Upholstery Cleaning Tips

I thought I should talk to you about some very important things you need to know about cleaning upholstery. What I mean by this term, is the stuff in your home that is like your couch, sofa, chairs, etc. Things that are covered with a fabric, that are soft. I've always had trouble cleaning stains and just general dirt off my couch, especially the on upholstery that is white. I'm going to give you some tips that are really going to help you out.

Tip 1: Clean it on a regular basis

The odd thing about most people is that they won't clean up their furniture until it looks dirty. This is an odd thing because the longer that you have something left uncleaned, the less air that is going to travel through the material and the harder it is going to clean. Simply giving it a cleaning a few times a year is enough for you to avoid any sort of stain and dirt problems that won't come out.

Tip 2: Check the upholstery tags

You're going to find a tag somewhere on your furniture like your couch or chair. Typically it is hidden under the cushions. What this is going to tell you is exactly what you can do and what you can't do. The last thing you want to do is put some sort of cleaning product on the fabric, and the couch turns a completely different color. Make sure you stay within the limits of what the tag suggests, so you don't end up making a simple stain much worse.

Tip 3: Steam is your best bet

You can typically get some sort of steam cleaner to use on your upholstery. Essentially it is very hot water and shouldn't cause any issues with the fabric on it. The reason that steam is the safest is the fact that you don't have to use any chemicals or anything along those lines. All you're using is hot water and there is no chance you're going to destroy your furniture.

Tip 4: When in doubt, shampoo

If you've gone through the steaming process and you still feel like your furniture looks dirty, than the next step is that you shampoo it. This is something that requires a little more work. Make sure you get shampoo that is designed specifically for the type of furniture you're working on. Another important rule when doing this is only do it on a sunny day. You'll want to take the couch outside to sit in the sun and dry.

Obviously you won't end up in the shampooing situation if you stick with tip 1 and try to clean your upholstery on a regular basis.