How to Deep Clean your Upholstered Furniture
15 August 2022
Cleaning your upholstered furniture may not be something you think about very often, but it is vital to keeping a clean and healthy home.
Fabric is an excellent place for germs, odors, pet dander, dust, and any other small particles we have floating around our homes to hang out and make us sick.
Your lifestyle and the use of your upholstered furniture will determine how often you should deep clean it. Vacuuming and spot cleaning should be a regular part of your cleaning routine, but a deep cleaning doesn’t need to be done so often. You can aim every six months to keep on top of it, or if you don’t use the furniture as often, it will suffice once a year.
Everyone’s cleaning schedule will differ depending on your house and the people living there.
Learning how to deep clean your furniture is the first step.
advertisement
It’s the same process for all your furniture when it comes to cleaning them. It is suggested, however, to do a spot check in a spot that isn’t noticeable to ensure the fabric won’t be ruined during the cleaning process. It’s also smart to check the manufacturer’s label for cleaning directions.
Most fabric will be fine, but it’s best to read the label, do a spot test, and if you’re unsure, you can do a Google search or reach out to a professional cleaner for some advice.
Step 1: Vacuum to remove debris and dust
Start by vacuuming your entire couch, chair, mattress, or whatever piece of furniture you are cleaning. Remove cushions and pillows and vacuum them as well.
A good schedule to aim for is to vacuum furniture once a week, but life happens, and sometimes vacuuming isn’t a top priority. However, regular vacuuming goes a long way in preventing particles from getting deep into the fabric’s weave, making removing them much more difficult.
Ensure you get every part of your furniture when vacuuming—arms, back, around button nooks, seams, corners, and tufting. You want to be thorough.
Step 2: Spot clean stains
After you have all the dust and debris vacuumed up from your furniture, you will want to treat any stains. As said before, always do a spot test or follow the manufacturer’s labels to ensure you don’t ruin the fabric.
A great stain remover is a baking soda. All you do is put some baking soda on the stain; you can mist it with some water or leave it dry, let it sit for about 15 mins, and then vacuum it up.
Step 3: Deep clean
Now it’s time to deep clean your upholstery. You don’t need anything fancy or special. You can use liquid detergent, warm water, and a microfiber cloth to scrub your furniture.
If you are cleaning a couch or chair with covers on the cushions, you can easily put them in the washer and dryer for a good clean. Just be mindful of not using too hot of water. You don’t want them to shrink.
You can use a vinegar and water solution to clean your upholstery. After you mix equal parts water and vinegar, dampen a microfiber cloth and wipe down your furniture. Followed by a mixture of warm water and dawn dish soap, wipe everything down again, and then a final wipe with a damp microfiber cloth to remove any soapy residue left behind.
Your furniture will inevitably pick up a foul smell at some point. It might be sweat, cigarette smoke, dog or cat smell, or even food that has been spilled on it. While you may not smell it, it can be very noticeable when you have people over, and nobody wants to be the person whose house smells bad.
Baking soda is a great odor neutralizer. You must sprinkle the baking soda on your furniture, let it sit on your furniture for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up. If the smell is strong and the baking soda isn’t cutting it, you can also try a powdered carpet cleaner. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda on, and let it sit for about 30 minutes or even overnight before vacuuming it.
Creating a routine for deep cleaning and deodorizing your furniture will greatly affect how your house smells and how long your furniture lasts.
advertisement
If you have just bought a new to you piece of furniture, but it still smells of its previous owner, or you have recently had an illness go through your home, it is a good idea to disinfect your furniture after deep cleaning it.
After you have completed the steps above, your furniture should be looking good but still might be harbouring some nasty viruses, bacteria, or even fungi.
You can spray your furniture down with a disinfectant made for upholstered furniture or create your own using two parts rubbing alcohol to one part water in a spray bottle. Always do a spot check in an area that is hidden on your furniture to ensure the disinfectant won’t ruin the fabric. Let your furniture dry before sitting on it.
You can also use a steam cleaner to disinfect your upholstered furniture. This is a wonderful option if you are trying to reduce the chemicals in your home since a steam cleaner only uses water and heat to disinfect. Steam cleaning kills 99% of bacteria and viruses. They are also versatile house cleaners. You can use a steam cleaner on your upholstered furniture, floors, and bathrooms.
Another option for disinfecting your furniture is to put it outside in the sunshine. This obviously has its limitations. No one wants to drag their couch or mattress outside, but smaller furniture that is easy to move, like a chair, can be put outside first thing in the morning and brought in during the evening hours. The sun’s UV rays are great for killing bacteria and viruses, and the fresh air will eliminate foul odours. Be sure to check the weather before hauling your furniture outside; you don’t want to be scrambling to get your furniture in while it’s raining.
Learning to deep clean and disinfect your furniture properly is essential when it comes to keeping a clean home. It does not have to be a complex process. With the proper knowledge, you will have clean furniture that isn’t going to make you or your family sick and last a long time.
advertisement
Thank you for signing up!
