How To Clean Upholstery Without Causing Damage
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009
The upholstery one owns usually isn’t the target of a cleaning regimen- but sometimes even furniture gets dirty enough that a real solution must be found to clean it. From your average dust to annoying stains or spills, there are vastly different solutions to take depending on the upholstery type and the type of stain in question.
Before any cleaning is done, the first step is to maintain a logical composure and assess the damage. If the problem is just a little dust or something else somewhat minor, a vacuum can come in very handy. Vacuums will sometimes help spread the dust, so be sure to supplement the plan with some form of wet cleaning solution if it becomes a problem. For vacuum use, a brush attachment usually works best if available.
While a little dust or dirt here and there is easy to clean off, stains from other sources can be another story entirely. Case in point is with pizza sauce or grape juice- two common enemies to anyone’s upholstery. Grape juice itself tends to get deep down into cloth upholstery, and tends to stain the surface of leather. Depending on what the material is, the solution to cleaning the upholstery is entirely different- making need for a professional fairly vital.
Those in the business of cleaning upholstery recommend applying a cleaning solution to a very small part of the upholstery. If a reaction to the cleaning solution doesn’t appear within a few minutes, it is generally considered safe to proceed with a more rigorous cleaning. But do keep in mind that using a small amount is key in preventing further stains or reactions.
In some instances, upholstery may have be meticulously replaced in order to get the problem area clean. Some types of stains, such as paint on leather, are near impossible to get off without causing damage to the leather. This may require a complete replacement or a target “patch” to clear tigns up. In that case, an upholstering cleaning business should be contacted for further information on how to get the problem fixed.
If ever in doubt, consumers should remember that there are upholstery cleaning businesses in most areas, which have trained professionals that know exactly what to do in every scenario. Sometimes it is better to pay for a little help rather than ruin an expensive piece of furniture. This is why damage assessment should always be the first step, as the more care intensive jobs carry higher risks of ruining one’s furniture.
In Conclusion
Upholstery cleaning businesses can be found searching the local phonebook for more information- or even by going online and searching local business results. Upholstery cleaning is mostly a very affordable service, so hesitation is generally unnecessary when prompted with the problem of cleaning one’s tainted upholstery.