Fabric furniture, or upholstered furniture, can be a very comfortable but also a beautiful part of the home decor, but when it gets dirty it can start to look like an old couch that bums sleep on under the freeway. Without regular upholstery cleaning your prized furniture can start to smell bad, look bad, even make you feel bad because the dust it collects can make you itchy or irritate your lungs.
Cleaning upholstery can seem like a great challenge to a lot of people, you can not just throw your furniture into the washing machine with some detergent like with clothing. You need to employ some special techniques or even to hire professional upholstery cleaning services to properly maintain your furniture.
If you have some fabric furniture that you want to clean, but you are wondering what is the best upholstery cleaner or the best method for cleaning upholstery, we have put together this guide with some very helpful tips to make sure you are doing the right things to clean your upholstery.
DIY Techniques
You really need to be cautious when attempting to clean upholstery on your own, as the wrong techniques can damage furniture. Be wary of products advertised as upholstery cleaners at the store, as sometimes these products are simply more than you need and using them incorrectly can be bad for your furniture.
When you are wanting to clean your upholstery, the best way to start is with your vacuum cleaner. You want to use the auxiliary tube and use the upholstery head if you have one. They normally look like a smaller version of the floor vacuum. Use the upholstery head, gently going over the upholstery in a horizontal pattern, then going over it in a vertical pattern.
If that does not take up the dried on stains, you can go over the spots that need extra attention with an upholstery brush or a similar medium soft bristle brush. That should loosen some of the stain particles and raise the upholstery fibers, making them easier to clean. Next go over the spot with the vacuum again and that should take the stain up.
This technique can be used for regular maintenance of your upholstered furniture. You should do this type of cleaning at least every month, but the more often the better, as stains have a way of working their way down into the furniture to where they can be impossible to get out.
Wet Stains
If you make or find a wet stain on your upholstery, you need to act fast to get it up as soon as you can. Start by blotting the stain with a clean, dry, sturdy cloth. Paper towels or other cheap rags can be shredded up by the upholstery and leave behind tiny fibers that might actually make the stain look worse.
You do not want to rub a wet stain either, that can actually spread the stain and push it deeper into the upholstery. Be gentle with your blotting, trying to soak as much of the stain into your cloth as possible. Use clean parts of the cloth so that it will be able to absorb more.
Once you have blotted up as much of the stain as possible, dampen your cloth and rub the stain in a small gentle circle no bigger than the stain. Make sure you are not getting the upholstery too wet.
If you can still see the stain, make a paste of water and baking soda and cover the stain with the mixture. Let it sit until the paste dries, then vacuum it up. This should lift any more of the stain out of the upholstery.
Renting an Upholstery Cleaning Machine
You have probably seen upholstery cleaning machines for rent or for sale at your home improvement store. Unfortunately, these machines are usually not as effective as the methods we have formerly described here. They can end up just being a waste of time and money.
The main problem with these machines is user error. If you do not have any training in using the machines, they can be complicated and a lot can go wrong. A big mistake people make is to put too much water on their furniture, which can have a hard time drying, and then they can start to grow mold.
Too many people try to use these upholstery cleaning machines and fail miserably. They end up having to call a professional cleaner anyway, and then there is no guarantee that they will be able to save your furniture.
Professional Upholstery Cleaning
No amount of DIY upholstery cleaning can take the place of having a professional upholstery cleaning. To maintain your furniture and make it last a lot longer, you should have your upholstered furniture cleaned at least once per year.
You may think this sounds like too much and too expensive, but it will make your furniture seem almost like new with every professional cleaning. Imagine how much buying new furniture every year would cost. It is much cheaper just to have your furniture professionally cleaned.
With professional cleaning, your furniture will last a lot longer. This will save you some time and money, and will also help you keep your bulky furniture out of landfills. We all need to do our part to keep the planet clean, and maintaining your furniture is a great way to keep waste out of landfills.
Professionals use steam cleaning machines and other techniques that are not available to the average homeowner. They have the proper training to use the machines correctly to make sure that your important furniture stays looking and feeling its best.
Steam cleaning gets deep into the upholstery, killing any bacteria that may be making its home there, as well as lifting out dust and debris. You simply can not clean that deep into your furniture on your own, and that dust that gets down into the furniture will cause it to wear out faster.
The best method to clean your furniture and make it last a long time is to get the help of professional upholstery cleaning. You can even have your carpets cleaned at the same time, making your whole house super clean and a joy to live in.
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