Similar to your carpets and area rugs, your upholstery needs to be professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Upholstered furniture should be cleaned at least once every 18 to 24 months to cut down on allergens and germs that lead to illness.
Don’t forget to ask us to apply our fiber protector immediately after we clean. This will protect your upholstery from dry dirt, skin oils, spills and pet accidents by keeping them on the surface of the fabric fibers. You don’t have to worry about voiding any manufacturer warranties, because our after treatment is safe for most furniture fabrics.
Maintaining Upholstered Furniture
It’s just as important to maintain your upholstery between cleanings as it is to have it professionally cleaned on a regular basis. The main ways of maintaining your upholstery are: vacuuming and cleaning up spills and stains as soon as possible after they happen.
You should vacuum your furniture at least once per week and no less often than once every two weeks. Regular vacuuming will reduce the amount of dust and dirt that settles in your upholstery. Dry dirt and sand acts as an abrasive to your delicate upholstered fabrics, causing cuts in the fibers. This will cause premature aging and wear. Use a crevice tool to get into the folds and an upholstery attachment for the flatter surfaces, when vacuuming. Sprinkling down some baking soda or plain corn starch and letting it sit for about an hour or even overnight before vacuuming will help neutralize most odors on your furniture. For a quick pick-up of pet hair, use using a dryer sheet. The static in the dryer sheet will attract the hair without ruining your furniture.
To clean up spills, blot them up with white paper towels or a clean, white cotton towel. This assures that no color transfer takes place between the towel and your furniture. Work from the outside inward when blotting up spills to keep from spreading the stain. Typically, a mixture of a colorless, mild, vegetable oil based dishwashing liquid and warm water will work on most fabrics for spot cleaning. Check the label on your furniture to make sure you can use water to spot clean. Then, test on an inconspicuous area before cleaning larger areas. For a quick cleanup, use a baby wipe. They work surprisingly well.
Use arm and headrest covers to protect against early build-up of soil from skin and hair. Removable slip covers are also handy for protecting your upholstery, especially if you let your pets on your furniture or you have small children. Keep a couple of slip covers handy, so you can easily strip one off and put on the fresh one. Then, just machine wash the dirty slip cover, so you keep a backup handy.