Choosing furniture with upholstery instead of leather is a great way to have soft, cozy furniture for watching television and spending time with your family. However, it is also important that you take good care of it so you can prolong its quality. Here are some easy ways to clean and maintain your upholstered furniture.
Get Arm Rest Covers
One area of your sofa and upholstered chairs that will have a lot of stains and overall wear and tear is the arm rests. If you have cats, they will likely scratch this area more than others, while small dogs often like to lay on this part of the couch. You might place food plates or drinks on the arm rest, which then puts you at risk of spills and stains. They can also get stained over time from your own body's oils or transfer of dye from your long-sleeved tops. Arm rest covers can be removed and washed when they get dirty, while protecting the sofa. For even more protection, you can cover the entire sofa with a slip cover.
Add an Upholstery Protectant
There are sprays you can use on your upholstered furniture that provides a protective barrier to keep stains at bay. It doesn't replace cleaning up spills right away, but it can help reduce how badly your upholstery gets stained. The barrier might be enough to where the food or liquid remains on the top surface of the upholstery, instead of absorbing into it. This makes it easier to blot up the stain and remove it before it sets into the upholstery permanently. You can either get a DIY spray or have the furniture professionally prepared with Scotchguard or another upholstery protectant.
Move and Rotate the Cushions
If your sofa has cushions that are loose and removable, you should rotate them on a regular basis. This will help reduce wear and tear on just one side of the cushions. This includes rotating them and flipping them over if possible. Also move their location on the sofa. It is not uncommon for certain areas of a sofa to be used more than others, due to their position or angle to the television. Make sure you keep moving around the cushions if they fit in other places on the sofa so no seat looks uneven compared to the rest.
Vacuum the Upholstery Often
You also want to keep up with cleaning the upholstery furniture by vacuuming it regularly with your vacuum attachment. Vacuum the front and back of the sofa, the cushions, and underneath the cushions. This helps you to remove pet hair and dander, dust, dirt, and fallen food crumbs.
For more information, contact a company like Launceston Cleaning Services.
