What is upholstery cleaning anyway? It may be very simple and inexpensive, however, it is still necessary to follow the directions for the specific fabric you have chosen. If you’re unsure, I highly suggest you speak with a professional upholstery cleaning services provider. I’ll go over what products and supplies you need to get started with cleaning your upholstery.
What is Upholstery Cleaning?
Upholstery cleaning involves cleaning the fabric of the dirt, dust and debris that has collected on it over time. Upholstery fabric is also more sensitive and absorbent than most other fabrics so it can be damaged even more easily by cleaning products and messes alike. It’s important to use a delicate cleaning solution designed for upholstery cleaning on delicate fabrics. You don’t want to damage the upholstery you’ve worked so hard to care for and love.
Most problems can be fixed by simply vacuuming. That’s probably the easiest and most effective solution, but if your problem is deeper and more stubborn, consider some additional upholstery cleaning products. There are some out there specially formulated for upholstery cleaning, and they’re usually available at your local supply store. Don’t worry if you can’t find any upholstery cleaning supplies at your local grocery store or superstore. You’ll find plenty of them online and in specialty stores. If you’re lucky, you can find one of those products that are organic and green, which are becoming quite popular these days.
Other upholstery cleaning problems involve dust build-up and odour. If your cleaning products seem to be doing a fine job of removing the dust and dirt, but you still smell a strong odour from the furniture upholstery, it could be because your air quality is bad. Maybe there is too much dust in the air or maybe there is not enough fresh air circulating through the house. Either way, that nasty upholstery cleaning smell will return.
Cleaning Products and Possible Problems
Even when your upholstery cleaning products seem to be doing a great job of cleaning your upholstery and carpet, sometimes the damage is irreversible. If your cleaning products seem to have trouble removing the stain, it may be because your carpet is stained or the product used is leaving an unwanted residue on the carpet fibres. If you’re in this situation, it is recommended that you try to remove as much of the stain as possible before using your upholstery cleaning product again. Repeated use of a stain remover could cause the stain to become permanent.
Some problems also include fabric furniture appearing dull or worn even though you haven’t done anything wrong with the upholstery. This can happen for many reasons, such as a poorly cut string on your favourite chair, old carpet stains, or dirt trapped in the fabric itself. To combat this issue, simply use a new cloth in the same spot of the fabric furniture to remove as much dirt as possible. Do this upholstery cleaning tip even if the piece of fabric furniture appears clean, as you never know what else is hiding in the crevices of the upholstery. This will not only get rid of any excess dirt but will also revitalize the appearance of the fabric furniture.
Another problem concerns set-in stains. Set-in stains occur from dirt particles that remain in the upholstery fibres after you have cleaned them. Because the particles are trapped in the upholstery fabric, they will not be removed until you remove the cushions or have a professional remove them.
The final tip involves dealing with mould and mildew. Not all upholstery cleaning machines are equipped to deal with mould or mildew, and it may damage your upholstery further if you attempt to deal with the issue yourself. Mould and mildew can form in areas where moisture collects, such as around pipes and where food has been sitting for too long. It’s important to always rinse out any area where food has been sitting to help keep the mould and mildew from building up.