How to clean Upholstery

Acorn Upholstery Cleaning

Upholstery like our sofas, armchairs, and other furniture are a key part of our homes. They are our places of comfort and create a distinct visual style. But our constant use of them results in all manner of grime getting tracked into their fabric; animal hair, crumbs, food, and other mess can easily end up the appearance of your furniture over time.

In this article we’ll discuss the steps necessary for cleaning up upholstery.

Checking the label – a key step

The most important step is in checking the label of the upholstery. This will tell you what kind of cleaning products can be used. Misuse of products can result in the creation or worsening of existing stains, dye spills, and other unsightly marks. As such its key to use the correct materials. Commonly, the labels are marked as following,

  • W: This means you can only use water-based cleaners
  • S/P: Dry clean only.
  • SW/WS: This means that both water-based detergent and or solvent cleaners are usable. Steam cleaners are fine in this case as well.
  • X:  This cannot be subject to any kind of water or detergent; it’s best you get Acorn to professionally clean this for you and save you a lot of trouble and get the best results possible.

Getting rid of ‘surface’ dirt

It’s best to begin by removing any throws and cushions and checking the sides and back of the sofa for any wrappers, loose change, or other objects that might’ve slid into them. This will make the whole process much easier. If it is a fabric sofa, ensure your vacuum is properly fitted with the upholstery attachment; this is necessary to ensure it doesn’t get damaged. If your sofa is leather, use a brush attachment; this guarantees the leather won’t end up getting scratched or scuffed.

Slowly and gently suck up the crumbs, dirt, and grime which have accumulated. Using a slow, ‘sweeping’ movement is best. Ensure you use a ‘crevice’ attachment to get any dirt or grime out. It’s important to clean the seams as well.

Vinegar

A surprising option for cleaning the couch is vinegar. White vinegar is a great stain remover, and indeed is basically a perfect natural stain remover for most types of upholstery.

Vinegar can be used to ‘blot’ stains by using a mix of equal parts water and vinegar, before using a microfibre cloth to wipe away the stain. A solution of detergent and water should then be used to remove the smell.

This is great to do if a stain has just happened; in general, the best approach to stains is to handle them as they emerge – rather than later after they’ve ‘sunk in’ to a surface.

Odours

Odours can be dealt with in several ways – but these are dependent on the material the sofa or upholstery is made from.

Upholstered sofas should be vacuumed (with a brush attachment) to remove all the hair and dirt. Cushions should be removed too. After this is done, baking soda should be sprinkled onto the upholstered areas of the sofa. The baking soda should be left for 20 minutes (but overnight is good for handling serious odours). The baking soda works by absorbing the odour. It can then be hoovered up.

In the case of leather, any spills which can produce an odour should be wiped up ASAP. Ensure it is wiped dry.

A teaspoon of liquid neutral soap and a single cup of water should be combined and used to wipe down the sofa – focussing on the smell area. Only small areas should be cleaned at a time.

Getting the professionals in

At some, it’s just a lot easier to get professionals in.

There’s a good reason professional upholstery cleaning is a big industry; it’s demanding to clean upholstery. Sofas can be sensitive and using the wrong products or wrong methods can result in disaster. Not to mention, the quality of professional equipment and training is far, far higher than that which can be found at the supermarket or online.

If you want to save yourself time, effort, and a lot of potential stress. Acorn Upholstery Cleaning Glasgow has years of experience working with upholstery of all different styles, shapes, and designs. If you want to get proper professionals working on your upholstery, Acorn is a fantastic choice. The Acorn team will ensure your upholstery is quickly cleaned. They can guarantee any stains, marks, or odurs will be quickly eradicated.

For more info about Acorn’s services, call at 0141 212 0212 or give us an email at info@acorncarpetcleaning.co.uk