirt is sucked off the upholstery, and the residue which can easily get stuck in the sneaky areas of the furniture is removed. In addition, in order to get rid of the harmful dust accumulation in your furniture, make sure that you take them outdoors and beat them by hand to get as much dust out of them as possible.  If you have the opportunity, you can leave them outside awhile to let them “breathe” some fresh air as well.

Since most of us enjoy eating or, at least, snacking on our living room furniture, it is no surprise that the upholstery is often subject to various staining from foods and drinks.  The rule to keep your upholstery as clean and stainless as possible is to act immediately after you spill something on it.  Try to dry out the spill as soon as possible with blotting paper or a clean cloth.  Remember not to rub it because this can cause the stain to spread and to be rubbed in deeper making it very difficult to be cleaned out. 

If there still is a stain after dabbing the spill, then you can go on and use a cleaning solution to carefully treat it.  Always check what the producer has put on the care labels on the furniture or cushion in regard to the washing. 

Using the wrong time of detergent can in some cases ruin your upholstery, so be careful before washing it.  Sometimes, the colours of the upholstery textile will be affected and can actually come off after the use of an improper cleaning detergent.

The gentlest way to treat a stain is to gently dab it with a clean cloth with a warm water and white vinegar solution.  This is a natural and quite efficient cleaning method which you can try when removing stains from your upholstery.

For removal of serious stains and for a full and thorough cleaning of the upholstery and your furniture, it is strongly advised to hire a professional upholstery cleaning company to perform a deep clean once in every 12 to 18 months.  This will ensure that the dirt and the harmful residue is completely removed, the stains are gone, and the upholstery looks and smells fresh and new.