Cleaning Upholstery

Upholstery cleaning services are expensive and unnecessary. With a little bit of work, and weekly maintenance, your upholstery will continue to look like new for years to come. The most important part about cleaning is prevention. Keeping your fabric clean can be as easy as a few minutes per week. Vacuuming your couch or arm chair on a weekly basis will help remove dirt and other grit. Like a wood floor, if a couch goes un-vacuumed, dirt and grit will build up on the surface. As you sit on the couch, it will rub in to the fabric and be tricky to clean later on. Another good prevention tip is fabric protection. This will help repel dirt, spills, and other messes. However, it's important to note that this is not a full proof solution, and should not be relied on. You should still vacuum the fabric often no matter what. If your couch has cushions that can be turned over, this technique is suggested as well. It's recommended that every few weeks you flip them over. This will spread the standard wearing of the cushion out, and give your sofa a longer life span.

If you still happen to get a stain on your sofa, it's not the end of the world. There are a wide variety of techniques that have been proven to work. The first and easiest method to clean your upholstery is a steam cleaner. Going over the whole piece of fabric with a steam cleaner will make it look and feel like new. However, you should always check with the manufacturer before using one. Some fabrics will actually shrink and be ruined if steam cleaned. Another option to get stains out is stain remover. Soak the area in question with stain remover for a few minutes. You can then rub the stain with a wet rag. Make sure not to apply water directly to the fabric, and that you dry it as much as possible when completed. Another lesser known way to get stains out of upholstery is baby wipes. They contain a little bit of soap, but not actually enough to harm your fabric. This will work on spills, and other hard to remove stains. A little known product called Tuff Stuff can work wonders on old upholstery. It can completely remove stains that have been formed over the years, and can be found at any local grocery store. It will give your upholstery that new look and feel that no other cleaner could do.

Like all furniture, it's recommended you test the treatment you're using before you actually apply it. Find a small area of fabric that won't be seen often, and try the cleaner on that part first. If there are no adverse effects, you can continue using the cleaner on the rest of the fabric. When buying upholstery such as a sofa, you can ask for a warranty on it. Some manufactures will offer a cleaning service that will get out any stain. If they can't remove the stain, they will replace the upholstery in question for free. Remember: when in doubt, always contact a professional.