Tips For Taking Care Of Your Upholstered Fabric

As the sofa is a core part of the interior decor, you want to maintain it in top condition. Situations vary from one house to the next, and from business to business. You may be a single individual just starting out life on in your own space, a couple moving together or getting separated and shifting to your new residences, a new family with young kids, household with pets, hotel handling hundreds of guests on a daily basis, consultancy office or nursing home, art gallery, club with revellers partying all through the night- giving the furniture in your establishment a long lifespan depends on how well it is taken care of. Here are tips to protect your set:

• Start by getting the right upholstery

You want to get it right from the word go. This means when making a purchase, that you acquire the sofa that is suitable to your particular situation. For instance, silk units are classy and stylish, great for the formal adult areas. However, the material can easily get ruined in a house with kids or pets- so if you have the little ones rummaging about, you want a material that is more durable- the likes of corduroys or even microfibre blends. If you’re going for a unit that will be used in the home office or library, where the traffic is minimal, you can splash on luxury, going for the velvet upholsteries or a high-thread-count cotton sofa. Textured blends with wool are also ideal for the rooms that are not heavily used. With kids and pets, going for smooth cotton that can be washed as often as is needed is also a plus. There are dozens of material to choose from, including polyester, nylon, olefin, all through to units like leather sofas. They each come with their strengths and drawbacks, and are developed to address particular decor needs. Getting down to the nitty-gritty, assessing which unit will work for your home or business premises is key.  The colour scheme, strength of the material, construction of the sofa- these are all factors that come into consideration. 

• Be quick with spills

When a glass of wine gets knocked over, that coffee mug that accidentally drops from the sofa arm onto the cushions, nail polish accidents, inkblots- whichever kind of spill that is formed on the upholstery, how you fast you react to it will make a huge difference when it comes to removing it. Even when the upholstery has been treated with water- and stain-repellents, ignoring the spills will put it at risk of permanent stains. Blot up the spill as soon as you can, in order to minimise the amount of liquid that seeps into the structure. Got trouble with stubborn stains on your unit? Don’t fret- the sofa cleaning professionals are here for you. 

• Move the cushions

You don’t want to wind up with permanent dents on the cushions due to uneven wear. The simple measure of moving around the cushions prevents this. Rotating them, fluffing them- these are quick tasks that will go a long way to even the wear and reduce the dilapidation of your unit.

• Vacuum the sofa

There will be dust and allergens slowly accumulating on the sofa. Vacuuming is key in removing the loose particles that are on the unit. It also reduces that amount of dirt that is getting embedded into the fibres of the material. Note that the vacuuming is not a replacement for the sofa cleaning, as there will still be soiling that is ingrained within the upholstery. The goals of vacuuming is to reduce the rate of the dirt and allergen build up, which will also slow down the wear effects on the sofa, as the particles are abrasive.  Soft-bristled brushes also come in handy to gently wipe away the dirt. 

• Improve the air circulation in the room

Pollutants from everyday activities- like cooking or smoke, are a threat to the upholstery. The material will absorb the particles, which will increase the amount of grime within the unit, and also make the furniture uncomfortable to use. After all, you don’t want to be hit by a whiff of smoke odours whenever you sit back to relax on the sofa. While it is not possible to completely remove the air pollutants from getting absorbed by the sofa, measures like ensuring that there is proper ventilation in the interior space will help in reducing the rate at which it happens.

• Call in the experts for the cleaning

A thorough sofa cleaning will be occasionally needed, and you want to ensure that your unit is in the hands of the professionals. Taking it on as a DIY project comes with its wide range of risks. For starters, there are high chances of the wrong cleaning products being used. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach when dealing with the different types of upholsteries. From the fabric sofas- be they natural or synthetic materials, to the leather units- including aniline and semianiline sofas, they each require their unique cleaning methods. The solutions that are effective in getting rid of the dirt and stains on other surfaces in the establishment can wreak havoc on your sofa, causing permanent damage. All-purpose cleaners, saddle soaps, ammonia-based and bleach-based agents, vinegar and other common formulations used by DIY enthusiasts- these can ruin your sofa. When it comes to cases like overwetting, it can result in increased drying times that bring about the risk of mould and mildew growing, and there may be issues such as shrinkage of the fabric upholstery. In cases of leather, water itself can end up making things worse, from causing the stains to seep deeper into the material, to forming water stains. These are not outcomes you want for the sofa cleaning process. Blunders can also be made when one uses the cheapest services available. Here, there is a high likelihood that shortcuts have been taken along the way. It can be anything from relying on untrained personnel, using low capacity machinery which makes the process take longer and not yield satisfactory results, or the company may not be insured, which means that you are exposed to liabilities in case there will be an accident while on your property. Turning to the professional sofa cleaning services will enable you to avoid these headaches. 

Tips For Taking Care Of Your Upholstered Fabric