"*" indicates required fields
advertisement
How to Deep Clean your Upholstered Furniture
15 August 2022
Cleaning your upholstered furniture may not be something you think about very often, but it is vital to keeping a clean and healthy home.
Fabric is an excellent place for germs, odors, pet dander, dust, and any other small particles we have floating around our homes to hang out and make us sick.
Your lifestyle and the use of your upholstered furniture will determine how often you should deep clean it. Vacuuming and spot cleaning should be a regular part of your cleaning routine, but a deep cleaning doesn’t need to be done so often. You can aim every six months to keep on top of it, or if you don’t use the furniture as often, it will suffice once a year.
Everyone’s cleaning schedule will differ depending on your house and the people living there.
Learning how to deep clean your furniture is the first step.
advertisement
It’s the same process for all your furniture when it comes to cleaning them. It is suggested, however, to do a spot check in a spot that isn’t noticeable to ensure the fabric won’t be ruined during the cleaning process. It’s also smart to check the manufacturer’s label for cleaning directions.
Most fabric will be fine, but it’s best to read the label, do a spot test, and if you’re unsure, you can do a Google search or reach out to a professional cleaner for some advice.
Step 1: Vacuum to remove debris and dust
Start by vacuuming your entire couch, chair, mattress, or whatever piece of furniture you are cleaning. Remove cushions and pillows and vacuum them as well.
A good schedule to aim for is to vacuum furniture once a week, but life happens, and sometimes vacuuming isn’t a top priority. However, regular vacuuming goes a long way in preventing particles from getting deep into the fabric’s weave, making removing them much more difficult.
Ensure you get every part of your furniture when vacuuming—arms, back, around button nooks, seams, corners, and tufting. You want to be thorough.
Step 2: Spot clean stains
After you have all the dust and debris vacuumed up from your furniture, you will want to treat any stains. As said before, always do a spot test or follow the manufacturer’s labels to ensure you don’t ruin the fabric.
A great stain remover is a baking soda. All you do is put some baking soda on the stain; you can mist it with some water or leave it dry, let it sit for about 15 mins, and then vacuum it up.
Step 3: Deep clean
Now it’s time to deep clean your upholstery. You don’t need anything fancy or special. You can use liquid detergent, warm water, and a microfiber cloth to scrub your furniture.
If you are cleaning a couch or chair with covers on the cushions, you can easily put them in the washer and dryer for a good clean. Just be mindful of not using too hot of water. You don’t want them to shrink.
You can use a vinegar and water solution to clean your upholstery. After you mix equal parts water and vinegar, dampen a microfiber cloth and wipe down your furniture. Followed by a mixture of warm water and dawn dish soap, wipe everything down again, and then a final wipe with a damp microfiber cloth to remove any soapy residue left behind.
Your furniture will inevitably pick up a foul smell at some point. It might be sweat, cigarette smoke, dog or cat smell, or even food that has been spilled on it. While you may not smell it, it can be very noticeable when you have people over, and nobody wants to be the person whose house smells bad.
Baking soda is a great odor neutralizer. You must sprinkle the baking soda on your furniture, let it sit on your furniture for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up. If the smell is strong and the baking soda isn’t cutting it, you can also try a powdered carpet cleaner. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda on, and let it sit for about 30 minutes or even overnight before vacuuming it.
Creating a routine for deep cleaning and deodorizing your furniture will greatly affect how your house smells and how long your furniture lasts.
advertisement
If you have just bought a new to you piece of furniture, but it still smells of its previous owner, or you have recently had an illness go through your home, it is a good idea to disinfect your furniture after deep cleaning it.
After you have completed the steps above, your furniture should be looking good but still might be harbouring some nasty viruses, bacteria, or even fungi.
You can spray your furniture down with a disinfectant made for upholstered furniture or create your own using two parts rubbing alcohol to one part water in a spray bottle. Always do a spot check in an area that is hidden on your furniture to ensure the disinfectant won’t ruin the fabric. Let your furniture dry before sitting on it.
You can also use a steam cleaner to disinfect your upholstered furniture. This is a wonderful option if you are trying to reduce the chemicals in your home since a steam cleaner only uses water and heat to disinfect. Steam cleaning kills 99% of bacteria and viruses. They are also versatile house cleaners. You can use a steam cleaner on your upholstered furniture, floors, and bathrooms.
Another option for disinfecting your furniture is to put it outside in the sunshine. This obviously has its limitations. No one wants to drag their couch or mattress outside, but smaller furniture that is easy to move, like a chair, can be put outside first thing in the morning and brought in during the evening hours. The sun’s UV rays are great for killing bacteria and viruses, and the fresh air will eliminate foul odours. Be sure to check the weather before hauling your furniture outside; you don’t want to be scrambling to get your furniture in while it’s raining.
Learning to deep clean and disinfect your furniture properly is essential when it comes to keeping a clean home. It does not have to be a complex process. With the proper knowledge, you will have clean furniture that isn’t going to make you or your family sick and last a long time.
Thank you for signing up!
"*" indicates required fields
advertisement
advertisement
