A sofa is a beautiful piece of furniture that you wish to last longer. You want it to remain new, but dirt, pet stain, and maybe an accident spill make it dirty and ugly. Upholstery cleaning can be a challenge to many. Where to start with the cleaning process, should you use water or steam are some of the questions you might ask yourself. Another problem is that most upholstery cover cushions. If it traps moisture, it won’t be easy to dry it. Don’t worry about wrecking your loveseat. Follow these five basic steps and proceed with your upholstery cleaning.
Understand Your Fabric Codes
How do you know the type of your fabric? A tag on your cushion or under the sofa has necessary instructions and recommendations on cleaning your sofa fabric. Read and understand the abbreviation.
- W: water cleaners are acceptable.
- S: dry cleaning is acceptable
- WS: mild water and dry cleaner detergents acceptable.
- X: vacuum cleaning or professional cleaning.
Once you know your sofa fabric, get started.
Understand Your Fabric Codes
After reading and understanding your fabric codes, gather your supplies and start your upholstery cleaning. Here are some things you may need: vacuum, bristle brush, leather conditioner, gloves, baking soda, spray bottle, and many more. You only assemble what applies to your upholstery. Mistakes can lead to damaging your beautiful furniture, so follow the instructions properly.
Vacuum Your Furniture Thoroughly
Start your upholstery cleaning with vacuuming to remove loose dirt and dust easily. Sometimes you will see some dust particles sticking on the upholstery. Use your bristle brush to loosen them for better vacuuming. Vacuum clean your upholstery regularly, maybe once a week, to keep them free from dirt particles. If these dust particles are left unremoved for a while, they will get lost inside the cushion, making it impossible to come out even with professional cleaning.
Remove Upholstery Stains
After vacuuming, you can now see stains. Here, remember your fabric type to know the exact detergent to use. The pigments are also different, some come out easy, others don’t. If you are using water, be careful not to wet the cushion. Too much water will take longer to dry, grow mold and have a bad smell. A steam cleaner can be a better option. It goes deep in the couch without getting it so wet. It will kill any bacteria and allergen that may have found a home on the sofa, leaving it clean.
Let Your Upholstery Dry
Whether you have used water to clean or not, your upholstery needs to have time to dry. It is advisable to keep the cushion on the edges to allow the seat to dry. You might feel some odors after cleaning coming from your sofa, don’t worry, it will ease after some time. If the smells do not stop, it means you might have used too much detergent, and you need to call a professional cleaner.
Sitting on a clean and beautiful sofa feels good. Don’t watch your upholstery stink. Follow those simple steps to clean your sofa and a clean house.
