Tips for Keeping Furniture Clean
Unlike carpet and flooring, furniture is often overlooked when it comes to cleaning a home.
It’s safe to say that most people spend the majority of their time in their home sitting on their furniture. Because upholstery and furniture get nearly the same amount of use as the amount of traffic carpet gets, it’s easy to see how furniture can get very dirty very fast.
Similar to carpet, upholstery fibers act like a sponge and soak in all the dirt and moisture they’re subjected to. Therefore, it’s likely your furniture is even dirtier than it might appear.
Because much of the dirt lives deep within the upholstery fibers, you will want to have your furniture deep cleaned once every 12 months by a professional cleaner in Kenosha in order to protect its value.
But, there are also daily, preventative steps you can take to help reduce the amount of dirt that’s on the surface of the furniture and limit the amount that seeps into the cushions, arm rests and back rests:
Vacuuming
Vacuuming isn’t just for carpet, especially with the new-and-improved vacuum cleaners on the market today. Most canister vacuums come equipped with several handheld attachments, including brushes, perfect for running across your furniture’s upholstery. Regularly vacuuming your furniture will prevent a buildup of pet hair, dirt and germs that could potentially soil your furniture’s cushions and fabric over time. Be sure to get down into the cracks between the cushions and the back as well as their may be dirt that has fallen there unknown to you.
Throw Pillows
It’s very easy to maintain the quality of your decorative pillows. In order to keep pillows clean and fluffy, simply toss them in the clothes drier once or twice a month. Doing so should knock off a lot of dust with having to lift a finger.
Slip Covers
If you live in a home with pets or children, it might be impossible to avoid some spills or pet hair. Therefore, if you truly want to protect your furniture upholstery, it might be a good decision to purchase arm rests or a slip cover. Slip covers are designed to fit over an entire piece of furniture and come in a variety of colors or patterns to match your décor. When a slip cover gets extremely dirty, you can remove it very easily and clean it in your washer and drier.
Call the Professionals
As mentioned above, due to the extreme amount of use furniture receives, it’s almost inevitable that it will get dirty over time, likely deep within the fabric fibers. Therefore, it’s a good rule of thumb to have your upholstered furniture cleaned once a year by a professional.
Nature’s Way Chem-Dry cleans carpet and upholstery using 80% less water as steam cleaners and rental machines. Less water means you will be free to sit on your furniture within hours of their service as opposed to days later. Less water also means there is very little chance of residue being left behind or mold growth occurring due to damp fabric.
Chem-Dry’s methods are green-certified and completely safe for pets and children. Their cleaning solution, The Natural®, can be found on the FDA’s G.R.A.S. list for environmentally friendly products.
November 7, 2014 at 5:03 pm
Great tips! Some upholstery fabrics are harder to clean, but with a bit of research you can generally find what to use and what not to use. Thanks for sharing.