None of the seating furniture will look stylish unless it has elegant upholstery covering it. It is essential for any interior decor to have luxurious seating with comfortable and elegant-looking furniture upholstery. While it does make your interior look amazing, it is still prone to getting dust, dirt, and stains. To keep your upholstery fresh and long-lasting, you must do regular maintenance.
The best way to maintain upholstery is to deep clean it. Today, we will tell you how to clean upholstery, focusing on the sofa and chair.
Upholstery Deep Cleaning: Why Is It So Important?
Deep cleaning upholstery might seem challenging, but its benefits are better in the long run. You can not only extend the lifespan of your furniture, but it also promotes a healthy living environment. Fabrics on upholstery tend to accumulate dust mites, pet hairs, and allergens over time, leading to severe allergies and other respiratory issues. Now, if you know how to deep clean upholstery, you can have a clean and fresher indoors for your family.
Step-by-Step Guide: How To Clean Upholstery Yourself?
Before you start deep cleaning upholstery, you need to differentiate what type you are working with. There are normally two types: fabric upholstery, such as wool, cotton, or silk, and luxury leather upholstery.
(i). Deep Clean For Fabric Upholstery
- The first thing you need to do is vacuum away any dirt and debris from the furniture. When the surface dirt is removed, your upholstery will be ready for deeper cleaning. For effective vacuuming, use brush attachments to remove dirt from all the concealed spaces of the furniture.
- If the fabric has any previous stains, you need to remove them. Most upholstery stains can be treated with a mixture of water and white vinegar. Soak the stain with this solution and blot it.
- To start deep cleaning, make a mixture of detergent and warm water. This is called suds.
- Take a soft fabric-cleaning brush and soak it in suds. Now, gently scrub your upholstery with it. Rub the brush in circular motions, and then use a clean cloth to wipe away the soapy residue.
- Then, take another wet, clean cloth to rinse off the upholstery. Use a dry towel to remove any excess moisture from the upholstery fabric. Let the furniture air dry off any leftover moisture.
(ii). Deep Clean For Leather Upholstery
You need to use a different method when deep cleaning leather upholstery. If not done with care, your upholstery will be damaged beyond repair.
- Use a vacuum with a brush attachment to remove dirt and dust from all the nooks and crannies of the upholstery.
- Make a DIY cleaning solution by mixing 1:1 of white vinegar and water. You can also use a leather cleaner available in the market.
- Use a clean cloth and dampen it with the mixture you made earlier. Now, slowly wipe down the leather upholstery with it. Clean one small section at a time, taking care not to soak the leather. Use a clean cloth to remove any leftover moisture from the leather surface.
- Once thoroughly cleaned, use a leather conditioner to keep your leather upholstery supple and soft for long-lasting use.
1. How To Clean Sofa Upholstery?
Your seating area will not be a seating area without sofa sets. Sofas are the heart of a living room and the most used furniture there. With much usage, they are bound to get dirty. Below are the steps on how to deep clean your sofa upholstery.
- If you have sofa covers, remove them and wash them separately. This will allow you to clean the entire sofa better.
- Vacuum away all the dirt and debris from your sofa, being sure to get into those tight crevices and stitched seams.
- If the sofa has any previous stains, pre-treat them with a mild stain-cleaning solution. Do not rub the stains to prevent them from spreading; instead, blot clean them.
- Make a sofa cleaning solution with a mild detergent and warm water and use the earlier-explained method. Use the right cleaning technique for fabric or leather upholstery. During sofa upholstery cleaning, pay attention to the headrest and armrest.
- Wipe away any soapy residue with a clean, damp cloth, then dry it with a clean cloth.
2. How To Clean Chair Upholstery?
Whether they are accent chairs in the living room or dining chairs, chair upholstery still requires periodic cleaning. The right step for deep cleaning chair upholstery is as follows.
- Vacuum the dirt and debris from the visible surface of your chair upholstery. Use a brush attachment to reach the sides, back, and seats of the chairs.
- Look for any existing stains on upholstery and treat them with a mild stain cleaner. Blot the stains to prevent them from spreading.
- Use a soft-bristled brush soaked in a mild detergent solution to clean your upholstery fabric. Scrub the upholstery in small sections for effective maintenance.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe off any soapy residue and then a dry cloth to absorb any excess moisture. Let your chairs air dry under a running fan to remove any leftover moisture.
Final Thoughts
That was all about how to clean upholstery. Deep cleaning upholstery yourself sounds like a big job, but unless you know the proper cleaning methods, it becomes easy to handle. Make a habit of treating stains and liquid spills on sofa upholstery as soon as they happen.
Doing so makes the upholstery cleaning much easier and less time-consuming and extends your furniture’s lifespan. Use the above-mentioned methods for deep cleaning upholstery, and your furniture will remain in top-notch condition for years.
