Your family’s living room couch and loveseats are an important part of your home. The kids could come home after school and plop down in front of the TV, it could set the scene for Friday night movies, or lazy afternoons could be filled with laying on the couch. This couch is sometimes quite an investment for families, so when stains begin accumulating and it doesn’t quite feel right anymore, what are you going to do about it? It’s only been a year or two since you purchased it so it’s too early to shop for a new one. When you want to try putting off a professional upholstery cleaning for a little longer, here is some information and tips on how to clean your couch. When home-cleaning the couch isn’t going to cut it, call your local San Antonio carpet cleaning specialists at Steam Master Cleaning.
Caring For Upholstery
It is essential to clean up spills and stains as soon as possible after the accident happened. When it is removed as quickly as possible, a permanent stain could be avoided. Before you begin cleaning, see if you can find a tag on the fabric from the manufacturer with the preferred cleaning method for that material. There are four cleaning codes in which manufacturers adhere to.
- W – Use water-based cleaning products. When using this type of cleaning product, use distilled water only. Water from the tap could cause rings or faded stains.
- S – Use mild, water-free cleaning products. The upholstery should be dry cleaned in order to avoid shrinking the fabric or ruining the dye.
- S/W – This means the material can be cleaned using solvents or water-based products but should be done by a professional upholstery cleaning company.
- X – This code refers to materials that can’t be cleaned using solvents or water-based products or else risk shrinking the fabric or destroy the backing. The couch should only be vacuumed with an upholstery brush.
Upholstery Care Tips
- Try to keep upholstery away from direct sunlight. This can be a challenge when a common place for your couch is right under a window. In this case, pull the blinds down when the sun is bright.
- Keep cushions from wearing in only one place by fluffing them regularly or rearranging them.
- Use an upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum weekly to clean the furniture.
- Have an upholstery cleaning done annually to remove any buildup of residues.
- Try to limit the amount of spray cleaning products.
Upholstery Leather Tips
- One of the major worries with leather is that it can fade from direct sunlight and/or heat. To prevent this, try to arrange the furniture away from windows or pull the blinds or curtains when it is sunny.
- Because leather is preserved by the tanning process, regular dusting and vacuuming is enough to clean the couch.
- If a spill occurs, use lukewarm water and use the rinse and blot technique. Use a clean dry cloth to soak up moisture.
If an accident occurs involving red wine, blood, or juice, it’s important to act quickly so that the stain doesn’t set into the material. With these accidents, use the rinse/blot/rinse technique using a mild soap that is mixed with water. With juice stains, try vinegar-water and for blood stains, mix a little table salt into warm water.
When cleaning your upholstery at home, it’s surprising how effective the rinse and blot method is, but you need to act quickly and use the right kind of cleaning product. Like recommended above, have a professional cleaner come once a year to ensure that your couch lasts for years and remains clean and stain-free. Steam Master Cleaning in San Antonio can help you out with upholstery cleaning, duct cleaning, carpet cleaning, and more. Call today for an appointment.