I know upholstery cleaning is not necessarily high on your list of things to do. But someone has to. So let’s see if the following tips might not serve to make it easier and simpler.
Problem – Clinging Pet Hair: Icky stuff that’s for sure. For some it’s like pet hair is all over.
Alright, well rather than shaving the dog or anything else extreme, first defuzz the couch of a light coating using a lint roller. Or masking tape wrapped around your fingers, sticky side out, might work too. Great for more serious cases. There are also pet hair removal tools you can buy. Just make sure you have a bag of some sorts near by to shove the hair balls as you create them.
Make It Easier Next Time: Try a commercial spray that eliminates static or cover your pet’s favorite chair with a washable throw.
Problem – Seat Crevices Filled with Dirt, Dust and Debris: Darn! Makes you wonder where this stuff come from, doesn’t it?
After you have shaken out the soft cushions to eliminate the big stuff approach this challenge with your trusty hand held vac by your side. Or use the upholstery attachment and crevice tool that came with your full sized model to suck up all the nasty dirt, dust and debris. Just take care with stiffer bristles. These can easily damage some fibers.
Don’t Forget to: Look for any look threads or upholstery buttons that may end up getting sucked up into the vacuum bag.
Problem – Crumbs Everywhere. Setting and enforcing a no-food-on-the-sofa rule can help. That and vacuuming the crumbs that mysteriously do show up can keep the problem to a minimum.
Problem – Stubborn Stains: It’s true that spills precede stains. And are going to happen despite your best intentions. Jumping on any spill before the stain has a chance to set is the key to avoiding permanent reminders.
Spills and splatters are going to happen. What counts is what you do subsequently. And how fast you can do it. Initially you want to blot up the spilled material best you can. Just don’t start off rubbing away at the spill thinking you’re doing the fabric any favors. Because such measures usually only drive whatever was spilled further into the fibers themselves. Now for fabrics that are not water safe get out the dry cleaning solvent and apply sparingly. Otherwise try a few drops of dish cleaning soap diluted into a cup of water. You want to dab at the tarnished area being mindful not to soak things.
Problem – No Time For Deep Cleaning: Make the time to do it at regular intervals.
Use the right product for the right material. It’s smart to read the labels attached to your upholstery to check if the fabric requires a professional cleaning. To prevent fiber damage always pre-test the solvent on a spot hidden from view. Keep in mind less is more when it comes to shampoos and cleaning solutions. After cleaning allow the upholstery to dry before letting anyone sit on it.
Attempting to keep upholstery sparkling does require persistence. Yet these useful tips should help to make upholstery clean up nearly effortless. In fact merely vacuuming the cushions frequently in addition to dusting any wooden or metal surfaces tends to take care of more over fifty percent of your furniture care house work. And can help keep it all new looking longer.
